Did you take time off work when you got your puppy, if so how much time?

[MrsTumbletap]

Hi all,

How did you plan around work when you got your puppy? Did you take time off? Work short days? How long for?

Just want to know what would be a good settling in period for a puppy and how to do it?

Two weeks I think.
Could have done with more, first week was hellish from lack of sleep but it's not like that for everyone.

With Battendog I was lucky enough to take several months off and was extremely glad I did so, but whether 2 weeks is enough is going to depend on what happens when you go back to work? Are you leaving the puppy alone and, if so, how long for?

3 weeks off.

Then 3 weeks doing 2 days a week.

Then back to my regular 3 days. I’m so glad I took the time off. I was bloody knackered to first week 😂

Just over a month then my puppy went to daycare when I went back to the office.

The longer the better. In my experience the dogs most likely to need special behavioural help going forward are the ones who only got a short period of stay-at-home support when settling in as pups. This isn't invariable of course!

It really is a big project, I'd consider using most of your annual leave.

If you're planning to use dog walkers or daycare going forward worth involving them right from the beginning.

Last summer one of my doggy clients died, aged 14. I'd first met her when she came to her new family aged eight weeks, at the beginning of the school summer holidays. I popped in for her several times that holidays when the family had to go out. Then I was visiting three times a day two days a week when term started, reducing to twice, then once, and lengthening the walks. I continued to walk her on the days when neither mum nor dad were working from home right up to last July, when I had the heartbreaking call that she had suddenly collapsed and died during a weekend walk with her whole family.

We love being involved in the puppy stage, but it's important to make sure the pup doesn't get confused about who their owner is. Another client only had a week with one of the couple, followed by a week with the other half, and then only saw me during the weekdays.

She absolutely refused to obey one of the two owners but would do anything for me. Not a satisfactory situation at all. She was a large and powerful breed. The family eventually moved away, but I was not surprised to hear from mutual friends that when the couple had a baby they re-homed the dog.

6 months

Yes, a month between us, then he went to daycare while we work, and still does at 13 months old.

I took 2 weeks...then I resigned 😅 So it's going to be more like 3 months by the time I get another job (fingers crossed!)

You may not get an accurate reflection of the general population kind of answer on here, as many people on this board don't work or don't believe you should work if you have a dog.

From experience I've known people take anything from 0 days to 2 weeks.

Ddog had people with him for the first 5 weeks - DH and I worked from home and DS was off school as well. Then settled into routine of DDog at dog walkers 2 days a week work, DH wfh one day, me another and then Im off on a Friday, so he was never alone for more than an hour or so. He probably got mor walking than recommended although walkers kept him at home in the afternoon with one of them.

I don't think it's ideal when I read about puppies being left most of the day except for a couple of short visits.

Sorry meant to say as well that Ddog was a very placid puppy from Day1 , and provided we weren't too precious about the state of the back garden ( he likes to dig) it's been absolutely possible to work with him around.

Pup had 5 weeks of someone being with him 24/7. I work 3 days a week and in the other days adult DS was here.
Pup couldn’t go to day care until he was 13 weeks old as he needed to have his vaccinations. He still goes to day care on the days I’m working and loves it.
We were very lucky as DS didn’t have a job sorted (had recently left 6th year). Not quite sure how we would have managed otherwise.

I took a week AL and had that tagged onto half term so was home first two weeks. Currently I’m going home at lunch times. I work from 8 and my Dd from 10/11. So the morning is usually only a couple hours, then I’m home for just under an hour, then any of my older children between 3-4. It seems to be working out ok so far. I keep him contained in an easy clean area but he’s not had any accidents for a couple weeks now. He’s left with dog mazes and kongs etc. We also have an older dog who isn’t overly impressed with him but they sleep separated in the same room so he knows she’s nearby.

Very interesting to read these replies. DH wants a new puppy but has just started a new job so can't take the time off. We both work full time. I think he's totally bonkers - I don't think we have time for a puppy at the moment. But I'm in trouble for being a killjoy.

