crate or expen while at work

[Amy Galvin]

We got our 8 wk old labradoodle on April 19. We work fulltime and are unable to let Clara out every hr. I do come home for lunch. Seeking advice from others on how you handle long term confinement and training. Do you crate or use expen? Thanks

[Tina]

Hey Amy! And welcome to DK! I use both. I work 3 days a week 12 hour shifts in the hospital so crating him for that long I think would just be cruel. So I got an ex pen. It's big enough for his bed, food and water bowls, and 2 puppy pads for him to do his business on. At first, we put him in there at night when we went to sleep and he cried and cried but was fine according to my neighbors when I wasn't home. Some people on here suggested that I crate him in my bedroom at night when I am home. It worked like a charm. He now sleeps thru the night and I have to be the one to wake him up. LOL

He pooped on his x pen a couple of times in the beginning when I was at work but quickly learned, he didn't want to do that anymore. I do come home to pee but it's on the pads so that's an easy clean up.

At first, I thought it might be a bit confusing for him and was so nervous when I had to go back to work but he adjusted fine. I will say he did learn to climb out of the x pen so I had to do some thinking outside of the box so that he couldn't do it again. I came home from work one night and he came charging at me at the door and I didn't even want to open my eyes to the rest of the house. But surprise surprise, the cat was sleeping in his dog bed and he had peed on the puppy pads by the door and only there. I must have lucked out that day. Not sure if this helps you out in your situation since you are able to come home for lunch but the x pen really put my mind at rest knowing that he was safe and that he could pee if he had to. It was quite often in the beginning and he didn't care where he peed but now he gets it and pees in the far corner and only once when I'm at work. He is older now . We are 14 weeks now so he has a bit more control of it I guess. You can always try it and see how it goes.

[Kathryn and Zoe]

Hi Amy! 

 

Congrats on your puppy! 

I complete understand what you're going through.  My husband and I both work full time and we're out of the house almost 10 hours.  I do get to work from home sometimes, so that helps put both my mind and the puppy's mind at ease.  The first couple of weeks that we had Zoe, we worked out our schedules so that we could be home.  It was just so anxious about leaving her in her crate knowing that her bladder control was only about 2-3 hours.

After two weeks being with Zoe almost nonstop, I was a complete nervous wreck when I had to go back to work.  I was taking her out almost every hour, and I wasn't sure how she was going to adjust to being in her crate most of the day.  On top of it, Zoe would NOT use the puppy pads.  She just tears them off the floor and runs around with them like a cape trailing behind her. haha

In the end, I hired a dog walker to let her out twice a day.  Although it's been a bigger financial commitment than I was expecting, the peace of mind is priceless.  This way, Zoe gets love, attention, and outdoor potty breaks. I am hoping that having a dog walker for the first few months will help us get through the "puppy bladder" period and hopefully encourage her housebreaking.

Sounds like an ex-pen is a good idea too!  Unfortunately, we don't have the space and Zoe just won't cooperate with the pads. 

Oh! and to reiterate what Tina mentioned...Zoe is 14 weeks now and doing SO much better with housebreaking.  It's amazing how quickly they develop!  if only I could convince her that it's not fun to mouth my hands!!

[kristine & Auggie]

I totally relate to your  nervousness about leaving your new puppy.  I had the luxury of staying home with Auggie for the first couple of months.  I considered hiring  a dog walker but it was just as cheap to take him to doggy day care.I know your puppy is still too young  for daycare so I would have someone come in and let her out and play with her so she isn't so lonely.  It is hard when they are so young but I think if you have someone come in while you are gone would help.  Good luck with your new baby.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

We used an expen with an open crate inside (crate door was tied to the expen so it wouldn't close accidentally.  Luna had a little potty area to the side (just used newspaper since she would mostly just shred those but tried to eat puppy potty pads), sleeping area in the covered crate and a bowl of water (which she didn't really touch).  We didn't feel comfortable leaving her in the crate all day, so this gave her a little freedom without sacrificing safety.

Here's a picture of it in the background:

[Dawn B. Roy]

On the days that we were both at work, we hired a pet sitter to come and take Vienne out mid-morning (I leave the house at about 7:15a) and then our boys are home at 2pm from school.  We used this routine until she was about 6 months old.  She now, as always, is put in her humongous crate when I leave and the boys take her out after school.  Good luck with your new puppy!

Dawn 

[Amy Galvin]

Thank you so much for advice. Its been 13 yrs since we had a puppy.

[Kevin Oskow]

Hi Amy, we got our goldendoodle on 4/20 at 8 weeks!  My wife and I both work, so we had a similar issue.  We got a gate for the kitchen and secure the cabinet doors shut.  We use an open crate for Xander with a water bowl, lots of toys and a potty pad that is on some fake turf.  It has been 5 days and he is really good for the most part.  He usually misses or ignores the potty pad once, but gets business done on it 3-4 times.  I have been coming home from work to spend 15-20 minutes with him.  We go outside and he always poops there (even if he had a #2 accident while we were gone), and then I play with him a bit.  I feed him a smaller meal before I go.  When I get home we go out right away.  He rarely poops in the house (compared to the number of times he goes outside).

We did hire a walker that will start tomorrow @ $10 a day.  It is an added expense that we didn't really want, but more than anything we want Xander to have a little company during the day.

When we are home we do the standard, potty, play nap deal - and we always put him in his crate to nap.  We will also crate him for an hour or 2 while we are home, so he gets used to that.  Fortunately for us, he loves his crate and won't wine for more than a couple minutes, unless he has to go out again.

Good luck to you - and I hope you find a good solution.

[Lindsay n Archie]

Archie is now 19 weeks, we got him at 8.  I took a few days off work to work on crate training (fail) with him before i went back to work.  He HATED the crate so much. Damaged his nose from throwing a fit in there. We had to use force to get him in there and even worked with  a trainer on crate training. Anyways. He never had an accident in it. We would always take him out first thing in the morning, about 5 am, then every hour when we are home. He has breakfast around 630, I leave for work at about 8 am. I make sure to try to go on a long walk with him after breakfast and before he went back in his crate.  I would come home at lunch to take him on a walk, and play with him a little. Give him some water, and put him back in. Then he lets out around 4pm until around 10pm. This was our routine up until about 2 weeks ago, we finallly gave up and let him hang out in the kitchen (baby proofed it) all day. I still come home at lunch (well starting MOnday we have a dog walker) for lunch time! Oh I forgot, at that age, he would wake up a few times to go out. We did wake up and let h im out every time but put him right back in at night. He is really good with the potty (knock on wood!!).  No accidents in the kitchen, besides when someone came over he didnt knwo and got too excited!! oops.  The dont want to mess their space, so make sure to let them out at this age every hour when you are home, and could MAYBE hold it until lucnh time.