need some nonjudgemental advice...

pawsies

What breed?

I'm not as concerned about leaving her alone for long durations as I am about puppy socialisation and how much she will be missing out on. Could you afford to take her to a doggy daycare place? (Yes, I know these aren't always the best!) but at least she'd be attended to throughout the day and would get some socialisation, although you'd have to find a way of making sure it was positive stimulation only.

At least your dog won't have separation anxiety problems though hopefully

rising_from_the_ashes

krlyr wrote: »

I may seem like I'm scaremongering but I do not see the benefit of a dog flap - when the dog is this young with such a small bladder it needs plenty of visits home to have you take it out anyway as part of the toilet training regime, and then once it's older with a stronger bladder, it should be fine to go from a morning pee break, toileting on its lunchtime walk, and then being let out as soon as you're home anyway. Mine cope fine with this and I have the reassurance that they're locked up safely in a warm home, only exposed to what I choose to expose them to, and not causing a nuisance by barking at birds, squirrels, etc. in the garden.

Absolutely agree 100% ...... I hate to think what mine would get up to with free rein outside :eek: I'd be worried the whole time!

kettlenic

Thank you

She is a jack russell cros fox terrior - I have contacted some local puppy classes to enquire about taking her to socialise with other dogs and for basic training. I have will also ask the vet if they know of any - as I would like for her to meet other dogs and people as early on so she will be friendly. Have people coming over this weekend and then taking her to meet my nephews on the 24th

will be following all this advice and will be waking up earlier to ensure playtime before work and will give her walks and playtime when I get home too...she will be very very loved

krlyr

Try www.apdt.co.uk for local trainers - ideally you want to find one who does a well-run socialisation class, with calm adult dogs. Puppy classes don't make the best time to socialise because you're in an exciting new environment with lots of over-excited puppies who don't have any manners or social skills simply because, like yours, they haven't learnt them yet. Careful socialisation with adult dogs would be far better (the odd crazy game of wild playing with puppies is fab, if they don't go OTT, but your puppy needs to learn boundaries and body language from a dog that possesses those skills already). My local trainer does a socialisation walk where she takes 2-3 puppies out with 5-6 adult dogs, chosen for the purpose, to a local country park where she then assesses any new dogs they bump into before saying whether it's OK to let the puppies meet them or not. I'd definately go with something like this if I had a puppy, and use puppy classes as an opportunity to teach my puppy to focus on me rather than expect to be able to play with every dog in sight (another important point - socialisation is not just about letting your dog meet every other dog you come across, but about teaching them when it's appropriate to do so. Not every dog out in the big wide world will appreciate a puppy running over to them!)

kpdorset

Our local kennels has a day boarding scheme for people who work full time. This may be a useful option on the days when you can't get home and would socialise him at the same time.

Fire_Fox

Nobody is going to judge you fort having to work, that is real life. But it's really not ok to leave what is basically a baby for that long - sorry but you really should not have got a puppy in these circumstances. No decent rescue or reputable breeder would home a puppy in that situation, that is based on knowledge from animal behaviourists and veterinarians, not simply being mean. I have no doubt there will be love but that is not enough. Babies need attention, social interaction and mental stimulation little and often not simply long sessions of playtime or long walks.

*Some* adult dogs cope well with a long day providing there is a relative/ neighbour/ professional come in for a proper walk at lunchtime. Puppies really need several breaks during the day, could you use a dog creche or daytime boarding kennels? Could you change your work shifts so you start earlier or finish later and can take a longer lunch every day?

_Andy_

Have to agree with the above - some breeds fine, but a puppy? Really not cool and not fair on the poor pup.

_Andy_

To clarify - I'm not saying you're a 'monster' and I'm sure you care for your dog but specifically getting a puppy when you knew it would be alone all day just isn't fair on it.

con1888

Haven't read other replies yet so that I can try avoid being judgemental as there is a lot I could say...

However..

Both myself and boyfriend work ( he works nights though and I part time) two days per week he is in bed when I am working, I come home for lunch and take him a walk for about 1/2 hour, feed him etc.

IF this is NOT at all possible for you then do not leave him at home all day, this is cruel. Get a dog walker. Not sure what area you are in but in my area they start at about £5 for 30 minutes, small price to pay.

Please let us know what you decide.

heretolearn_2

oh gosh, a terrier breed too.

Have you owned terriers before?:rotfl:

Lively little dogs that need plenty to keep them busy and out of mischief. Of course, each dog has its own personality too; we used to have a Jack Russell that was left home alone from about 8am to 5pm and she was fine, suspect she used to spend all day snoring on the sofa, but she was a chilled sort for a terrier and she was an adult when we got her.

I'm glad to see you are making arrangements for a mid day visit from either yourselves or a dogwalker. she should be ok with this, but she is still very young to be left and it's likely to cause problems with house training etc. Also, expect to come home and find stuff chewed and killed to death (especially during the 'teenage' times when she is teething.

I think it's a terrible idea to have an unsupervised dog running loose round the garden all day and that goes double for a terrier. Even our chilled out one could be a little minx. Expect lots of digging. These dogs are bred to stick themselves down holes. It's what they love doing most. What will you do if she digs out under your fence? Or gets herself stuck in a hole for hours? Or just has a lovely time then comes in and covers your house with mud. Plus all the problems mentioned above about security of your house and the risk of dog theft/loss.

I have another suggestion for you as you have plenty of garden.

Get a secure kennel and run (lockable) for the daytime and have her indoors in the evenings/weekends. It'll cost a bit but sounds like the perfect solution to me...