Serious New Puppy Question

[Arago]

Folks, I really need your advice. I lost my 13 year old Lab this winter and now face getting a new pup. Well, it's been awhile! My wife & I work full time and can't always run home at lunch to let the little guy/gal out. As I remember, I crated Gunther when he was a pup. I have to think there are other dog owners who have been in this problem as well. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[Todd Caswell]

we have raised 8 different pups in the past 12 years, and every one has had a different situation to go with it. For the most part I have worked 7 to 330 and my wife had always worked afternoons, no problem. Until she had an ACL replaced in sept of 2011 and a New pup a day befor. Puppy stayed in the house during the night and spent it's days in a outdoor kennel during the day, I didn't like it but had no choice and the pup turned out great. It was a perfect time of the year to do it because it was not to hot or too cold. The last one was a late winter pup, and my wife had taken a job where she was working days, I basically took the puppy to work with me every day for the first three weeks, I'm an electrician and have a service van, I put a crate with a kennel cover in the van and she went with me every day, she got let out at break time 930 and at noon we did some fun retrieves and some fun puppy OB, home at 330. Worked out great, my dogs spend alot of time traveling with me in the summer whether i'm judging or running FT or HT they are with me so learning to travel and spend time in a crate is a good thing. Iv'e got a new one comming in a couple weeks and plan to do the same thing, take the pup to work every day.

Bottom line a 8 week old puppy needs to be let out every couple hours, a 12 week old can make it 3 to 4 hours and a 16 week old can most likely make it all day, but I don't like to do it that way. If you push it and the dog is even alittle bit dirty in it's crate you will have a problem in the future.

If bringing the pup to work is not an option then, how about paying a neibor or a relative, untill the puppy is a bit older and can handle longer crate times...

Hope this helps..

[S.D. Ice Angular]

Todd,

How the he11 many dogs do you have at one time?? Are you fostering them or do you train and sell??

You certainly can't hunt that many dogs do you??

[Todd Caswell]

Todd,

How the he11 many dogs do you have at one time?? Are you fostering them or do you train and sell??

You certainly can't hunt that many dogs do you??

Ha Ha no I don't have that many dogs in my house, I have sold a couple and a couple have passed. Currently I have 3, a 13 year old choco dog, a 2 1/2 year old black male, and a 2 year old black female. And a male puppy in a few weeks that will be for sale in the fall of 2013, hopefully as a up and coming trial dog if not he will make some one a really nice gun dog/ companion...

My old dog is retired so I hunted the two young dogs this fall, both of them are out of my Bodey dog that I sold in the fall of 2010.

I really enjoy the puppy stuff and really miss having a young dog in the house, it's hard to sell them but you can only have so many puppy's before being committed as a hoarder.

[Arago]

Todd,

Good points. I may need to hire a person to swing by during the day. Not sure I can bring a puppy to work with me though I'm an commercial asphalt estimator and am out and about 2/3rds of my day.