How much time off for a puppy?

sarahann1

sarahann1

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Hello all,

We have a puppy joining our family in 6 weeks. I want to make sure I give him enough time to settle and make a good start to toilet training etc. My question is, how many days off work would you say I should take off? We'll be picking him up on a Thursday night so I was thinking the Friday, then Mon and Tues, then another 4 or 5 half days? Once I go back to work I'll be heading home at lunchtimes to let him out etc. Hubby is typically home mid-afternoon most days and once the wee man is big enough will be going out in the van to work with him.

Thanks all!
 
Just the Friday off and maybe a half day Monday. Sarting as you mean to go on can be very useful later.
Get in a supply of kongs.

Are you using a crate or a puppy pen?
 
s4sugar said:
Just the Friday off and maybe a half day Monday. Sarting as you mean to go on can be very useful later.
Get in a supply of kongs.

Are you using a crate or a puppy pen?
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Thanks, hadn't thought that little amount of time would have been ok. We'll be using a crate, he'll already be used to a crate and paper trained so it seems sensible to carry on that way.
 
Hi
I only recently bought my puppy and through necessity could only take off 2 days with him. Admittedly I only worked a few short days after that but he seemed fine.
 
Take a week off plus the Friday. That'll give him a chance to settle in to his new home, for you to bond, and start some basic training. Remember, it's a big shock to a little pup to be taken away from mum and siblings, driven in a car, and then put in a new environment without any other canines to talk to. Are you keeping him in a crate? I would recommend you either put the crate in your bedroom for the first few nights, or preferably, sleep downstairs on a couch alongside him. This isn't 'giving' in to him, just easing his transition into a new home. When you go to visit the pup, take an old towel or blanket with you, and leave it with him, so he gets used to your smell, and the blanket gets the smell of the pups siblings, which will also help him to settle in.
 
Thanks folks, hadn't thought about leaving a blanket with him, will ask if I can do this.

We are buying as big a crate as we can realistically fit in my house, and he'll be staying in that overnight and for the 1st few months when we are out. He'll come with me to the stables in the morning for a walk, then out again at lunchtimes, then out before tea, then back to the stables again so hopefully that'll give him the exercise and stimulation he needs to keep him happy and well adjusted.

Can't wait to get him home :D
 
sounds like your puppy will be fine with what you intend to do, im no expert on crate training (cayla on here is and is very helpful) but i think you just need enough space in the cage for him to be comfortable, not to race around as the idea is he should be quiet and relaxed in there. they also feel more secure if you put a blanket over the cage to make a den. what breed are you getting?
 
I took a week off when I got my pup and during that time helped to wean him onto an hour's leaving time. But I was very lucky with my dog as he was toilet trained by 16 weeks old (and I lived on a first floor flat!) and did not bark overnight or when left from day one. Judge it by how your pup is like and be prepared to take an extra day or two off on top if needed to help it settle :)
 
Splashgirl he's a jackadoodle, it's a perfect size wee dog for our flat and I know the bitch and dog are both really good natured wee dogs which is perfect for use because my other half is wary of dogs having not had very much to do with them in the past. We've got a couple of numbers for dog training locally which hubby is going to take charge of to him and pup can bond.

Charcolfeathers, thats nice and reassuring you managed puppy training so quickly in a 1st floor flat, I'm also in a 1st floor flat, I think I'll be pretty fit from running up and down the stairs so much!

We got the crate, vet bed, some toys, chews, and a wee blanket for him today, hubby is currently putting it all together, he's like a kid at Christmas :)
 
sarahann1 said:
Splashgirl he's a jackadoodle, it's a perfect size wee dog for our flat and I know the bitch and dog are both really good natured wee dogs which is perfect for use because my other half is wary of dogs having not had very much to do with them in the past. We've got a couple of numbers for dog training locally which hubby is going to take charge of to him and pup can bond.

Charcolfeathers, thats nice and reassuring you managed puppy training so quickly in a 1st floor flat, I'm also in a 1st floor flat, I think I'll be pretty fit from running up and down the stairs so much!

We got the crate, vet bed, some toys, chews, and a wee blanket for him today, hubby is currently putting it all together, he's like a kid at Christmas :)
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How do you know this pup will be a perfect size for your flat when it could be from about 9" up to around 20"?

Why on earth get this cross? Two high activity breeds neither of which are known for being quiet and which share some health problems. No good reason to produce this cross other than for sale to suckers that believe the sellers.
 
s4sugar said:
How do you know this pup will be a perfect size for your flat when it could be from about 9" up to around 20"?

Why on earth get this cross? Two high activity breeds neither of which are known for being quiet and which share some health problems. No good reason to produce this cross other than for sale to suckers that believe the sellers.
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I know both the parents of the dog and neither are big, saying that I realise this doesn't guarantee what size he'll get, if he gets bigger, hey ho, we'll walk him more and feed him more :) I really like that they are active dogs, I'm an active person so it has to keep up, the ones I've met are really intelligent happy wee dogs. The vet who checks my friends pups is friends with my hubby, so if there was any bother we'd know. We haven't purposely chosen a jackadoodle as such, it just so happens a friend of mine has them and if I'm going to get any dog I'll get him from someone I know well and trust.
 
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