# Discussion on puppy at home for those that work normal jobs.



## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

I am 27 years old, and live in Houston.I have a house but work pretty regular hours and my office is not realistically close to my house for lunch runs.

So, here's my issue. My puppy comes homes in July, and I am racking my brain over how to manage him during the day. I have an ex-pen and a large kennell. I realize it is not ideal to leave a puppy at home all day because of their need to use the restroom and also be fed 3x daily. 

There must be others who have dealt with this situation. My issue is that I dont know my neighbors very well, so I dont have anyone I can ask to come during the day, nor are any of them home during the day that I am aware of. We have some frinds with high school kids that are off in the summer which would work, but they are not very trustworthy. I do not think I can afford to pay $15/day for a per service either. So, at this point im in somewhat of a panic mode.

I have a dog door from my last dog who passed away, but I dont want to let Rio use it until he is old and big enought to scare away potential thieves. Any advice is appreciated, but please spare me the "you shouldnt have a dog responses". Thank you.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

Is there a chance that the breeder can hold onto your puppy for a couple more weeks?

I got my first GSD when he was 11 weeks old. He had a bigger bladder and was able to hold it longer than an 8 week old puppy could. He was also completely potty trained before he was 13 weeks old. He also had a better attention span.

I am getting a puppy next year and the breeder I am getting my puppy from agreed to hold onto my puppy for me until she is 12 weeks old.

Can you take off a week or 2 for work to be with him/her?

Do you have a family member or a friend that can stop by for a half hour or an hour to let him/her out?


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

My husband and I both work full time. When my dogs were puppies, they spent the day in the puppy proofed kitchen. I put wee wee pad/papers down. Yes it sucks having to work, but I never had a problem raising my pups like this and they came home at 8 wks (except for Kiya she was 14 wks). I get up early to make sure I spend time playing/exercising.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Can you make arrangements with your work to take long lunches for awhile? That's what I did. I take the first week off to stay home with puppy, but then I worked 3 hours in the morning and 3 hours in the afternoon, with a 3 hour break mid-day. Your work may be further away than mine or your boss less flexible, but it worked well for me. I'm about a 45 minute round trip work, so an hour just didn't cut it, but 3 hours was perfect. I work Mon-Thurs, so I was only using 1 day of vacation each week, so I was still able to get a lot done by coming in every day and putting in almost a full day of work.

After a few weeks on that schedule I cut it back to 2-1/2 hour breaks, then 2 hour breaks, then 1-1/2 hours.


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## cshepherd9 (Feb 11, 2010)

It does suck not being able to go home at lunch. When I got Willow it was the first time I had a puppy and didn't live within 5 miles from where I work. I did end up having to pay a dog walker and it nearly broke my budget. 
If you don't want to pay the $15 for a professional dog walking service maybe check Craigslist for a college student looking for summer work?? They might be cheaper. I don't know if you will find anything but my brother got layed off last summer and he found all kinds of odd jobs from mowing to picking up backyard dog messes. Just be careful if you try this!! Also, check with local vet offices. My vet gets a lot of kids working in the summer to help with his boarding and he has signs posted in the lobby for dogsitter services and stuff.


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

kiya said:


> My husband and I both work full time. When my dogs were puppies, they spent the day in the puppy proofed kitchen. I put wee wee pad/papers down. Yes it sucks having to work, but I never had a problem raising my pups like this and they came home at 8 wks (except for Kiya she was 14 wks). I get up early to make sure I spend time playing/exercising.


This is what we did too and our dogs are both potty training and well adjusted. You can crate your pup at night so it is at least use to being in a crate.


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## GSD MOM (Apr 21, 2010)

If you get up early it shouldn't be a problem. You can still work in 3 meals a day. House breaking may not be as easy because you have to be away from the pup during those hours but I don't think it will be a huge problem.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Thanks for the responses. Getting up early is not an issue for me and i'll have the evenings for training etc. I am taking a week off to be with him when I get him home. My job is such that any extra time I take off midday will be added on in the evening, so im not sure how much I would gain. We are very busy and I usually eat at my desk. To add to that, gas is $4/gallon and I would have to take the tollway extra 2x. I wish money was no issue, but if I want to save anything it is the reality.

