# working full time?



## kschron (Feb 2, 2009)

So, I work 8 hrs./5 days a week(including drive time) and was planning on getting a puppy this summer. My problem is....so many people are telling me I can not work and raise a puppy.(I am single and live by myself) I plan on taking a week off when I bring the puppy home and then hire someone to look in on her mid-day after that. Once the pup is old enough I hope to take her to a doggy day care a few days a week. I am super committed to exercising/training before and after work, obviously once the pup is old enough. I am also still looking into a rescue dog, but I am a bit apprehensive since I plan on eventually looking into therapy work.

I would really appreciate any advice or opinions. I don't want to have any dog suffer (like many are telling me will happen when I go to work) so please be honest.

Thanks!
Kirsten


----------



## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

You can, but it sucks for awhile. I would try to find a breeder who will start with the crate training/potty training and take the puppy home later...because truly the hardest part in the beginning is the crying in the crate at night and the house breaking. A puppy cannot usually hold their bladder all day like an adult dog can...and if they have repeated accidents with no relief you can end up teaching them to potty in their crate/house. 8 week old puppies need to be let out in my experience every 2-3 hours during the day. 

I would consider an older puppy that was started on socialization or possibly a young adult rescue. Puppies can be really hard the first month or so, and if you have no one to share the burden with...you will definitely have the "WHY am I doing this to myself?" mental conversation.


----------



## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

As long as you have the time to do the training/socializing etc after work. AND you have someone to come and take the pup outside for potty breaks and exercise it should work out fine. You have an excellent game plan!

As far as ruling out a rescue because you want to do therapy work you should reconsider. If you go through a GSD rescue they will know the dogs in their program and could very well match you with the perfect therapy dog while saving a life as well.


----------



## Laura H. (Feb 23, 2009)

I agree, even though they say four hours is the maximum to leave a puppy crated, if the pup is very young I never let them go for more than two hours, if you can afford it, can the sitter come twice a day at least until the puppy is older?

My boys did have accidents in their crate when they were young, which is to be expected, but they did housebreak fairly quickly & easily. I took them out every 15-20 minutes no matter what, they caught on.

The sitter would exercise her also? And feed her since they need to eat three times a day.

Also get her "safe" toys for her crate, so she won't get too bored. You'll find a lot of advice on this board.

Another Clevelander







I'm from there originally, grew up in Lakewood.


----------



## AQC82 (Jan 19, 2009)

Many people on here work full time and have or have had puppies. It is something that is do-able as long as you are committed and consistant. We got our boy at 8wks old and he was actually a pretty good pup (still is at 16wks) to where he was essentially crate trained fairly early on and housebroken as well. I think it's a great idea to have someone come in and take him/her out during the day. You may want to consider getting an older puppy as well such as 4, 5, or 6mos of age that way they may be a bit easier to train knowing you will be gone all day and be able to "hold it" a bit longer than a very young pup would. I really don't think the dog would suffer as long as you show your devotion, love, and time to him/her and have everything planned ahead of time as far as someone coming to take em out, doggie daycare, and OB training. 

Good luck and I know you'll get lots of great advice and tips from people on this forum, lord knows I have learned so much already in such a short time. Oh and believe me you don't have to worry about any sugar coating...LOL!


----------



## Amaruq (Aug 29, 2001)

I work full time and have raised numerous pups by myself without kenneling them outside OR having a dog walker.


----------



## Riley's Mom (Jun 7, 2007)

You could always reconsider the age bracket. If you go with a dog that's 2-3 years old, you've already bypassed at least the housebreaking & chewing stages. A rescue dog that's been in a foster home for a bit is a plus because the foster parents can tell you so much about the dog and I feel would be very helpful in assisting you in adopting a dog that's a good match for you and your lifestyle. If I ever get another dog, I really do not want a pup because I found out how great it can be to adopt one that's a bit older







Never again will I believe that one must adopt a puppy in order for it to bond properly with it's owner and/or grow up with their kids or anything else that falls into that philosophy category. It just ain't so.


----------



## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I recommend adopting a dog who's a little older. Rafi is just starting to settle down and he's about 3. 

That way you don't have to worry about housebreaking, chewing, teething, etc. 

There are tons of wonderful adult gsds out there needing new homes through no fault of their own. Many would be used to a regular work schedule.


