Puppy torture

corbinam

corbinam

Moderator
I like to play this game called "When we get another puppy..." my husband loves it :uhoh:

About once a week I say, "I found a puppy I want". We are not ready for another one yet, but a girl can dream, right? (Does anyone else torture themselves this way?)

Anyways, DH and I did eventually sit down and talk about a puppy timeline (as we both agree that we do want a third). So, we've decided to add another puppy in about a year or so. Hopefully we'll be close to Bentley's ADCH (USDAA's agility dog champion) and Lexi will be progressing nicely.

Also, now we can't really financially support a third dog (at least not the way I want to...lots of classes, etc...)

But, here's my problem. I'm really hoping that by that point I'll have a permanent full time job. My husband works about 30 minutes from our house, and I'm looking at places between 25 and 45 minutes away. This would make it impossible for us to come home at lunch to let the puppy out. I would feel HORRIBLE leaving a puppy at home that long.

What do others do in this situation? Dog walker (how do you know that they know how to work with a baby puppy...picking up immediately out of the crate, reward, etc...)? Xpen? Not get a puppy? :cry::cry: We are open to the idea of moving a bit closer, but it would likely be difficult to find a house with a backyard, etc (not to mention what a pain it would be since we just moved)...

Please make me feel better. I am totally depressed thinking this might not happen.
 
The pet sitter idea is probably the way to go. You'd just need to find the right person and train them on how you want them to take care of your puppy. There may be a responsible high school or college student near you who would love a little job like this one. You'll be able to work it out.

Puppies are puppies for such a short time. When the puppy is a bit older you'll only need some one to come by once during your work day to let your dogs out and play with them. Are there any doggie day cares near you? we have them, but for 3 dogs it would be pretty expensive.

With all the agility and fun stuff you do with your dogs, you'll make up for the time you have to be away for work.
 
I think the best way to find a dogwalker is to talk to neighbors,go to dogparks, or talk to some of the people you do agility with. See who other professionals are using. Make sure they are bonded, check references and interview a few. Ask them to take a walk with you and your pup and get an idea of how they will interact with your pup,how your pup relates to them and most of all tell them your needs and expectations. Hope this helps Ashley.

Also, while you are not working full time go to the dogparks at lunchtime in your area. You'll most likely see many dogwalkers between 11:00 and 1:00 and just sit back and observe how they are with the dogs they are currently walking. If you see one you like approach them.
 
Cran as a puppy would have been very hard- luckily for me the timing was perfect and Dad was here snowbirding so he got to take the puppy out while I was at work:yes:
 
Honestly, I don't trust dog walkers with my dogs. So much hard work has gone into their socialization and training that I don't want a moment of temper or frustration to undo all of my efforts.

I used a "crate within a crate" - a small crate for sleeping in, and then a large, metal crate surrounding it which had the food/water bowls, a pee pad, and some space for moving around. I'm usually gone from home for about 10 hours at a time, and I'm single, so this system worked beautifully for me.
 
I had a friend's kid come over after school to let the puppy out.
Furthermore, my main agility instructor and her partner also run a dog walking business, we are very lucky around here, as they were one of the very few and brave who put positive training on the map here...
I don't know if I would let anybody else other than close friends walk my baby.


As to the game, heck yeah I play it alllllll the time...
I want a Papillion, no wait maybe a Corgi, but then nah definitely a Silken and another Sheltie... As far as knowing which breeders I want, lol

Meanwhile I can't afford another dog to do agility and all the fun stuff with that I want to do...
I think we all need to win the lottery!
 
corbinam said:
I like to play this game called "When we get another puppy..." my husband loves it :uhoh:

About once a week I say, "I found a puppy I want". We are not ready for another one yet, but a girl can dream, right? (Does anyone else torture themselves this way?)

Anyways, DH and I did eventually sit down and talk about a puppy timeline (as we both agree that we do want a third). So, we've decided to add another puppy in about a year or so. Hopefully we'll be close to Bentley's ADCH (USDAA's agility dog champion) and Lexi will be progressing nicely.

Also, now we can't really financially support a third dog (at least not the way I want to...lots of classes, etc...)

But, here's my problem. I'm really hoping that by that point I'll have a permanent full time job. My husband works about 30 minutes from our house, and I'm looking at places between 25 and 45 minutes away. This would make it impossible for us to come home at lunch to let the puppy out. I would feel HORRIBLE leaving a puppy at home that long.

What do others do in this situation? Dog walker (how do you know that they know how to work with a baby puppy...picking up immediately out of the crate, reward, etc...)? Xpen? Not get a puppy? :cry::cry: We are open to the idea of moving a bit closer, but it would likely be difficult to find a house with a backyard, etc (not to mention what a pain it would be since we just moved)...

Please make me feel better. I am totally depressed thinking this might not happen.
Click to expand...

Most people don't give this much thought to having children. (ask my step-daughter)
 
We use dogwalkers in the middle of the day. I have gotten all of ours through referrals.... ask at agility, dog parks, etc. To be honest it's a bit of a crapshoot.... people who do dog-walking often do it because they can't do other things. So I ask a lot of questions and I set up spies, including my doorman, neighbors, etc. to make sure they are doing their job. Ask for references and I think it's standard for them to write a note.

With doggie daycare I would worry about sanitation. Especially with a puppy. One of the pups in Buffy's puppy class was sick for weeks because of a bug she picked up at daycare. Also, I'd be curious about whether the dogs spend a good chunk of the day in the crate. Dogwalking was more cost-effective for us and I think it matches Buffy's personality better... as a puppy especially she was nervous around that many other dogs.
 
I guess I got lucky when we got Duncan. I got him toward the end of summer and I was unemployed at the time. I got to really bond with him before I got a job and had to leave him. With Pierre, I was still in college and had a flexible schedule. And DH was in college when Abigail joined our ranks. I will try my best to time the next dog to come home over some sort of work break - summer or winter.

Toffee's Mom said:
As to the game, heck yeah I play it alllllll the time...
I want a Papillion, no wait maybe a Corgi, but then nah definitely a Silken and another Sheltie... As far as knowing which breeders I want, lol

Meanwhile I can't afford another dog to do agility and all the fun stuff with that I want to do...
I think we all need to win the lottery!
Click to expand...

This is the game I love. (And you KNOW Papillon is on the top of your list.) The next dog is AT LEAST 5-6 years in the future, but I still think about it. The dark side is calling and I think I'll go BC. I also like Dobermans, but then I would turn into an obedience nut. I plan on trying for a huge dog when I retire and the kids are out of the house. Speaking of, I also like to think about the timing of the next kid. I have a feeling that will be the biggest factor on time. If I'm staying at home, I might be crazy enough to try to juggle a new pup and an infant (not newborn). If I'm working, I would definitely look into a service to help out since hopefully this dog will be very high drive and need the outlet.
 
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