I will call my vet, that's a good idea. I see all the posts about people walking their dogs for hours 3 times a day etc etc and it's simply not a reality for me and actually had me questioning if I could own a puppy. But, I was able to gun train a lab working by myself, and I know I am not alone.


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

Can you exercise 30-60 minutes before work and an hour after?


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Yes, 30 min in the morning and at least an hour in the evening is what I am thinking. Plus my girlfriend wakes up a little later than me and can take him out again.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

Where do you park your car at work? (Although I'd never do this myself), I had a colleague that kept his dog in a crate in his car and would visit him on breaks because he had to commute to work as well. We had a pretty safe parking lot and he could see the car from his window.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Jax's Mom said:


> Where do you park your car at work? (Although I'd never do this myself), I had a colleague that kept his dog in a crate in his car and would visit him on breaks because he had to commute to work as well. We had a pretty safe parking lot and he could see the car from his window.


 
We have a garage, its controlled entrance and would be safe. I have thought about this option, but even in the shade I worry that it might get too hot in the summer.


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## neiltus (Mar 10, 2011)

lonestarag05 said:


> We have a garage, its controlled entrance and would be safe. I have thought about this option, but even in the shade I worry that it might get too hot in the summer.


Seriously don't do that in July in Houston (I am from near there). Jax's, Houston is not Toronto. Only a couple things will come of keeping your dog in your car. 1) Dead dog, 2) spca and you are on the news and you loose job.

Not scolding you Jax's mom!


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

^which is why I asked where the car was parked 
In some underground garages the temperature is even all year round so it might be a possibility for some. 
...I'm no stranger to not leaving a dog in the car in the summer... It gets over 100 here too. We're not the snowy north you all think we are! :rofl:


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## Kris10 (Aug 26, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> Where do you park your car at work? (Although I'd never do this myself), I had a colleague that kept his dog in a crate in his car and would visit him on breaks because he had to commute to work as well. We had a pretty safe parking lot and he could see the car from his window.


If you would never do this yourself why on earth would you suggest it to the OP?


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

Kris10 said:


> If you would never do this yourself why on earth would you suggest it to the OP?


1) I work form home most of the time
2) I work 2 minutes from home the rest of the time
3) it's downtown where someone would immediately break all my windows and call every news station and report that the dog has been there for 3 weeks.

If I have no problem leaving my dog in the car at schH training, for hours, given that the circumstances are appropriate, what would be the difference if I was just working, instead of training?


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Jax's Mom said:


> Where do you park your car at work? (Although I'd never do this myself), I had a colleague that kept his dog in a crate in his car and would visit him on breaks because he had to commute to work as well. We had a pretty safe parking lot and he could see the car from his window.


I'm sorry, but if he could see the car from his window that means the car was outside in the open and exposed to the elements. There is no way in H-ll I would recommend this. Dogs die all the time from being left in a hot car and thankfully this is illegal in most states.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

shilohsmom said:


> I'm sorry, but if he could see the car from his window that means the car was outside in the open and exposed to the elements. There is no way in H-ll I would recommend this. Dogs die all the time from being left in a hot car and thankfully this is illegal in most states.


:thumbup:

Even if the windows are down, which I am guessing they cant be down too much otherwise the puppy/dog would be able to escape, cars get very hot and a dog can definitly still die in there.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

What if he's the cashier in an underground parking garage? ...Or a service advisor of a dealership? Trucker? Shipper/receiver in a factory with a refrigerated loading dock? I don't know this person from a hole in the ground and my suggestion was assuming they're bright enough to NOT leave their dog in the car if they just burned their arse getting in their car the day before, when finishing work.


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

We use to have a member her, Jennifer, who left two dogs in her truck while she went off to work or wherever it was she went that afternoon. According to the court transcripts she "wasn't gone that long and she cracked open the windows"...Both dogs died an awful death in the heat. RIP Ranger and Cassidy, gone but not forgotten.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Please focus, I will not be putting my dog in the parking garage during the day. It was a simple suggestion, no need to argue about it. haha


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

Jax's mom, I just want you to know my posts are not an attack on you at all. They did open up an opportunity to again educate people of the importance of not leaving our pets in vehicles.


