Going back to work......

puppymom · 01-19-2007, 05:11 PM

We have 2 papipoo pups that will be 14 weeks old next week. The problem we have is that I have just found out that due to circumstances beyond our control I may have to go back to work full time. The pups are doing well. They sleep 8 to 10 hours straight thru at night, they are learning and thriving well. My hubby is able to come home at lunch and let them outside and excercise them a bit although he only has a half hour lunch break but he only works a few minutes from home. If I go back to work, it will mean the pups are in their crates from 7:30am to 12pm and then again from 12:30pm to 4pm. I feel horrible to think about them being crated for that long at a time during the day. Will this hurt them and are there any suggestions out there for an alternative. We don't have doggy daycare in our town and the only person we really know is my Dad and he is handicapped so not able to come let the pups out. Any suggestions on how to deal with this until they are able to have a bit more freedom in the house during the day???????

brokendreams490 · 01-20-2007, 07:43 AM

Maybe dog proof a room in your home and close the door? Leave lots of toys for them to play with in there?

MagicToller · 01-20-2007, 07:46 AM

Maybe something along the lines of..

http://www.petstreetmall.com/Pet-Yard/3071/490/

Or if nothing else, as mentioned above puppy proof the house? Personally, I am an advocat for the crate, because there is ALWAYS something that puppies can find their way into or chew on(that is, when they are loose), no matter the precaution.

Or maybe you guys can wake up a little earlier and tire them out early in the morning? ..and then again in the evening?

Cassie Nova · 01-21-2007, 01:31 AM

I agree- wear them out in the morning, crate them, let them out at noon, crate them, and wear them out when you get home. Cassie is crated all day...and sometimes runs to her crate and WAITS for me to close the door so I can go to school. A crate is a safe haven for a dog- their "den" if you will. Most dogs love it and go there when they are tired, stressed or just not in the mood to be bothered.

Violetdogs · 01-21-2007, 01:41 AM

Could you maybe take them to your vet's for a day or two of boarding each week? It's not doggie day care, but it's about the same thing. My vet has daily boarding rates. Maybe every other day until they are older and have adapted to you and your husband being gone all day.

puppymom · 01-21-2007, 09:38 AM

Taking them to the vet for boarding is not an option. We are from a very small town and our vet runs her clinic out of her home and she has an office set up in her garage. It is a great clinic but she does not have boarding facilities. She is not there a whole lot as the cattle and horses seem to outnumber the small animals here.

I think we have come up with a solution. We are going to set up an X-pen in the kitchen that will accomodate both crates and they will have room to stretch their legs if need be. They are both now pretty much housetrained so we are hoping this won't cause a set-back with that.

We'll see how things go. I guess the hardest part is the guilt I feel. When we adopted them, I was at home all day. Unforseen circumstances have now dictated I will have to go back to work. The guilt is the hardest part of all. I guess we will just have to spend twice as much quality time with them when we are at home. Thanks for the suggestions.

Violetdogs · 01-21-2007, 06:49 PM

If it makes you feel any better, I too, have those same guilt feelings every morning I leave.....I'm sure we're not alone. And you're correct, you just spend more quality time with them when you are home. Who knows, maybe you won't have to work in the future. I'm glad you have two of them to keep each other company. When I just had one dog, it tore me up more than words can describe when I had to leave her. When I first got her, I was part time and was only gone 4 hours in the morning. Now, I'm full time, but I sure wouldn't give up my dogs for anything in the world! Unfortunately, alot of dogs are turned in to shelters because people say they don't have the time to spend with them. (There's nothing that I can think of that would make me turn my dogs in.)

puppymom · 01-22-2007, 05:03 PM

Yes, the guilt is horrendous but nothing would ever make us give up these little guys. We are fortunate in the fact that hubby can come home at lunch time and if need be he could possibly make two trips home during the day depending on his day.

So for now we are going to try an X pen in the kitchen with both crates in the pen and lots of toys and such. Just means we will spend more time with them in the evenings and on weekends. Hopefully it will be a temporary situation and I am so glad that I was able to spend their first couple of months at home full time. They do have each other for company so maybe it won't be so bad. At least that is what I keep telling myself.

sheltieluver · 01-22-2007, 05:11 PM

I know exactly how you feel. I had to work full time and leave my shelties at home all day. But I believe MOST dog owners are in the same position we are in. The fact that you have two is great so they can keep each other company. That's why I had two (one of my reasons

). I had a doggie door put in my house once they got older so they could go out as they wanted. I would never have another dog without one! I've never crated my dogs but don't believe it would "hurt" them. Many people do this when they are not home until they can earn their freedom.
I did the same as you - spent a lot of quality time with them at night and the weekends to make up for the time I was gone.

puppymom · 01-23-2007, 09:48 AM

I'm sure they will be fine. The doggy door is a great idea but unfortunately it won't work in our situation. We have to go outside all of the time with our pups as we have a huge eagle and owl population where we live and we have been warned by others not to let the pups out on their own. So we always go with them and stay with them while we are outside. I would be worried about them going out on their own as they are still pretty little.

I'm sure it won't be a problem as hubby is able to come home during the day at least once, sometimes more than that so they will get potty breaks every couple of hours or so. For the first little while he says he will make a huge efffort to come home as often as he can. Once they are potty trained they can occassionally go to work with him, depending on what his plans are for the day. He works at a senior's lodge and the pups always enjoy going there for a visit. The residents are always excited to see them.

So, I think we will work things out. It doesn't help with the guilt that Mommy fights with on a daily basis but I guess I shouldn't worry about it until I actually go back to work which should be very soon.

Thank you to everyone that has offered support. It helps to know I am not alone in my feelings.