[GonzoHavanese]

Hi all,

In in the process of talking to breeders to get my first puppy (Havanese) and my wife and i are very excited but i need a little advice. I spoke to a prospective breeder last week that turned me down because she didnt like that my wife and I have full-time jobs and neither of us worked from home. On the questionaire we completed we mentioned that we were going to have a friend puppy sit for us during the day initially and eventually we'll leave him alone during the day. She didn't think was a good solution 1) she doesn't trust that anyone but us to watch the pup (that inclues puppy daycare) 2) she feels that the pup would bond with that person and not us (this is a real concern for me). Question for you guys, can anyone out there weigh in on how to handle this. Any success stories you can share? Short of going on sabbatical, is there any way two working puppy parents can care for a pup when during the day?

Any advice you can give would be most helpful..

Thanks!

G

 

[Hambonez]

We got our pup from the shelter when he was 8 wks old. We got him on a Friday, and Monday it was back to work! So he's been left during the work day since the beginning. He stays in a ex-pen during the day when we're not home, and my husband comes home at lunch time and takes him out. He does fine with it and is very used to the routine now (3 months later). In the evenings and on weekends he gets tons of attention. We take him to classes and play groups and the park and meetups. He doesn't seem to be suffering so bad from being left for 40 hrs a week! Our trainer actually maintains that it's better for dogs to not be around you ALL THE TIME because when you do have to leave them, they freak out, as opposed to a dog who is used to being left on a regular basis.

 

[Nev Allen]

Young pups need a lot of socialising and playing with their humans in those first few formative months. As a breeder myself, we look for homes where there will be an adult at home for at least the first week as a bare minimum. In that week we tell them they need to give the pup enough exercise to make him tired and then crate him. He will sleep for 2 to 3 hours at least. A food filled kong and other similar feed dispensing toys will keep him busy for another hour or two. Crateing him and having his crate next to your bed when you go to sleep will help you hasten his housetraining as well.

 

[volito]

Honestly it is tough but I seen it done plenty off times. A puppy goes through it's critical stage arounf 4 to 16 weeks that is where the most important sociaizing must take place. So if you get your pup at 8 weeks you have 7 weeks of A LOT of socializing which is taking your puppy everywhere and seeing many different things. So this breeder is very concerned about this as if pup doesn't get the right socializing especially in some breeds it can lead to many behavior problems when it reaches it teens......On the ther hand some breeds and some bloodlines are breed for temperment and not socializing to its fulliest dogs turn out OK with no problems. The general rule is to OVER socialize "without overwhelming pup" every puppy.....So I can see the breeders concerns......Also a puppy needs to go out every 3 to 4 hours at first, general rule is age in months is how long they can hold it !

My opinion will be PLEASE sit down with your family and really think this out and come up with a plan for all this and a breeder will be happy to work with you Is this going to be your first dog?

good luck

 

[GonzoHavanese]

Thanks for your responses. I'm planning on at least taking the first week off work to be with the little guy at first. Beyond that I'm gonna make some plans to make sure he's well taken care of during the day.

Yes, this will be my first dog.

Honestly it is tough but I seen it done plenty off times. A puppy goes through it's critical stage arounf 4 to 16 weeks that is where the most important sociaizing must take place. So if you get your pup at 8 weeks you have 7 weeks of A LOT of socializing which is taking your puppy everywhere and seeing many different things. So this breeder is very concerned about this as if pup doesn't get the right socializing especially in some breeds it can lead to many behavior problems when it reaches it teens......On the ther hand some breeds and some bloodlines are breed for temperment and not socializing to its fulliest dogs turn out OK with no problems. The general rule is to OVER socialize "without overwhelming pup" every puppy.....So I can see the breeders concerns......Also a puppy needs to go out every 3 to 4 hours at first, general rule is age in months is how long they can hold it !

My opinion will be PLEASE sit down with your family and really think this out and come up with a plan for all this and a breeder will be happy to work with you Is this going to be your first dog?

good luck

 

[Shell]

Hi all,

In in the process of talking to breeders to get my first puppy (Havanese) and my wife and i are very excited but i need a little advice. I spoke to a prospective breeder last week that turned me down because she didnt like that my wife and I have full-time jobs and neither of us worked from home. On the questionaire we completed we mentioned that we were going to have a friend puppy sit for us during the day initially and eventually we'll leave him alone during the day. She didn't think was a good solution 1) she doesn't trust that anyone but us to watch the pup (that inclues puppy daycare) 2) she feels that the pup would bond with that person and not us (this is a real concern for me). Question for you guys, can anyone out there weigh in on how to handle this. Any success stories you can share? Short of going on sabbatical, is there any way two working puppy parents can care for a pup when during the day?

I think having a friend help for the first couple weeks is a great idea. You can spend the entire evening and weekend bonding with the pup and the pup can bond with more than one person. Loving care is loving care, if you trust the friend than its just one more person the dog will be well socialized and comfortable with.