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## stealthq (May 1, 2011)

lonestarag05 said:


> We have a garage, its controlled entrance and would be safe. I have thought about this option, but even in the shade I worry that it might get too hot in the summer.


Want to second this - I live in Dallas and it is illegal to leave an animal or a child under ? yrs. in the car unattended for any length of time. It does not matter if the car is in the shade, left with air-conditioner running, etc. I thought this was state-wide, but maybe not. Definitely check - you do not want to make an innocent mistake on this. I hear penalties are stiff even if no harm results.

ETA: Just read remaining posts - see you won't leave pup at garage. Would still check on this law anyway - just FYI for other times you have your pup traveling with you.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I did three things:

1. Went home over lunch
2. Paid a college student to let my puppy out and play with it for an hour (usually I took "lunch" around 11am and she came around 3pm)
3. Took the puppy to work in my van.

Apparently #3 is a hot item. Everyone has to do what makes sense for them. The idea that having a dog in a vehicle is so terrible is laughable to me, but hey I BOUGHT and modeled my van for DOGS. My dogs have better accomodations in my van than some I've seen being crated all day inside a home or stuck in a small run or doghouse left outside alone. I have properly sized kennels in my van, they are secured and ventilated. I do not bring dogs to work when it's over 65 and cloudy, or over 60 and sunny. My van is parked in a private lot that is patrolled by security. I work for a small private college and everyone knows my van and my dogs anyway, since they get walked or trained on my breaks and right after work. The kennels are locked shut and locked to the frame of the van. Dogs even puppies never ride or stay loose in the van, always in a kennel with the appropriate water, bedding, shade, and ventilation. 

It looks like this is not an option for the OP, just wanted to address some of the comments made by other posters. 

If I lived in the hot south or cold Siberia, no I would not leave dogs in my van outside. 

I intentionally get puppies in the fall so that by the time it's hot here they are old enough and trained to be home with only one or no breaks during my work day. I got Pan in October and he came to work with me almost every day until Christmas. Since I work at a college it's a great socialization opportunity as well. Dogs are not allowed inside but there's plenty to do and see outside.


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## FG167 (Sep 22, 2010)

I'm going to second what Lies said. I put my dogs in my truck too. Puppy that is brought to my work (I work 3rd shift so it will be dark/cool and in an entrance controlled and security patrolled ramp) will be fine and I think a fantastic option for someone that wants to be able to break the dog during the time they work. I work 3rds - who is going to wake up at 1 am to come let my pup out? My truck is set up similarly to her vehicle as well. I really think that is a viable option for those of us who monitor closely and HAVE the option.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I should also say that being in my van in a private lot at work is actually more secure than home. Someone could bust through my locks at home and steal my dogs I guess. Theft can happen in any scenario, I don't dwell on it. The dogs are locked in their kennels which are locked TO the vehicle (whether or not the doors lock doesn't matter since the windows are open). The lot is patrolled and more secluded than my home, and in a better neighborhood. I'd rather have my puppy closer to me with more security. My new house is better and safer than my old one but also farther away.

A few weeks ago some of the security guards at work came down to my desk and asked if I could train my dogs to sniff out drugs for them. I said sure but then all the students would hate me if I was the one doing room searches!


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

Lots of things could go wrong with any situation... 
-If the dogs only have one owner, owner has a medical emergency, dogs run out of water, dehydrate in their crate.
-Dog left out of crate, eats a sock, chokes.
-Dog IN crate, at work WITH the owner, someone breaks into car, steals dog.
-Dog IN crate, crate padlocked to car, building next to car bursts into flames, can't get dog out. 
-Owner exists next to dog, 24/7, dog gets bloat.


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## rjThor (Mar 27, 2011)

I brought my pup at 7weeks, and I made the sacrafice of waking up way way early in the morning, at about 3am and at 6am to take him outside my back yard to handle his business. I have a big crate for him, and the first time he did his business in it, and didn't like it, but he's a smart puppy and never did it again, he's 5 months and has been house broken since then, I free feed him, and he loves to eat alot during the night while we sleep so it's important that i take him out still in those hrs. but he knows once I've gotten dressed in the morning and I call him to his room, he just walks into his crate all by himself. My son gets off at 3 from school and the first thing he does is make sure he has water n food, and takes him outside to our backyard to handle his business. Hope this helps out, just my experience and it's worked for me.