Wow this is going to be hard then. Whilst I would love for it to be timed so the puppy would arrive at the first day of the summer holidays, I have searched for ages for a decent breeder and the bitch is due in early May. Which doesn't tie in with any school holidays.

I'm beginning to think you need to work from home it be retired to have a dog.

I don't understand as so many people where I live have dogs, in the afternoon they are all out looking happy walking their dogs, presumably after returning from work. Yet are we saying work and dogs don't mix, even with a dog walker for a day visit?

The thought of not having a dog until I'm retired which is another 30 years is awful.

I can't see a way around it though, 3 days a week the dog would have to be on its own from 7:30-4, dog walker sorted and will take it out for a long walk in the middle of the day, (pop round when it's a puppy for a play). But is that still not good?

What about rescuing an older dog OP? Sounds like that may be more suited to your circumstances.

Whether or not the dog will cope with that very much depends on the dog. It is, essentially, a baby whose natural instinct will tell it that being alone is not safe because of the natural vulnerability of babies.

I would guess one of 3 things is going to happen:

1. It'll be fine, you will have gotten one of the few pups that can cope with being left alone from babyhood.
2. The puppy will be scared and distressed but eventually just accept that no one is coming.
3. The puppy will be scared and distressed and this will lead to long term psychological prolems with being left alone.

Whichever one, be prepared to apologise to the neighbours about the noise and come home to toilet mess.

“3 days a week the dog would have to be on its own from 7:30-4, dog walker sorted and will take it out for a long walk in the middle of the day,”

Whether that’s ok for an adult dog depends on the dog...

It’s definitely not ok for a puppy, it’s way too long.

Ours thankfully coincided with school holidays. I took 2 weeks off, then dh took 2 weeks off, then I had another week off. Dh is self employed so then worked short days, came home at lunch for a while after that until pup had settled with being home and walkers. Cost us a fortune in lost earnings.

What breed, OP? (Toy breeds stay with responsible breeders until 12 weeks, so that might make a difference.)

Assuming you have established a relationship with your breeder, could you ask them whether they might consider keeping the puppy an extra week or two? Again, a responsible breeder will often be happy to do this to give their puppy the best start possible with a new owner they've established a relationship with when waiting for planned puppies. (Obviously you would offer to cover costs for food.) Can sometimes be nice for them to have a puppy to run with the one they're keeping too, until vaccinations done.

@Crimebustersofthesea I have looked at rescues for nearly two years and they all say needs children over 14, or a quiet home with no children, or a quiet home with 1 owner.

I have a 5 year old so seems impossible.

Ah this seems so hopeless. So I grew up with dogs, love dogs, feel like I have a void in our family without a dog, but.... I have a job. So even with a job that lets me have 12 weeks off, and a dog walker sorted it is too cruel for us to have one. Surely people work a way round this?

I know what you mean about finding a rescue mrstumbletap. A lot of the rehoming policies seem so strict you wonder how anyone ever rehomes! We rehomed a greyhound and the centre were much more flexible than the likes of say dogs trust. But we were lucky that we wanted a grey, obviously not everyone does! Good luck, I hope you find a solution

Don’t think so OP, not if you’re responsible about it. Which is why we haven’t got one yet, as there would be 2 days a week it’s left alone for several hours at a time.

“Surely people work a way round this?”

They outsource, same as the do with childcare...

The issue is a visit or walk to break up the day isn’t enough for the length of day it’ll be, you need all day care. It exists.

You will probably find people who work full time with a dog but animal welfare organisations recommend a dog is left alone no more than 4 hours per day total.

I admit that our dog is now left a little longer some days depending on which shift pattern DH is on. But even so he had a quick visit from DS at lunch time.

When we had our puppy DS and I were at home with him for 4 weeks and we built up for him to he used to being left 3-5 hours, depending on our shifts / working patterns.

I think that a lot if people who have dogs and work are like us with shifts and part time work or they have family members who are able to look after the dog in the day time for a few hours. There is also paid doggy day care - depending on area - there isn't much available round here although there are plenty of dog walkers. A walker is probably fine for an older dog who is happy to be left alone and will sleep after the exercise but puppies need more company and looking after.

We have a dog but there is always someone at home.