Dog/puppy help needed!

[harrymca92]

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Hi everyone,

My girlfriend and I got a Cocker Spaniel pup (Duke) last Wednesday (14th) as company for our 5 year old dog (Marley) who is a Jack Russell/ Pomeranian who doesn't like being left alone.

We had them out yesterday at a neutral place and they got on great playing etc and even slept in the one bed on the way back in the car.

The pup is 10 weeks old and cannot be walked yet.

At night they stay with us in our room in their own beds at opposite sides of the bed which we hope to eventually put beside each other. Although Duke has been up between 2/3 times a night to go to the toilet followed by 30 mins of playing/chewing everything. Marley stays in his bed all night but is a bit uneasy and snaps/snarls at the pup when he is trying to rest, this also happens in other rooms of the house or out the back garden.

Having Duke in the room is good as he is already letting us know when he needs out to do is business we have the bedroom door open and leave a training matt at the top of the stairs with a safety gate blocking the stairway where he goes to and he much prefers to do it outside. But the playing after he does is getting a bit much and we are all exhausted.

I start a new job on the 3rd October and my Gf is currently working 4-5 days a week and sometimes they are 9-6. We need some advice on the following.

1. When is it ok to leave the dogs home alone?
2. If ok where should we leave them in a room or free to roam etc.
3. If the pup does not settle down at night should we move him downstairs or on the landing with another safety gate across our bedroom door even though Marley is there with us.
4. If Marley is still uneasy being in a room with the pup is it wrong to leave them alone together?

Any advice would be grateful we have both had dogs before but never two together so this is all new.

thanks,

Harry

 

[excuseme]

How on earth are you going to potty train your puppy if it is left for up to 9 hours a day!!!

I dread to think what sort of a mess you will return home to!! (and it won't be the puppies fault)

I would never consider having a puppy and leaving it for such long days, this is even a long time for an adult.

I know that we all have to work and our pets have to fit in with our life styles, but up to 9 hours a day just seems too long.

Maybe you should have thought about all of this before taking on another dog!

 

[harrymca92]

Well that was a helpful reply... not.

We could arrange for someone to call to the house to let the dogs out to the to the toilet/ walk them when the pups has 2nd vac.

If 9 hours a day is too long then I doubt anyone would ever have a dog as most jobs are 9-5 and I know plenty of people who do this, plus how are you supposed to afford all the dog food and vet bills etc.

I will be working 9.30-4 Mon-Thurs then 9-1 on a Friday and I wrote that my GF sometimes works 9-6 for a reason as she works 20 hours a week but sometimes has to do long days as I said.

The whole reason we got the puppy was for company for our other dog so that we don't have to arrange for someone to look after him all day.

I came here for some advice not for a reply like that.

 

[gypsysmum2]

Your puppy will struggle to cope with being left for long periods for quite a while. He will get very bored. Although we tend to think that dog like each others company and that it will "comfort" them to have another dog around it is not always the case. It is the attention of their human that they miss when left at home.

I think you will need some help with caring for your puppy until he is quite a bit older, probably a year or more. Every dog is different. Some love our company and want us to be there all the time and some could not care less as long as they have a comfy place to sleep and have been fed and walked. Your older dog may not take to the new puppy and may still miss you even though the puppy is around.

Most authorities recommend leaving a dog for no longer than about 4-5 hours. I have, in the past, left adult calm dogs for longer than this and it has worked.

Some dogs like a large area to roam when left while others are fine left in one room. You will limit the amount of damage your pup can do if you just use a room like the kitchen. Some dogs, however, learn to open cupboards and fridges and to how to escape from rooms.

I would be very boring when you get up in the night to let the puppy out. Do not engage in any game play. Just go outside, praise the toileting, come back in and put your puppy back to bed. He needs to learn to settle at night.

I would not leave the puppy with the older dog until you are absolutely certain that your older dog is comfortable with all the attention the puppy is going give him. He should be allowed to teach the puppy manners when the puppy is being a nuisance. It will be him that has to put up with the puppy most of the day eventually.

Could you find someone to have your puppy for the days that you work?

 

[dogmatize]

Excuse Me is absolutely right whether you like it or not. You are asking too much of both dogs to leave them on their own for so long during the day. A puppy cannot learn if you are not there to teach it. Your older dog doesn't like being left alone - most dogs don't, they are sociable creatures. I suspect you may end up with 2 dogs that don't like being left alone.

Nowadays people expect their animals to fit in around their life to their convenience when really it should be the other way round. The Animal should come first.

 

[JoanneF]

All day really is too long to leave a puppy, even if a dogwalker comes in during the day you will struggle to toilet train (along with training everything else). At 10 weeks your puppy needs out every 45 minutes to an hour. His little bladder and bowel are immature and simply not strong enough to hold on longer. Can you both take time off work (separately) so your puppy isn't left for the next couple of months? If not, is there a daycare service he could go to? People who work do have dogs, you are right, but many put in place contingency plans. For example we got our first dog as an adult rescue when my husband worked shifts; so he was housetrained already, but never left for more than a couple of hours. Then we didnt get another dog until my husband was self employed and home based.