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

To the OP: The week you take off to be with your pup, make sure you stick to the schedule that you intend to keep when you go back to work. Set your alarm for the regular time, feed your pup on schedule etc. This will help give you an idea of what you'll expect when you go back to work. 

Note: I don't mean to keep your pup up during the day......lol


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## Lmilr (Jan 12, 2011)

kiya said:


> My husband and I both work full time. When my dogs were puppies, they spent the day in the puppy proofed kitchen. I put wee wee pad/papers down. Yes it sucks having to work, but I never had a problem raising my pups like this and they came home at 8 wks (except for Kiya she was 14 wks). I get up early to make sure I spend time playing/exercising.


We did pretty much the exact same thing with Jager and didn't have to many problems.....until he started playing with the potty papers  
Either way, our next pup will end up being done the same way until it's old enough to be outside with Jager.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Lmilr said:


> We did pretty much the exact same thing with Jager and didn't have to many problems.....until he started playing with the potty papers
> Either way, our next pup will end up being done the same way until it's old enough to be outside with Jager.


 
I spoke with my vet and she said that it would be fine to feed a large breed puppy 2x / day rather than 3x. That was my main concern.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Jax's Mom said:


> Lots of things could go wrong with any situation...
> -If the dogs only have one owner, owner has a medical emergency, dogs run out of water, dehydrate in their crate.
> -Dog left out of crate, eats a sock, chokes.
> -Dog IN crate, at work WITH the owner, someone breaks into car, steals dog.
> ...


LOL exactly. The only way to prevent everything is getting a Webkinz instead.


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## clearcreekranch (Mar 18, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> Where do you park your car at work? (Although I'd never do this myself), I had a colleague that kept his dog in a crate in his car and would visit him on breaks because he had to commute to work as well. We had a pretty safe parking lot and he could see the car from his window.


Not in Houston! We have temps already over 90 degrees.


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## neiltus (Mar 10, 2011)

There are drop in doggie day care all over dallas, check pricing on those. Great way to socialize the dog as well!


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

CAN YOU GET MATERNITY LEAVE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

hahahaha. THAT would be awesome.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

MicheleMarie said:


> CAN YOU GET MATERNITY LEAVE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
> 
> hahahaha. THAT would be awesome.


Um, I believe it's called Pupternity leave.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

Emoore said:


> Um, I believe it's called Pupternity leave.


Yes it is! My mom was never a fan of working and would use the new dogs as an excuse to quit working! LOL (we made her go back when she became bored and started bothering us!)


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Couple things. Don't take the dog if you are not prepared to give him a proper environment, that would be simply selfish. Next, $15 a day for a few weeks is a good investment to get the pup properly cared for. You can arrange with the pet sitter to come 1/2 hour later every week until the pup can hold it all day. I have been paying $16 a day for a year and a half, but I can (almost) afford it. My dog could surely hold it all day at this point but I am retiring on July 1 to end that requirement. But I digress .... don't take the pup until you have all the details worked out.


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## Renofan2 (Aug 27, 2010)

Is there a way you two could temperarily stagger your work schedule - one start earlier and one start later to shorten the time the pup would be home alone? How long of a stretch would the pup be alone? When I got Brenna last year, I got her at 11 weeks old instead of 8 weeks, asked friends and family to stop in mid day (made a schedule) so that each of them only had to come 1 or 2 times per week. I now work at home 3 days a week and have someone come at noon and five as I have a 2.5 hour each way commute on the days I have to go to the office. House breaking will be tough if you cannot let a small pup out. I don't like leaving them loose in rooms with baby gates. I saw a pup get their head stuck and panic. Luckily it happened in front of us and we could ge her out without incident. I also purchased a large kennel and put it in the garage for days when I could not get someone to come let the pup out every 4 hours or so. If you cannot afford a to pay someone to come let the pup out maybe you could find someone else in your neighborhood that has a dog. I help out with my friends dogs and my sister in laws dogs when they are away on weekends. It is a nice trade to have people you can count on.

