leaving a 10 month old golden doodle for work day

[debbie stevenson]

I got my golden Daisy right before christmas I arranged to get her when I was on christmas break. I am a school nurse. In January when I went back to work she was in her crate. I had a dog walker that came in and took her out for walk, play etc. she then went back to crate until I got home. my work is usually leave house at 7:00 back home by 330. I live about 10 minutes away but I am not allowed to leave at lunch as I am only nurse on campus. I have been out of school for the summer and its time to go back to work. I am trying to decide about having a walker in. I have used a daycare near by my work but I don't like doing everyday. at this point I am comfortable with 2 times a week. 

I tried leaving her in a room with a gate up, she was able to push the gate out just a bit, opened 2 doors one to laundry room, and then the garage door into the garage. I was only gone for an hour. imagine my surprise when I opened the garage door and Daisy was standing there!

we are back in the crate when I go out. I really dislike the idea of leaving her in the crate all day. however since I have been home I see she really sleeps almost all day anyway! Part of me wants to still have walker come in at the beginning just til we get going back into the routine. it is not cheap though. love to hear what others are doing that work. Doodles are crazy smart she just learned how to open the doors

[Nicole and Teddy]

Wow- Daisy is smart! I too work all day and felt bad about leaving Teddy during the day. He's kind of spoiled but this is my routine and has been since he was a puppy (he's 2 now). I thought I would just do it while he was little but have continued. I work from 8:30 - 5:30. Most days I come home for lunch (I know this isn't an option for you) and I have a sitter come for a 20 minute visit around 3. On days where I have to do a lunch meeting or something, I'll have the sitter come at lunch instead for 20 minutes. I agree with you that they could probably get by with 1 or even no visit, but I do notice when Teddy only has 1 visit per day he is especially 'amped' up during the evening. It's true he sleeps most the of the day, but I think the 2 visits he gets during the day help keep him mentally stimulated (and he gets a little diversion + potty) and I know he loves the company. I read early on that doodles are highly social animals so that's why I am sticking with the sitter for now. However, I think if Daisy got plenty of exercise and stimulation early morning and at night, you could probably get away with leaving her alone during the day. I just like knowing Teddy's got something going on during the day so I don't feel like my whole night has to be spent tiring him out! Ha! Best of luck to you! Oh, you also may want to consider doggy day care- I haven't done that with Teddy yet as he is a little skittish with too many dogs, but have friends who swear by it. Plus it's usually more budget friendly than having a sitter come in.

[debbie stevenson]

Thank you for the input. Yes we go to doggie daycare. not a lot or all the time but maybe once every couple weeks. she has also boarded there for 2 nights this summer because I had no other choice. she loves it and is totally pooped out.  Plan on twice a week at this point. I don't want to do it every day I think its too much stimulation for her on a daily basis.

[Rebecca, Kandy & Murphy]

There are some doors in our house that the dogs can get open and some they can't.  Is there a room that you can "doodle-proof" and then you can leave her there?  When we got Kandy she was about 10 months old (Murphy came much later) and she had the run of downstairs, with a baby-proof knob on the door to the garage.  And I learned really quickly to put my shoes upstairs!  We walked 1-2 miles every morning and then she was on her own until about 3 when the kids came home and let her out in the backyard for play and bathroom needs.  Then she got a second walk or a dog park trip in the evenings after dinner.  That seemed to meet her needs and we've never had an issue with either destruction or elimination.  But, of course, every dog (and house) is different.  Murphy was traumatized by his first family over-using the crate (16-20 hours a day) so he has never been crated since he came to us at 2 years old.  Now they both have the run of the house during the day.  They can open some doors but not others and their curiosity and need for new things has diminished as they go older, so no problems (so far, anyway.)

I would think that a 10 month old should not need to go potty mid day so I would probably move toward more freedom of movement and eliminating the dog walker were I in your shoes, provided you can give her a good walk before you leave and good playtime when you come home and can make sure she is safe where you leave her.  If you are really uncertain about what is going on during the day, you could use a camera and a phone app to check in every now and then until you were confident things were OK.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I think I would keep up the crating and keep the dog walker until she turns one and then re-evaluate.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I agree with Nancy.  You also might want to find a way to reinforce your gate so that if you were going out for just a short time you could safely gate her in a room.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Wow- how in the world did she open all of those doors? Smart dog!

I personally am not a fan of grown and potty trained dogs being kept in a crate all day. IF they are not destructive. That's a big "if." So, I guess my question would be, when she got out of that room, was she at all destructive? If not, I would lock all doors that can be locked, make sure there isn't anything (socks, etc.) that she could get in to in the rooms without locks, and let her have run of the house. 

Then I would probably do doggy daycare twice a week, dog walker 1-2 times/week, and the other 1-2 days home by herself. A long walk before and after work, and she will probably be good. 

[debbie stevenson]

yeah she is wicked smart we are discovering. she isn't destructive unless its paper lol, she is just extremely curious and has no fear of trying something. I need a pet camera to watch her lol

[Cathy Murphy]

Thanks for posting this.  I am in a similar situation.  We got Finn last summer and  when I went back to school in the fall I had my husband or a dog walker take him out at lunch time 4 x week and he went to day care 1 x week.  He was in the crate during the day.  As I get ready to go back to work I am leaving him in the kitchen for 2-3 hours with his frozen kong (and clean counters) to see how he does.  So far so good!!  He also sleeps (in front of the fan!) even when I am home! I know he loved his walks with the dog walker but am hoping to reduce the expense a bit this year!  We may increase day care to 2 x week as he sleeps most of the following day!  Good luck!

[debbie stevenson]

What do you put in the frozen kong. I know the expense is crazy. i am going to do the 2 x a week doggie daycare and crate her the other 3 days with the midday walker until she is over 1. and then we will see. She is very curious and I worry about her getting herself in a jam. I have a room for her but have to get the gate thing working where she can't get out.

[Cathy Murphy]

I have a couple of things-  usually I mash 1/2 banana and add some peanut butter (less than a teaspoon for Finn or he will get soft poo).  Then I just stuff it in and freeze- sometimes I may toss is a few training treats or blueberries.   I also do greek plain yogurt with banana (messier to fill the kong).  I also will take string cheese, cut it in half length wise and put it in Kong, microwave it for 10 secs until I can kind of spread it in the Kong, add a dog biscuit and freeze.  I think I have also mixed pumpkin with the yogurt at times too.  His favorite is the peanut butter.  Check online at the Kong website - they have other great recipes as well.  Daisy is a doll!!

[Brandy]

10 months is the age I started leaving mine loose in the small but finished basement (rather than crated). Daycare 1 time/week. I'm guessing you have door handles vs knobs? Could you change 1 or 2 handles out for knobs for containment? Mine never had free reign of the house because he was a garbage monster.

[debbie stevenson]

Thanks for all the feed back. going with daycare tues and thurs. crated with dog walker coming midday on mon, wed, friday for a bit. we will see I have a room just need to feel like its secure from miss smarty pants