potential owner with a question

[Maqroll]

I may get a Rottie in August. If I do, I may have to leave the dog alone for 11 hours a day, three times a week. Will this be a problem? The other four days can be spent entirely with the dog, including lots of love, training and exercise.

Thanks!

[Brooke&Ryan]

It depends on how old the dog is. Are you planning on getting a puppy or an adult from a rescue?

Julius is almost two (in November) & I never like to let him hold it for more than 6 hours unless I NEED to for some reason but that's just me. Julius HAS been able to hold it for 11 hours but I felt horrible leaving him for that long without a bathroom break, but it couldn't be helped!

You could hire a pet-sitter/dog walker to let your dog out a couple of times a day. That would be a possiblilty.

[LavenderRott]

Eleven hours is a very long time to leave a dog alone. You don't say whether you are getting a puppy or an adult. A puppy will need to be taken out to potty on a schedule and fed on a schedule. An adult you could probably get away with feeding before you left and again when you get home, but will probably need to go out at some point.

Do you have a family member or friend who could do this for you? Maybe a local vet or dog training club could recommend a good dog walker for you.

[Maqroll]

Thanks...It would be a female puppy. Also, she would be 8 weeks when I pick her up. At what point should I put her in training classes? How long should I have her in training, and how much will I expect to pay for her entire training?

Thanks,

MAQROLL

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally Posted by Maqroll

Thanks...It would be a female puppy. Also, she would be 8 weeks when I pick her up. At what point should I put her in training classes? How long should I have her in training, and how much will I expect to pay for her entire training?

Thanks,

MAQROLL

It certainly is too long to leave an eight week old puppy. There is no way that she would be able to hold it that long. I would start looking into friends, family, dog walkers, etc. & see if it would be a possibilty for someone to let her out three or so times a day.

We started Julius with puppy classes at right around 14 weeks of age. He's been in back to back training ever since about six months of age which we usually spice up with something fun in between OB classes. Right now we're doing 5 weeks of tricks classes in between OB and also agility. Usually an seven to eight week class costs us about $75-80.


Brooke

[Shaw_2112]

I wouldn't recommend it but there's nothing "wrong" with leaving your pup alone for that long a period. A pup can't hold it that long, but that's not the question I think. I wouldn't crate her for that long, you don't want her to get used to soiling her kennel, it's a hard habit to break once they've started. If you have to leave her alone and you can't come home or have someone come over to let her out then I would gate off your kitchen area (or some other area where puppy mess is easy to clean) and put down plenty of paper for her to do her business on. Your biggest problem is going to come from boredom, puppies will entertain themselves usually by destroying anything and everything available (that includes walls, furniture, cabinets, etc..). Give her plenty of toys to chew on. Make sure she has plenty of water but I wouldn't leave out food. I would feed her a set a mount before you leave in the morning (not sure how much a pup gets, been too long since I had one ) and feed her again in the evening when you get home. The older your pup gets the better at "holding it" she will be, and then crating becomes a more viable option. I've known Harley to hold it for that long before but I don't scold her if she can't. Good luck on getting your new pup!

[eva247]

Hi,

I picked up Kane at 7 weeks and spent the first 3 weeks off work with him. After that I was out for about 8-9 hours a day but thankfully, as I do field sales, I was able to pop in the house about 4 times a day to spend a bit of time with him.

When I started a new job which entailed me not being able to pop in more than once a day, I left him with roam of the kitchen. I took the tray out of the crate and put it on the floor with newspaper for his soiling periods and made sure he had loads of toys to play with. I also used a couple of kongs with treats and an activity ball with his dried food in it. I cut up 3 of his squeaky toys in half and again used one to put his moist dried food in, etc.

I haven't encountered any problems with him being alone for a specific period of time but in saying that, I personally would think 11 hours totally on her own at 8 weeks of age may be a bit to much. When I worried re going to a different job countless people said to me 'he's only a dog, remember that, he will adjust - better now then later'. Whether thats true or not, I can't comment but just make sure she has a lot of mental stimulation.

In fact, Kane gets excited when I get ready to go to work, brings his kongs and half cut toys to me for the daily filling! I come back at lunchtime and he's just knackered from trying to work his food out of them

Good Luck and all the best with the new addition!!!

Eva