When I had my first dog - Reno, I would drop her off at my parents on the way to work.

Cheryl


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

lonestarag05 said:


> I spoke with my vet and she said that it would be fine to feed a large breed puppy 2x / day rather than 3x. That was my main concern.


Yup, this is what we did with Jazz. Fed twice a day, kept in the kitchen and all is well.


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## MicheleMarie (Mar 29, 2011)

Emoore said:


> Um, I believe it's called Pupternity leave.


correction noted for future reference


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Really it has come down to 2 scenarios:

1. I find someone that can come by during the day for a couple of weeks.

2. He has to go in the kitchen area hes confined to. 

I leave the house at 630am and my GF leaves the house at 730am. She gets home 515-530 and I get home 545-615. So, there will be a little stagger. To help with the association with outside ive come up with the hair brained idea of putting down sod squares instead of the pee pads. I imagine that has been tried before, but havent seen it anywhere.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

lonestarag05 said:


> Really it has come down to 2 scenarios:
> 
> 1. I find someone that can come by during the day for a couple of weeks.
> 
> ...


7:30-5:30 

10 hours is a long time to be left alone for a puppy.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

lonestarag05 said:


> To help with the association with outside ive come up with the hair brained idea of putting down sod squares instead of the pee pads. I imagine that has been tried before, but havent seen it anywhere.


That will either work brilliantly or you'll come home to sod debris every day


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## Bundash (Dec 5, 2010)

Ten hours is tough! The first week the pup will get used to you being home and playing etc, then It will all stop once you go back to work. 

Also, you will be getting up much earlier, working all day, then when you come home -will you have the energy and willful attitude to play with a working breed pup who has been twiddling its thumbs for ten hours? The first year is really difficult managing puppy's exercise needs. Lots of fun things happen when they don't get enough....

I wish you the best! If possible I would definitely encourage you to manipulate and search out your resources to accommodate the time gap!


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Jax's Mom said:


> That will either work brilliantly or you'll come home to sod debris every day


Oh yeah, puppies like to take sod and shake it. Sod will be everywhere and poop will be everywhere else.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I would find someone to come over. Even if the dog was magically potty trained at that age, I'd still be hesitant to leave a puppy unsupervised for that long, without anyone checking in.


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## lonestarag05 (Feb 28, 2011)

Its not like he will have the run of the house. He will be in a very secure area of the kitchen with an ex-pen and kennel. on tile flooring. A/C etc.


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## Hillary_Plog (Apr 3, 2011)

Hello! I understand that you are trying to do the best thing for your new pup, but IMO, I don't think that you will like what happens when you leave a puppy home for that long without any interaction/stimulation, no breaks for bathroom, and literally no exercise. 

You will unfortunately, soon after this routine starts, be creating a new thread entitled, "HELP! I can't potty train my puppy and he is a maniac in the evening!" 

If you insist on doing this routine and don't get someone to potty break/walk this pup during the day, you will have to be *EXTREMELY* diligent in devoting *all of your evenings* to exercising, interacting with, socializing, working with and rigorously potty training (and that will be hard since he is pottying where he wants for 10 hours) in order to make sure this works out in both yours and his best interests. 

Good luck...and try to find someone to walk/potty him during the day...you will thank yourself.


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## Jax's Mom (Apr 2, 2010)

It may work and it may not but in either case it's best to mentally prepare yourself for the mass destruction that puppies are capable of  here are some pics to get your imagination started: puppy destruction - Google Search all of those scenarios are "normal" puppy disasters and not exaggerated in any way LOL
...my worst was finding my puppy in our garage when I got home from school as a kid... Evidently it didn't occur to the rest of us like it did to the puppy that if you don't have opposable thumbs to work the deadbolt, chewing through the drywall is just as good... Then she chewed through any available non-metal parts of the undercarriage of the car left in the garage :rofl:


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

lonestarag05 said:


> Its not like he will have the run of the house. He will be in a very secure area of the kitchen with an ex-pen and kennel. on tile flooring. A/C etc.


Oh I know, but you never know...mine could scale an x-pen at 7 weeks.


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