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[quote= With our other dogs, we just open the door, they go out to do what's needed and come back in. I don't want to have to be with her at all times, to me it's very unrealistic. I work at home, ideal, but if the phone rings (my job)and the dog needs or wants to go outside, i have to take the incoming call and cannot go outside. It is not acceptable for the client to hear that you are working from your home, it must be a quiet. We didn't realize a Rott was all that diferent from any other breed, we figured if we trained her to the best of our best ability (with professional training), and socialized her we were all set. So no "how sad for the dog" here. If we didn't care, we wouldn't be here asking questions, I think "very lucky dog" to have people that care about it's welfare. Thank you to everyone...........Marie[/QUOTE]

Hi Marie,

I too work from home under very similar circumstances. My clients are legal professionals. When I need to be on the phone, my three labs and new rottie mix puppy are in their crates with toys and treats. We have activities during my working hours that they can rely on. If I get an unexpected call, it goes to voice mail. I can quickly crate and treat and return the call almost immediately if the call cuts into our schedule.

That said, I have a six foot fenced yard but I don't ever leave any of my dogs outdoors unsupervised for more than a few minutes, mostly for potty time. They need interaction or they'll get bored and start digging or barking or eating whatever they can find or whatever amuses them. The barking alone would cause problems with my business. I wouldn't say that our rottie mix is any different from our labs in this respect.

Young dogs are just a lot of work. I remember a phone conversation with my mom when I had two lab teenagers. She didn't understand why I was trying to figure out how to keep them entertained while growing my business. At one point, she said to me "Don't they just lie down at you feet while your working?" It takes years for most dogs to get to that point and, from my own experience, putting a young dog out in a yard is just asking for a whole lot of heartache from any number of possibilities. It's really more a question of wearing them out and keeping them mentally challenged on a regular basis.

Lisa