little advise please

uolypool

Hi I have a nine and a half week puppy rotti, he came to us at 6 weeks (yeah i know very early) anyway he has settled in lovely now .The advise i need is he has not really been left on his own much as got him just before kids broke up from school .When they go back to school i have to attend a few hospital appointments within a few weeks i shouldnt be out of house for more than about 2 1/2 hours each time the max he has ever been left is an hour a time .I dont want to cause any stress for him dont have family living nearby closest is my sister who lives 20 miles away she has his sibling and works partime 3 hours a day and her puppy is fine with this . Any advise on how to make this more bareable for him and me if i'm honset would be much appreciated .thanks in advance for any helpful advise :j :j

Milford_Cubicle

Firstly, does he have a crate (cage)? If not, then look into crate training him as it's a nice comfy, snug and secure area for the pup and it also gives you peace of mind. There are threads on here about it, or you could google it. Crates are good for getting them toilet trained more quickly as well.

Otherwise, I'd look at confining him to one room when you're out and give him 'special' toys to keep him amused such as a Kong with frozen food in it, or a treat ball filled with his usual kibble. Make sure he's been out to the toilet before you leave. Perhaps get him used to a cuddly teddy or something he can snuggle up to in his bed? (He might rip this apart, of course LOL). People advise leaving a radio on low so the pup doesn't feel as if they're alone, but I don't know how much value there is in it. I guess it's just the same thing you do when you leave him at night, that is unless you have him in your room?

suki1964

Start now. Start by leaving him in the room you have decided on with the toys you are leaving for company (after you have toileted and exercised him) and just leave the house for a few mins.

When you come back, if hes screaming and creating, wait till there is a break in the noise before going in to greet him - dont go straight in as he will learn that a noise will bring you home. You need him to learn that good things happen when hes quiet and calm


Slowly build up the time - do it two or three times a day - get him into the habit of seeing you all get ready to go out and you all come back. He will soon learn .

My lad gets a biscuit and a "bye bye alfie" as we all leave and hes as good as gold and sneaks off to my bed for an undisturbed snooze - thats the routine we had for him since a pup (although back then he had a crate)

The bad news is that at only 9/10 weeks its not fair or wise to leave pup for more then 2 - 3 on the outside - hours alone. Even a full grown dog ideally shouldn't be left more then 4. The last thing you want is a distressed/bored/destructive dog on your hands so I always think its best not to leave them long enough to get that way