Work from home, where does your puppy go during the day?

[MoirasRosesGarden]

Considering getting a puppy as now permanently working from home the time is finally right.

I would take a few weeks off to settle them in so not a problem straight away but after that how do you cope with working and watching the puppy?

Do you use a crate? I assume only for a few hours at a time and then playing with them throughout the day/toilet trips etc. Do you keep them in the same room as you or somewhere else in house to give them quiet? No kids just me and OH who also works from home (most days) and just pondering what the best set up would be.

When mine was a puppy working from home was hell because you can't work and toilet train and stop the chewing of inappropriate things all at the same time. Fortunately my work is flexible so I just worked late into the night when DH took over.

He goes to daycare three times a week which makes my working at home days much easier as he gets 'down time'. Now as an adult he takes himself off to a comfy spot and sleeps but keeps one eye on me to spot my break time when he knows he will get a 5 minute fuss/play time.

Puppies will need taking to the toilet every 20-30 minutes while they're awake through the day, and when they need to go, you have seconds to get them out before they pee on the floor That's not meant to put you off, but it's something to be aware of in case you have a job which doesn't afford you that level of flexibility.

If you leave the puppy alone, you need to make 100% sure the area is puppy proof - so a crate with a pen around it might be a good idea at first. You can leave the puppy with a kong or a chew to keep them occupied too.

Personally I would have the puppy in a pen with you while you're working, so they can amuse themselves in a safe environment, and so you can deal with the toilet training. The more they're left to have accidents, the longer it'll take for them to "crack" the toilet training if that makes sense.

Sorry realised I didn't answer your specific question.

As a puppy he needed to be in the same room for toilet training. Despite what you read online toilet training often takes months and if I had put him in another room he would have howled as you need to build up the time they are happy to be alone slowly and again that can take weeks.

Obviously the room needs to be puppy proofed and yes I did have a crate but he would mostly be wandering around the room (kitchen). But you do need to be mindful that they find anything to chew so a dangling wire or chair leg can be tempting.

I took 2 x weeks off when we first got puppy to focus on him, and then had a puppy play pen that I either put him in the lounge, or brought into the office with me. It has flexible sides so easier and lighter than a crate to move room to room.....he had water/bed/toys in with him.

I've only had my puppy since last Tuesday and hes only 8 weeks but he just stays in the room with me while I work asleep on his little bed (they sleep alot) or playing with his toys. I take little breaks to feed/play/cuddle him. Only took him half a day to get the hang of puppy pads so he takes himself off for a pee or poo on those. Works well at the moment but I'm less than a week in so realise could get more challenging!

Hi, I work from home too, as does husband. Our puppy (now 1yo but we've had her since 8 weeks) settled into the daytime routine easily, so once kids went off to school she settles herself onto the sofa for a few hours of napping/ watching out the front window. Husband takes a break 11am ish for a quick 5 min play in the garden, then she sits at my feet until lunchtime, potters around whilst I make lunch. Go for a walk during my lunchbreak.
Then after lunch she goes between sofa and on the mat by my feet, listens into my video calls quite happily. When kids come home she has play/ enjoys the attention from them, another walk (usually longest one of the day) before husband cooks dinner.
We have a labrador and she settles down easily - the one thing she's not keen on is being left alone and that's because she hardly ever is - due to lockdown!

It’s not as easy as I thought it would be but it’s manageable... my 16 week old puppy gets breakfast, training and a little walk and some indoor play u til 8:30 and then either settles next to me (in an enclosed corridor with waterproof mats down!) or gets popped in his crate for a couple of hours nap.. he then wakes for a bit of a play around 10:30 and then settle again around lunch time and then similar in the afternoon. My partner helps when he can.... frozen kings, waterproof matting, ban gates, a crate and a toilet diary (so you the last time he went out) are your friends... I took the fist 10 days off when he came home, the next few weeks were hell, now, it’s settled into a manageable routine made much easier by him being able to out to play.

But all totally worth it... I love having him sleep by my desk and his puppy dreams have livened up many a video call!

Frozen kongs and baby gates!

Depends whether you have any flexibility in your working hours vs. needing to be chained to your desk at certain times. Flexibility is key I'd say. Puppies sleep an awful lot (18-20 hours a day in some cases) so if you can arrange your working hours around pups waking hours that would be ideal.

My sprocker has a crate in the snug which I can see from the kitchen table where I work. Either me or DH will spend an hour or so with him in the morning doing breakfast/playing before popping him back in his crate to sleep and starting work. Then we take breaks when he is awake to take him out to the loo, play games, do training etc. It means the working day is longer but more broken up and its actually nice not to be chained to a desk for 8 hours solid.

Why a puppy who will undoubtedly need more work? What about an older dog/rescue?

We got a pup after I started WFH (25 years ago).

I can't remember any specific issues. He had a basket in my office (certainyl couldn't have left him downstairs while I worked upstairs) and we got him toilet trained pretty quickly. Mine isn't a 'chained to my desk' type of job though.

During summer I set myself up by the sliding doors out into the garden, and puppy snoozed on a blanket by the doorstep, so it was easy to get het outdoors quickly. My job is very flexible, so I could take a break whenever she woke up and needed some attention, then I worked when she was asleep.

Now she is older I walk her before work and in the evening, and split my lunch hour into 2 sessions when I can give her my attention. Unless the weather is terrible we leave the back door half open and she goes outside when she needs (and when she wants, she enjoys digging!). She has her blanket near me in the study, and a variety of toys and chews.

But she has turned out to be quite a low maintenance dog, you never quite know what you are getting with a puppy!

I took first couple of weeks off and then made sure diary was flexible (self employed and summer is quiet) plus teenage dc were home much of time.

Pup was 4 months by the time September came and used to being left downstairs for a couple of hours at a time. It’s actually a bit tougher now he’s 6 months. I’m busy and he’s left for a 2 or 3 blocks of 2 hours a day. We’ve definitely needed to employ kings etc to keep him busts I tried letting him come into my office- it was a disaster! However if I don’t have a meeting I’ll work at the kitchen table so keep him company