So how do you do it??

[Dollygirl2008]

I've posted before about which dog to get now that my lifestyle finally allows it. Despite going between a maltipoo and a cocker spaniel, I've now decided on a Staffy as I think they are more appropriate.

So, my question is - I will be able to take 3 weeks or so off to settle pup in, but then what?! I will still have to go into work a couple of days a week - I can split these into half days and I can easily pop home - it's very flexible. But even so - surely I can't leave a puppy? So the obvious answer is day care - but do they actually take puppies that young? I've tried to call a couple of local ones but they're constantly busy so I thought I'd ask for your experiences!

No daycare don’t usually take them that young - dog walkers do puppy visits though.

Or friends, family, neighbours to puppy sit until they’re older.

I am a dog walker and pet sitter and for puppies I offer a drop in, so take them out to the garden if appropriate, play, fusses etc for 30 minutes.

Be very careful about daycare. I would never put my dog in one again. Can family not help.

I wouldn’t have been able to leave mine at that age, and found a daycare on rover rather than the bigger businesses.
he goes to a lady who has her own dogs, and has other peoples purely because she loves animals, it’s perfect for him.
the only downside is she doesn’t have insurance but she doesn’t walk him, he gets enough exercise with her dogs & I made sure he met them numerous times before I left him there xx

Our breeder told us to not change our routine when we brought our pup home.
We crate trained her so she stayed in her crate and the dog walker came to visit twice a day to let her out and have a play.
It worked really well for us, we have a breed prone to separation anxiety, and even with all of the changes over the past few years she's still absolutely fine when left

Most people I know who have got puppies recently don't need to leave them home alone for more than an hour or so initially. Either because they're working from home, or don't work or have work shifts at a different time to their partner or have family help.

Most daycares I know won't take pups younger than 6 months, a lot have rules around unneutered dogs. If your dog is ill or in season they cannot attend. I know of a couple of people where their dogs have been asked to leave. In short, if you are absolutely dependent on your dog going to daycare to keep your job then I'd reconsider.

It sounds like if you can work half days though you might be able to arrange something with a dog walker to do a pop in visit

Daycares won't take them until they're fully vaccinated - normally from around 16 weeks of age, though many say six months or even a year old.

Your best bet is to find a dog walker who can offer puppy visits, but depending on your hours, that may not work either, as all their lunchtime slots will be full of group walks with adult dogs. I would also recommend you book your dog walker well in advance of even getting your puppy as many of us are totally fully booked up with long waiting lists. You don't want to assume you can use a walker and find that you're stuck once the puppy is here.

When we got our puppy, we took five-ish weeks off between us and then he went to an in-home daycare. He's four now and my in-laws have him if he can't come to work with me, but there's no way they'd have coped with him as a puppy - he was a nightmare

I would say don’t assume even with the best laid plans you’ll have a dog you can leave even for an hour
it takes time to build up, hopefully it’ll be fine but what would you do if they couldn’t be left/ you have to build up over months to leaving them?

It depends on your daycare.

Ours went from 13 weeks. It has a dedicated puppy section.

I went to view a few and the one we chose ticked all the boxes. He's four now and still goes and loves it.

Ours hasn't been neutered either.