----------



## DnP (Jul 10, 2008)

I've done both...raised a puppy while working full time and adopted a 16 mo. old rescue. AND I live alone.

There are lots of valid points about adopting an older pup or dog. I got Dakota when he was 10 weeks old. I had my cousin let him out at lunch everyday and walk him. It worked out great. He was in his crate about 4 hours at a shot. Yes, the inital crate training was tough b/c he cried at night and when I left for work for the first week or two. Raising him from a pup was great, but after he passed, I decided I just didn't want to do the "puppy thing" again.

That's why I adopted Phoenix. He's an awesome dog and I have to admit, while I miss no knowing him as a puppy, I don't miss the puppy teeth, potty training, keeping hawk eyes on him every minute so he doesn't get into "trouble", finding out how badly I "puppy proofed" my house...

However, if you are set on the puppy route, good luck and getting a dog sitter to do mid-day visits is a must. 

And when you live alone, there is nothing like a dog "welcome home". It's as if they haven't seen you in years every time you come home from work!!!!


----------



## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Instead of taking the whole week off can you take 1/2 days off? I would pick the pup up Friday after work (your normal schedule) then work only half days the next TWO weeks. Then you can go back to full time and have someone come in to let the pup out for awhile.


----------



## Martie (Jun 3, 2008)

Depending on your commute, you might want to explore with your boss some temporary adjusted hours, as well. Lauri's idea of taking half days for a couple of weeks is great. I took some time off, and then was able to take an extra half-hour at lunch and work an extra half-hour at the end of the day. I was about 20 minutes away so this gave us some good quality time mid-day.

For a while, life consisted of work and puppy-time. It was exhausting, but doable. I do think it's better to be home all the time with a puppy, but the reality is that it's not possible for most of us. You are concerned for your puppy's welfare and committed to exercising/training. Your puppy will do just fine, in my opinion!


----------



## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Older, rescue dogs make great therapy dogs. Our mutt was over a year when we got him from the humane society. We knew nothing about his background, but now he's a great therapy dog when it comes to visiting nursing/assisted living homes. It's like he's wanting to give back...sounds weird but he's great at it. I wouldn't let something like that stop you from getting an older dog. 

Good luck! Keep us posted!!


----------



## Tetley's Mom (Dec 1, 2008)

It's obsurd, in my opinion, to think that one cannot raise a puppy while working FT. People find ways to do it with kids... 

With a schedule and a plan in place prior to beinging home a puppy - it should work out fine. It would take diligence and somebody that follows through; however, to ensure the puppy get the time he/she needs for bonding, socialization, training, etc.


----------



## Jessica H (Mar 14, 2009)

I have Dozer who is 6 months old and I work full time. I took time off in the beginning but I still have to work.

I had my neighbor come over during the day to let him out but there were days she could not come over. I leave them (all 3) in my breezeway and he did fine. Yes he had accidents and for the little ones I usually leave a pee pee pad down but Dozer shreds it. They say it takes longer to house train this way but Dozer was 100% trained in about a month. When I get home I exercise them and take them for long walks/runs/bike rides. He did ruin the wood trim around the door but vinegar has stopped that. My breezeway has NOTHING in it but toys and his bed and I have a 42" high gate that is screwed to the door jam.

I do however bring him to a daycare 2-3 times a week, for his sanity, my sanity and the little ones sanity so he was/is never really alone all day. After the days he is in daycare he is wiped out and the next day he is usually very tired. I am actually addicted to the daycare, it is good socialization, good for him not to be alone and it makes him very tired. I started taking him once a week and now I am taking him up to 3 times per week, plus on Wednesdays he is only alone for 5 hours.

I would never crate any dog for that long though. I would rather have house training take longer.


----------



## RavenSophi (Feb 23, 2009)

We both work 5 days a week for 7-8 hours a day. In the beginning I was home when he was still new to our home but when he got settled in I went to work. He gets a lot of exercise before work and play and attention after work. Completely happy and content. If your dog is crate trained it takes away the problem of the dog chewing or messing in the house. Blake likes his crate so much that during the weekend when we're home he'll still go and get in when he needs a little time alone or a good rest. 
Bottom line, don't let anyone tell you that you can't have a puppy when you're not home 24/7.


