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First let me say that I did NOT mean to get a puppy. A friend who never disciplined her children
(one is a criminal and the other is 35 works weekends and JUST started college, has met women over internet who came to house and robbed house TWICE)
doesn't even try to do right by the two cats she has
(litter boxes are disgusting, they use back room in house as a secondary litterbox, and puke and pee and poo where they like,climb on kitchen counters, escape out doors every chance they get, have never been to a vet to my knowledge)
and works 16 hours a day from home....
found this puppy crying on her porch.
She took it in and let it pee and poo all over her house. After having the puppy almost two weeks I came over and was so grossed out. I knew right away my girlfriend would raise this sweet puppy to be a dog no one would want.
I told her I would try to find the owner and if no owner found we would share 'custody'.
She agreed to keep the dog the two days I work and I would keep it the rest of the time, and we would split the cost.
When the time came for her to watch the dog, I could not reach her and of course she hasn't given me a penny toward the $300 I have spent so far....
So that's the back ground and here's my question
I work Mon and Tues and am gone for almost 11 hours. I want to work more, but right now I am one of the UNDER employed-I struggle with finances, have NO savings and my car is old and needs much work.
After trying to find an owner and striking out I fell in love with this puppy but can only afford spend a small amount on it. The money I have spent so far was supposed to go to car repairs.
I have a very large crate, the very biggest petsmart sells. Inside of it I put a pet taxi, it's small, but big enough for Gracie, the puppy, to turn around in.
I put the taxi inside the crate at the back and put puppy pads down. In theory, gracie can sleep in taxi and walk out of her tiny house onto puppy pads. I keep her food on a plastic tray that is about an inch off the floor to separate it from where she does her business.
I have left her there only for 4 hours so far. She was very glad to come out when I got home but laid down next to my friend and fell asleep(instead of laying next to me) which was fine, maybe she was showing me her hurt feelings for leaving her.
I was on 10 days vacation when I got her, my sister watched her the next week, but now says it's too much work for her. I can't affort the $30 to leave her with a pet sitter while I am working.
Is this arrangement going to work? So far she does great at peeing and pooing in crate tho she never sleeps there while I'm at home and I don't make her. If I leave her unattended, she will do her business all over house so i resort to keeping living area small and blocked off -so she won't use bathrm on the floor, in other rooms of the house I must keep an eye on her at all times or carry her so she won't pee everywhere.
I praise her whenever she uses peepads inside crate(always praise when she pees places she is supposed to) and I take her outside many times during the day and she pees outside but sometimes it seems like she doesn't want to poop outside but not sure since I haven't had her that long-I am researching and reading all I can to do what's best for the dog. Also, I live in an apartment, upstairs, I have few friends and none close by. I do not want strangers in my apt while I'm gone. I am trying to read alot and am doing the positive reinforcement thing, don't believe it striking an animal or that kind of thing.
Is this humane? I know as she gets bladder control I will have difficulty training her to go ONLY outside but I don't feel like I have any choices.
What do you who have experience with dogs think? I have never owned a dog.
thanks in advance,
jen
First off,I would loose that so called friend. Who wants a disgusting friend like that anyway?
Find better company!
You didn't say how old or what kind of dog it was?
Just my opinion but my dogs have cost me a lot thru the years and Vet Care is expensive.
Obviously you have a good heart. I think the best for you and the puppy at this stage of your life would be to try and find it a stable home.
Don't take it to the shelter and don't advertise it for free,
There are some good rescues around who will find it a home.
Where do you live? Maybe someone could help you find a decent rescue.
Thanks for caring and I hope life gets better for you.
Why are you putting the puppy inside a taxi inside the crate? Just use the crate and be done with it.
I don't know what else to say. Potty training takes time and there is a certain continuity to it. The puppy needs to be taken outside to the exact spot at the same times every single day. You need to stay with it until it potties, praising her to high heaven when she does. Continuity is the ONLY way a puppy can be trained to do anything. They're just like children in that respect.
I wish I could help more, but commitment on your part is an absolute requirement.
What kind of puppy is it? How big will she get? If she is fairly small, litterbox train her. When I ran a pet sitting business a client of mine litterbox trained her Yorkie. It would still go outside but if it was raining or they were not home, it would use the box. Since then I have heard of several small dogs that have been litterbox trained. I even heard of someone who set up a kiddy pool and put sod in it for their Great Dane!