If the breeder didn't trust anyone but you to watch the dog, when would she trust someone? Does she expect you to never go on vacation or have to work late and hire a dog walker/send to daycare? And why would someone you barely know trust you and not a friend or a reputable dog daycare? Seems odd to me.

Any advice you can give would be most helpful..

Thanks!

G

I agree with Hambonez too in that having a puppy that has time away from you from early on (obviously with enough potty breaks and such) is a good thing, reducing anxiety and helping make the dog comfortable with his crate and such. Just make sure everyone involved is using the same training methods and commands etc so as not to confuse the heck out of the poor puppy.

I think that if for the first couple weeks a friend puppy sits and then maybe for the few weeks after that someone gives the dog a mid-day potty break (and even better if you and your wife can stagger your work schedules a little so one leaves later and one gets home earlier plus a midday break) so the dog isn't crated too long, then you'll be fine. It might slow potty training a little bit if you can't take the dog out regularly, but he should catch up with that once he's older enough to hold it for longer periods and to feel the signals better.

 

[elrohwen]

I know people with full time jobs who have raises puppies and I plan to do the same thing in a couple months. True, someone does need to come home once or twice a day to play with the pup and let it out, but it's perfectly acceptable for a friend or dog walker to do it if you can't get home (or a daycare, but not until the pup is a bit older and has shots). Don't worry about the dog becoming attached to someone else - many dogs like just about anyone, but they develop a special bond with those who feed and care for them, and especially those who train with them.

The breeder sounds a bit over-anxious to me. If nobody with full time jobs could get a puppy, hardly anyone would get puppies! You sound responsible and like you've thought through how the pup would get care during the day and you sound like a good owner to me. Keep looking around until you find a breeder who is more in line with your care philosophy. My breeder is perfectly fine with me and my husband working full-time (we do plan to stop home at lunch and try to work from home a couple hours every day for the first month or two).

 

[Hambonez]

The breeder sounds a bit over-anxious to me. If nobody with full time jobs could get a puppy, hardly anyone would get puppies!

This always gets me too -- some rescues are the same way. If we didn't have jobs, we couldn't afford the puppy! He's not inexpensive!

 

[doxiemommy]

This always gets me too -- some rescues are the same way. If we didn't have jobs, we couldn't afford the puppy! He's not inexpensive!

I know, I agree! I was so nervous when we filled out the app at the rescue to adopt Abby! I mean, we already had Harper, and spent tons of time, energy, and $ to give him a stable, secure, loving home, and train him to have manners, etc, but, it made me nervous!

I think the breeder is being a bit over the top. Many of us have to rely on others at some point, to help with our puppies. When our puppies were young, we had some days when we needed to be gone long hours, work committments or whatever, and we were lucky enough to have my fiance's brother and family down the block to help with puppy sitting. Long days Christmas shopping meant they got to visit my parents. When we went away for a weekend they got to hang out with my good friend and her dogs (they all love each other).

It's like an "extended" family. And, really, can you have too many loving relationships, whether your a dog or a human, or a cat, or a parrot, or a ......

 

[Hambonez]

I know, I agree! I was so nervous when we filled out the app at the rescue to adopt Abby! I mean, we already had Harper, and spent tons of time, energy, and $ to give him a stable, secure, loving home, and train him to have manners, etc, but, it made me nervous!

I was nervous too that the shelter would reject me because my husband and I both work!! I tried to emphasize my fine fenced in yard, and de-emphasize our both having jobs on the application!

It's like an "extended" family. And, really, can you have too many loving relationships, whether your a dog or a human, or a cat, or a parrot, or a ......

My pets have their 'aunties' -- my two best friends who are over every weekend and usually once during the week, and who watch them when we go away. When Hamilton sees them coming his tail nearly flies off his butt!! They'll call when we're not home sometimes and say they're in the neighborhood and ask if it's ok to take Hammie out to play (they've got a key) and we always say SURE! The extra help, especially in those first few months, was so valuable. There were nights that I think I would have been in tears and pulling my hair out if it wasn't for the Aunties!!

 

[GonzoHavanese]

Well THANK GOODNESS! It's so wonderful to hear from others in the same position. Were I independently wealthy I'd be happy to spend the entire day with my pup, but as some of you mentioned pups/dogs are not cheap therefore I certainly need to keep my day job! LOL!

Thank you all for chiming in on this subject, I tend to agree with the "it takes a village" philosophy and plan on utilizing the generosity of many friends and volunteer pet sitters to make sure my little guy is well looked after. Still all the research i've done seems to suggest that if there is going to come a time when he's going to spend more time alone I need to start preparing him for that little by little.

It's disappointing to be turned downed by a breeder just because I have to work. I find it a little mind boggling actually.

G

 

[rhflan]

Eh...I kinda get where the breeder is coming from. Truth be told, my wife and I wouldn't be considering getting a dog if we were both working full-time, but that's just us.