----------



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

> Originally Posted By: Lauri & The GangInstead of taking the whole week off can you take 1/2 days off? I would pick the pup up Friday after work (your normal schedule) then work only half days the next TWO weeks.


What I did was a combination of both - I did take a full week off, but then for the next few weeks I took long lunches and came home mid-day. I'm a 40-45 minute round trip from work, so I'd work from 7:30 to 10:30, and then 1:30 to 4:30. That gave me plenty of time to go home and spend time with the puppy while still getting in 6 hours of work and using two hours of vacation per day, and since I work Mon-Thurs, I only used one day of vacation per week. I slowly cut it back to where I was taking an extra hour and a half instead of 2 hours, and then 1 hour per day, which still gave me over an hour at home before heading back to work. 

If you work close enough to home, have enough vacation time saved up, and your job is willing to be flexible, it's a good schedule that worked well for me with three different puppies over the past few years. Less expensive than paying a pet sitter to come by during the day, plus it gave me time to work on training and bonding with the new puppy. We have a chain link pen in our garage with a dog door to an outside run enclosed by a 6 ft wood fence along one side, the house along the opposite side, and gated off from the rest of yard at each end, and after the first couple of months they were fine in there when we're gone.


----------



## darga19 (Mar 4, 2009)

First of all, don't listen to the ones that say it CAN'T be done. You can certainly raise a pup that way...although I have to say you will probably have up to a couple months where it'll be pretty hard.

I like the ideas of taking half days...that way you can spend a lot of time every day in the afternoon. Spending a lot of time with a young pup is very important.

Other than that though, I think an older pup or even a young dog might be a better option. We all know they're cute as heck when they're pups, but trust me, they are and can be pretty annoying too!









A pup that's a little older will be able to hold his/her bladder longer (I think even 4 hrs can be a long time for a really young pup, and you want to minimize accidents in the crate). Also you may be able to find one that needs a good home and get the chance to really do a great thing for a dog in need! Another plus is that an older dog (although they won't be perfect







) will likely have had some basic training and will probably be better behaved than a young pup that doesn't know any better.

BUT...if you have your heart set on a pup...it CAN be surely be done.







It'll just take a lot of coordinating on your part. Hopefully you have a neighbor or friend very close by that can help as needed.


----------



## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I work/worked full time when I got Nikon. I got him on a Saturday. I thought about taking a few days off, but the breeder said if I always work full time he might as well get right into the swing of things. Actually, I had Thurs/Fri off that week b/c we all went down to NASS, so he got a road trip to a HUGE dog show his first week home! For the first month, I went home for an early lunch and paid someone to come at 3:30 to let Nikon out and exercise him (I get home at 5). After a month or so, I stopped going home consistently, but still paid someone to come let him out and play for a while. He's always been pretty active all evening and I've given him a lot more freedom than many people, probably b/c I feel somewhat guilty that I work. However, by the time I go to bed he's already passed out on the floor and I have to wake him to potty one more time and he walked up to the bedroom willingly, so he must get enough exercise if he's already asleep.


----------



## kschron (Feb 2, 2009)

Thank you so much for all the great ideas and suggestions from everyone! I really like the idea of taking 1/2 days off or possibly a longer lunch hour (I normally only get 10 mins so I would definately have to use some vacation days) but I am going to talk to my boss to see if this is do-able. 

The encouragement from you all was much needed since people were starting to get me down. Rescue is still a possibility and I will keep everyone posted on the outcome!

Thanks again!
Kirsten


----------



## SouthernThistle (Nov 16, 2005)

I think it's cool that the poster has thought well enough ahead to plan on having someone come and do mid-day walks, etc. with their dog. Kudos to you!


----------



## meisha98 (Aug 27, 2008)

I took Lainey home when she was seven weeks old. She was crated from day one for a few hours at a time though I did take a couple of days off to get her adjusted. Because I work close to home, she has never been crated for more than four hours at a time. The first couple of months she was crated all night but now she has run of my bedroom. She sleeps on the floor and seeems happy with the arrangement. It hasn't been a picnic, but it's worked. She never cried all night like people said she would, and when she did cry, it was for a few minutes and then she'd accept her circumstances. Good luck and enjoy the quiet times and special moments- they'll come.


----------

