Getting a puppy .... hit me with it!

[Shoeshelpplease]

We were due to get a puppy in the new year but things have fast tracked a little and we are now looking at getting one in a couple of weeks. Likely a Cockapoo.

I had freed my diary for the new year for weeks to be here 24/7 and help puppy settle, get stuck into training etc.

Can any experienced puppy owners please tell me just how hard this is going to be. Will I be able to go out (90 mine at a time max) and actually carry on with life while having a puppy. Regarding timing constraints, is it similar to having a baby?

I don't work / or work from home.

TIA

but get on with your life around them! Of course you can nip out to yoga

Doesn't this massively depend on the age and temperament of your dog? Of course older dogs can be left while you nip to the shops or the park, but lots of of people (rightly) agree that it's not okay to get a puppy and just leave it in a crate for hours.

I mean, if you leave an 8 week old puppy home for four hours while you go to the cinema, you can expect to come home to mess (poo and wee) and possibly a very distressed puppy who's sat and rolled in both. But an older dog who's been trained to be left, you probably would find them exactly where you left them!

The first few months are hard but in an expected way, potty training etc. The actual training is harder, you need to be consistent and it never really stops if you've got a headstrong breed. IME it was harder than having a baby as babies aren't mobile to begin with, puppies are and they're bloody fast!

Some great posts, thanks for all the tips.
Re the negativity, I haven't wanted to post too much on here. Be assured it's not a puppy farm! Why jump to such conclusions? Almost as though you are looking for the bad in any situation.

The majority of pups sold in the U.K. are from puppy farms. As you don’t even know the breed you’re obviously getting a pup on short notice or from someone who keeps different breeds. Both these things scream puppy farmer.

My sis has a puppy and they don’t leave him at all. Her partner worked 8-4 and she works 5-8. It’s not fair leaving them alone

We have a 15wk old cockapoo pup and she has been left alone from the first week, granted not for hours on end but given plenty of play and exercise then in her crate for a sleep whilst we went out or got on with life. She is happily left for a few hrs if needed and was housetrained within 3 days so no accidents either. We have a 5yr old cocker spaniel who was the same. I understand that all dogs are different, but they are dogs and need to be treated as such, that’s not to say we don’t love them or feel them as part of the family but they are dogs and they know their place, which provides security for them. Be clear how you want your puppy to be and how your life will be with them around then do it from day one. I never slept downstairs with either of mine and they have never slept in our bedroom, they are in the kitchen and we do this from day one. Build a bond with your puppy but start as you mean To go on, routine and consistency really do pay off. Oh and enjoy your puppy!! X

How is it not a puppy farm (or an extremely dodgy breeder) when you don't even know the breed?

Whether you can leave them or not and how quickly they toilet train / sleep through does seem to depend massively on the individual puppy.

I am a first time dog owner, so not a lot of experience but having got our pup at 9 weeks, after about 4-5 days he slept from around 11-12 til about 6 am. We stayed at home with him full time for the first couple of weeks, then started to pop out eg to the pub for our tea so by the time he was 14 weeks and I went back to work he was OK to leave for around 4 hours.

What we found difficult was actually occupying our days with him when he wasn' sleeping, as you can't take them for walks til after their injections, and it took a long time for him to understand play. I recall a lot of barking and running round in circles (come to think of it he's not changed much!)

I think some breeds are more disposed to being left than others but it still depends on the individual dog.

@adaline your little dog looks very similar to mine!

So how on earth do any regular homes, where people go out to work, manage to ever have a dog?

What a load of nonsense here - don't leave them even for an hour? There are lots of ways of making life with puppy feasible, especially after 12 week stage.

So how on earth do any regular homes, where people go out to work, manage to ever have a dog?

Most people with adult dogs get a dog walker in to give them a break and exercise or like me send them to doggy daycare.

For puppies it's about building up that time that can be left alone for a few hours so as an adult you can leave them as above.

With puppies it's all about investing the time now that gets you the adult dog you want later. It is 24/7 for a while, easily as life-altering as a new baby to start with, but that passes .

Being calm and settled when left alone is a skill they have to learn. Don't rush it. Accept you will not do much yoga until the new year as you're training a puppy. Start by leaving the room for a few minutes and going back in when they're quiet, not crying or barking. Don't make a fuss of them when you come in, just reappear and get on with things in the room, making your coming and going a calm non-event. Gradually build up how long you leave for. Then do the same but going out of the front door and returning. Pick times when they are nice and tired and likely to rest, or give a filled Kong to occupy them while you're out. Use an iPad as a monitor so you can see if they settle. Slow, slow progress will get you there and a well-adjusted adult dog can be left for half a day at a time.

Otherwise it's about finding ways to entertain a pup that can't go for long walks yet. You have to supervise their play as toys get damaged and can be a hazard, eg if they swallow the stuffing from a soft toy it can obstruct the gut and be very dangerous. Balls that dispense treats are a good safe option. Training games with you will provide lots of mental stimulation and can be as tiring as a walk for a small pup. Chasing ice cubes round the kitchen floor also kept mine busy on manic days.

I agree with PPs
We chose a breed after research, meeting friends with that particular breed. Considered a rescue but for us with small DC it wasn’t really possible.
Researched reputable KC registered breeders. Visited a couple. Chose one who matched our desired qualities. Chatted about when she was next breeding. Met the prospective parents. We were informed about successful pregnancy and sent weekly pictures of pups progress.
Breeder is still a valuable source of help/info.. one year down the line.
This whole process took about a year.....

So how on earth do any regular homes, where people go out to work, manage to ever have a dog?

Well, mine goes to daycare. We both have different days off so he's only there three days a week but no way would I trust an 8 month puppy to stay out of trouble for eight hours a day.

He'd probably need the toilet, he'd terrorise the cats and chew because he was bored. If I left him in a crate he'd bark and howl after a while because he'd want stimulation.

At daycare he gets stimulation and attention when he needs it. He gets let out when necessary, he gets walked and cuddled and fussed. He has human and canine company, which is what he needs to be happy.

Leaving him alone to save me £30 a week would be completely unfair on him. When he's much older and calmer he might be fine with a dog walker at lunchtime but for now he needs more than that.

We only manage because we work shifts and part time so our dog is not left at home all day. The recommended maximum time for leaving an adult dog is 4 hours. We've left ours a little longer on occasion but I wouldn't do this every day and it's not appropriate for a puppy.

My puppy did not like being left. If I left the room without him following he would howl. He would continue to howl. no amount of leaving the radio on or giving him treat filled kongs would stop him. I once sat outside in the car for 10 mins hoping he'd stop but he howled continuously until I cracked. He was a drooling pacing mess when I went back in. It took us months to get him used to being left and we started with leaving him in the car. This meant DH could do the school run - he would hop out and leave dog in the car for 2 mins to get DD across the road and then nip back. This was increased over weeks until puppy could be left for 20 mins in the car. Then we started on the house. Setting him up a comfy place in the kitchen he felt was his own and then leaving him for a minute at a time, then 5 mins, then eventually 10 mins. He slept by my bed in his crate. He was happy in his crate at night and in the car but leaving him in it in a room caused him to throw himself around inside crazily trying to get out so we had to leave him un-crated. He was 5 months old before I could leave him at home for 30 mins and he would stay calm.
He is 10 months old now and sleeps downstairs and we left him for 3 hours on Saturday and he was fine. I work from home so in the normal course of day he is not left at all. He is still happiest left in the car on his mat in the boot. He sleeps in the car at home he sits and "waits". He doesn't eat or sleep he just sits by the door bolt upright and waits for me to return.

Aww Cath. That makes me think of this cartoon