When it comes time to spay her, ask your vet about low cost spay/neuter clinics. They are popping up in more and more places. Some local rescue groups may offer coupons to help reduce the price even further
Check your paper and the local pet supply stores for rabbies and vaccination clinics. Tractor Supply stores sometimes hold them. There are a lot of resources out there to help you.
Finally, if you decide that you have bit off more than you can handle (and it sounds like at this point in your life that's possible, no matter how well meaning) contact local rescues and not the shelter although the shelter may give you a list of rescues in the area. The shelter may euthanize if they cannot find a home. Rescues will not. Also offer to foster the dog while the rescue helps you find a home for the puppy. Most will be glad to work with you. Good luck! I truly hopes it works out for you!
First let me say that I did NOT mean to get a puppy. A friend who never disciplined her children
(one is a criminal and the other is 35 works weekends and JUST started college, has met women over internet who came to house and robbed house TWICE)
doesn't even try to do right by the two cats she has
(litter boxes are disgusting, they use back room in house as a secondary litterbox, and puke and pee and poo where they like,climb on kitchen counters, escape out doors every chance they get, have never been to a vet to my knowledge)
and works 16 hours a day from home....
found this puppy crying on her porch.
She took it in and let it pee and poo all over her house. After having the puppy almost two weeks I came over and was so grossed out. I knew right away my girlfriend would raise this sweet puppy to be a dog no one would want.
I told her I would try to find the owner and if no owner found we would share 'custody'.
She agreed to keep the dog the two days I work and I would keep it the rest of the time, and we would split the cost.
When the time came for her to watch the dog, I could not reach her and of course she hasn't given me a penny toward the $300 I have spent so far....
So that's the back ground and here's my question
I work Mon and Tues and am gone for almost 11 hours. I want to work more, but right now I am one of the UNDER employed-I struggle with finances, have NO savings and my car is old and needs much work.
After trying to find an owner and striking out I fell in love with this puppy but can only afford spend a small amount on it. The money I have spent so far was supposed to go to car repairs.
I have a very large crate, the very biggest petsmart sells. Inside of it I put a pet taxi, it's small, but big enough for Gracie, the puppy, to turn around in.
I put the taxi inside the crate at the back and put puppy pads down. In theory, gracie can sleep in taxi and walk out of her tiny house onto puppy pads. I keep her food on a plastic tray that is about an inch off the floor to separate it from where she does her business.
I have left her there only for 4 hours so far. She was very glad to come out when I got home but laid down next to my friend and fell asleep(instead of laying next to me) which was fine, maybe she was showing me her hurt feelings for leaving her.
I was on 10 days vacation when I got her, my sister watched her the next week, but now says it's too much work for her. I can't affort the $30 to leave her with a pet sitter while I am working.
Is this arrangement going to work? So far she does great at peeing and pooing in crate tho she never sleeps there while I'm at home and I don't make her. If I leave her unattended, she will do her business all over house so i resort to keeping living area small and blocked off -so she won't use bathrm on the floor, in other rooms of the house I must keep an eye on her at all times or carry her so she won't pee everywhere.
I praise her whenever she uses peepads inside crate(always praise when she pees places she is supposed to) and I take her outside many times during the day and she pees outside but sometimes it seems like she doesn't want to poop outside but not sure since I haven't had her that long-I am researching and reading all I can to do what's best for the dog. Also, I live in an apartment, upstairs, I have few friends and none close by. I do not want strangers in my apt while I'm gone. I am trying to read alot and am doing the positive reinforcement thing, don't believe it striking an animal or that kind of thing.
Is this humane? I know as she gets bladder control I will have difficulty training her to go ONLY outside but I don't feel like I have any choices.
What do you who have experience with dogs think? I have never owned a dog.
thanks in advance,
jen
IMO this is not humane.....but, if you still wonder.....don't go to the restroom yourself under any circumstance for the next 12 hours.
I dont like the idea of a pet taxi inside a crate either - invest in an exercise pen (ex-pen), put a soft blanket or dog bed in one end of it and toys in another section and newspapers in another section. Just know it'll take longer to housetrain the puppy bc he has no choice but to stay w/ his mess (hopefully on the newspaper), they dont like to 'go' where they sleep. Put a bowl of water in it too, in the summer and for 12 hours, he's going to need to drink. Sometimes you can get an ex-pen cheap on craigslist, you can hook 2 together so the dog will have some room to move about.
If you need help finding foster rescues in your area go to Petfinder and enter your zip code. Kind of scary to think this pup is being trained to use the crate as a potty area... that certainly isn't setting the dog up for success if / when she's rehomed.
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