How much time off work for puppy?

[duplodancer]

Have a puppy arriving in a couple of months and trying to work out what I need to prepare my boss for?
If I work from home for the first two weeks will that be enough?
After that, I normally work two days a week in the office but only for five hours so was going to get a dog sitter to come in for the hour in the middle for a few months so the puppy would be alone for 2 x 2 hour stints twice a week from 10 weeks old. Is that ok?

I think you should speak to your boss now.

They may not be OK with you working at home for 2 weeks just because you've decided to get a puppy.

Thanks Smurfalicious, I already work from home whenever I need to as it's a contract job. I just want to let them know how much time it's likely to be in one stint, as a courtesy.
Any answer to the actual question?

Be prepared for the fact that lots of dogs don't like being left at all at that stage. Ours wouldn't have coped on his own for that long at all.

I think you need to arrange proper care. At 10 weeks your puppy won't be allowed out for walks anyway so the dog walker will only be able to come in and play with it.

And a 10 week old puppy will not be able to hold its bladder for that long - we were taking ours out every 20-30 minutes at that stage and he was peeing every time!

To answer your OP I took three weeks off to settle him and he needed constant supervision in that time. I couldn't have gotten any work done that's for sure.

He's now in daycare while we work because there's absolutely no way he could be left on his own without him getting anxiety.

Thanks Adaline, that's helpful, so at what age would you leave a puppy for 2 hours at a time would you say?
The books I'm reading have conflicting advice so looking for real life experiences. (I realise it wouldn't be an actual walk. The lady is a pet sitter as well so quite happy to do the cuddle and wee thing.)

Sorry x post. That's useful info thanks!

Good luck expecting a 10 week old puppy not to pee for 2 hours.

But then of course it won't be excited as it will be on its own.

Sorry, again really hoping for real life experiences rather than sarcasm.
I'm trying to work out what I need to do. Work is flexible, pet sitter is flexible, but it would be easier to make a plan with some helpful info.

I was at home for just over a month and within that time he still wasn't house trained.

My initial plan after that was that someone would come in on my office days, just like you plan, for puppy visits. However, it became clear that this wasn't going to be enough so we found our lovely daycare lady who picked him up so he was only on his own for a couple of hours and she continued our toilet and general training.

I think if I was to do it again a month is definitely the minimum but actually anything longer is better. You will also find working at home very challenging (I work from home), especially if you have to take calls and deliver work because you need to watch them like a hawk for toilet training and the biting and general attention demanding can be overwhelming. Fortunately I could continue to work late at night when my DH was at home to watch the puppy.

I took 2 weeks annual leave when we got ours as a puppy even though i work from home. I think it was the right choice. They need a lot of care at that age and can't get too much love and attention. They've just been removed from their mother and litter mates and moved to a completely alien environment with none of the smells or noises they've been used to in their short life so far. The more comfort and companionship you can give them the easier they will adapt and you can also work on various aspects of their training and socialization.

Thanks Bitey, so at least a month at home with minimal work expectations and then pet sitter for the whole 5 hour stint both days for another month maybe.

Tootrue, what arrangements did you make when you went back to work?

The actual age to leave them alone will depend on the puppy. Some puppies cope early on whereas others don't. You do need to work on leaving them for a few minutes at a time, gradually building it up.

I think 2 weeks might not be enough to do this even if your puppy is a chilled one as it's amazing how quickly 2 weeks goes as it is full on.

I don't think you'll manage to work from home in the fullest sense of the term for those first two weeks. You might manage an hour of work here and there per day when your pup sleeps but not a full day's work. I think you need to find a full time dog sitter /doggy day care. They can assist you in the first two weeks and then have the dog full time when you're in the office and help you on the days you work from home post two weeks. Things will settle down but the first 6 weeks or so are full on.

Thanks Bitey, so at least a month at home with minimal work expectations and then pet sitter for the whole 5 hour stint both days for another month maybe.

That sounds more realistic so that you can concentrate on getting him or her used to be left at a more gradual pace and means you won't be panicking if your puppy is one that isn't happy being left for long or is struggling with toilet training etc.

I should say I still use daycare now and my dog is coming up to 2 years old. Look for 1/2 day care as sometimes you don't need the full day if they are happy left for a couple of hours and often this isn't much more than dog walkers charge.

I do daycare when I am in the office and it really helps as you then don't need to walk them so when you are shattered you can just spend time enjoying them (playing, training etc).

Thanks Terrible, I've been unclear. I only work 10 hours a week which can be at home with some warning. Hopefully not a full time pet sitter needed!!
But appreciate point about needing one for those 10 hours, thank you.

Great, will look into daycare.

Tootrue, what arrangements did you make when you went back to work?

As I said in my post, I work from home. Personally, I wouldn't have got a puppy otherwise and would have gone for an older dog that was already very comfortable with it's own company.

Agree with somebody upthread who said it depends in the puppy. Any chance of taking leave for 1 or 2 weeks and see how the puppy settles? Then rearrange if needed and go from there. I work flexibly and can make up time in the evenings.. if that's a possibility for you, you could probably maintain your 10 hours per week. ..

We got ours at the begging get of the school holiday - dh is a teacher so he had someone home with him for the 6.5 weeks and was fine to be left when he went back to work with walkers / family coming in a couple of times a day.

I had about 8 weeks at home with my puppy and then started a new job that was two 4 hour days a week. Mine was 12 weeks when we got him so about 5 months old when I started work. I used a dog walker who would come in halfway and spend 30 minutes with him, let him out, play have a cuddle and give him a kong when she left. He was crated when left so no accidents. Now that I have increased my hours he goes to daycare (he's one) two days a week as it feels unfair to leave him even with a dog walker visit.

With hindsight I would have used daycare from the start rather than puppy visits as actually I pay £9 for a 30 minute/visit or walk whereas day care is £15 for the whole day. I found it so stressful if I got caught in traffic on my way home, didn't feel I could pop to the shops or run errands as I needed to get back for him.

Thanks Unintentional that's encouraging.
Yes Tropic I have option to work in evenings so that will help.

Mine came home at 8 weeks (now 14). She settled really well in her crate from the start (on the first night she cried for under 3 minutes and whilst she sometimes grumbles it's never for more than a minute) and only woke us for a wee on the first 2 nights. She's my first puppy, and I'm told she;s really unusual but I guess like others have said it really depends on the dog.

Because mine seemed happy and didn't mess in the crate, it was easier to leave her and I started with 10 minutes whilst I was around and stretched it to a couple of hours. I don't work, but after 2 weeks (i.e. the timing you were contemplating) I could leave her for one stretch of 2 hours in a day. I do a couple of volunteer shifts (out of the house for 4.5 hours) and I had 4 weeks off whilst I assessed what I needed whilst I was out/if I could go back to volunteering. Like you, I think 5 hours is too long when they are so little, so someone comes to let the puppy out, plays with her and puts her back in the crate. The puppy seems fine with this!

As others have said, what with letting them out every 30 mins, plus after a nap, food, play, and keeping an eye on what they have on their mouths, whether they are squatting for a wee, I found the first 4 weeks really full on, I don't know that I'd have been able to concentrate on work AND the puppy without either getting frustrated and/or doing lots more mopping up!

My boy took a month to toilet train and that was with me here all the time letting him out every twenty minutes or so.

My first dog took about four months because in my naivety I thought I could carry on with my little part time job three mornings a week. I wasn’t at home enough to let him out regularly and he just didn’t get it, for ages. He would wee and poo anywhere in the house. Not pleasant. Especially if you’ve got kids.