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So I just recently obtained (possibly saving it from a bad home) a 6 week old Chocolate Lab, I know that they are an extremely physical and loving animal and need lots of exercise and attention. But, sadly I have to work too. I can walk her in the morning for a short time before work, but can walk her for hour(s) at night. And weekends are wide open....
Is this going to be enough to keep her occupied and focused and not turn into a "holy terror"?
thats not fair to the puppy to be locked up all that time alone. he has to be in all day and only out a couple of hours then expected to go back in and be crated all night long. maybe you can get a pet sitter or take him to daycare.
Perhaps an x-pen would be a better idea? More freedom of movement, while keeping him contained. I did that with an 8-wk old puppy, as I live alone, and no one around to help me. Had room for a small carrier or bed, puppy pad, and space for playing with his toys.
How about buying a baby gate and keeping him in the kitchen or in another area where there is tile in case he has an accident...that's what we do with our dog when we are gone. She stays in the kitchen and has her food, water, bed, and toys in there. If she has to go, she knows she can and will not get in trouble. It is tile and it is easy to clean up.
It's impossible for a 6 wk old puppy to 'hold it' for more than an hour or so and even that is pushing it (6 wks is verrry young), you dont want the puppy to have to sit in its own piddle and poop - they need to go out often - even then, their bowel and bladder muscles take months to develop. Would hire a petsitter or a responsible neighbor to come in and take him outside during the day. Crating isnt the best idea for your situation, gating him in the kitchen would be a good idea (would be a little afraid that an ex-pen may tip over as he gets older and stronger and wants out), I've used both for my small dogs (gating and ex-pens) and when they got older, we sometimes crated for 2-3 hours.
Perhaps an x-pen would be a better idea? More freedom of movement, while keeping him contained. I did that with an 8-wk old puppy, as I live alone, and no one around to help me. Had room for a small carrier or bed, puppy pad, and space for playing with his toys.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AKgirlinCA
How about buying a baby gate and keeping him in the kitchen or in another area where there is tile in case he has an accident...that's what we do with our dog when we are gone. She stays in the kitchen and has her food, water, bed, and toys in there. If she has to go, she knows she can and will not get in trouble. It is tile and it is easy to clean up.
Both of these are good ideas. Also, some years back, my daughter and her then finance had a lab. Both worked and they crated Ollie. He did really well as a puppy in it. He was out of it at night with them. He got plenty of exercise. When he got bigger it was more of an issue until he was trained then had the run of the house when they were gone. He did well although he was a chewer!
All you can do is the best you can under the circumstances. How great of you to take him in.
Ollie was a Chocolate too. He thought he was suppose to be a lap dog. Great dog.
Perhaps an x-pen would be a better idea? More freedom of movement, while keeping him contained. I did that with an 8-wk old puppy, as I live alone, and no one around to help me. Had room for a small carrier or bed, puppy pad, and space for playing with his toys.
That is what I do with my puppy when I have to go into the office. Thankfully I can work remotely most days.
Its not the perfect situation for a puppy, leaving him alone all day. But as the OP said, the puppy is a rescue. I spoke to a worker at a local shelter in my city and he said they sometimes put down cute little puppies. So as far as the OP's puppy is concerned, it could be a lot worst.
Location: Visitation between Wal-Mart & Home Depot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Why_Am_I_Here
So I just recently obtained (possibly saving it from a bad home) a 6 week old Chocolate Lab, I know that they are an extremely physical and loving animal and need lots of exercise and attention. But, sadly I have to work too. I can walk her in the morning for a short time before work, but can walk her for hour(s) at night. And weekends are wide open....
Is this going to be enough to keep her occupied and focused and not turn into a "holy terror"?
If you (i) don't live in a sweltering, sub-tropical anti-paradise similar to Houston, TX, (ii) have covered parking at work where your car will not bake in the sun, (iii) have at least a mid-sized car and (iv) do not work for Benito Mussolini, you may be able to take the crate with you to work and leave the dog crated in the car. This way you can take a 15 minute break every couple of hours to give the pup some human attention and let her air. Its actually more reasonable than it sounds and can encourage good crate habits. I think that crate anxiety often starts with long crate soaks as a puppy and having an uncomfortably full bladder or bowel while confined. Frequent, quick breaks from the crate with attention from you is probably better than several hours of play after an all-day crate soak.
As for when the dog is more grown up and can stay at home, my experience has been that labs will be perfectly happy crated, kenneled or alone in the house while you are at work as long as you are committed to putting in the time to exercise and train the dog when you are free. Long walks don't really cut it with a bouncy lab; these dogs need to be worn out. A game of fetch to the point of exhaustion is excellent but you will need to mix things up to keep the dog challenged/interested (otherwise the dog will start finding ways to make it interesting, like keep-away). I haven't had much success with retrievers as jogging partners because I'm always going too slow and too far for the dog and with too few stops, but that's just me. You may want to get a book on introducing the dog to the frisbee - makes for a great beach trick...
I'd hesitate suggesting anyone leave a dog in a car. Even with windows cracked, at what we would consider comfortable temperatures, the inside of the car can heat up unbearably and fast. It might feel "normal" to us outside, but the car can become sweltering. Also, it's not uncommon for dogs to get stolen out of cars.
I like the idea of confining to an area with tile floor, perhaps the kitchen, where the pup can't get into trouble and hurt himself. Leave a radio on for company, and be sure to take him out to socialize with neighbors and friends (and strangers) often. You're a good person to take him in, and you'll both do just fine. Sounds like you're willing to do a lot of cleaning. He's a very lucky puppy!
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He's a very lucky puppy!
