Re: ....Questions.....

[Lori Wright-Shinsato <shinsatos@home.com>]

Hi Peggy,

You are asking some great questions!  I am currently
a stay at home mom but worked when we had our first
two dogs as pups.  It is hard to balance the needs of
a pup with needing to be at work all day.

I think it would be a good idea to plan on keeping the
puppy in the house at first.  Bored puppies can get into
lots of mischief, including digging.  That said, a bored
puppy in a house can be a potential problem, too.  When
we left Bogey as a puppy, I made sure he had lots of
interesting chew toys---nylabones, treat filled kongs or
buster cubes.  We were really blessed in that Bo never
chewed on furniture or other household items.  Our
first golden did!

I think having someone come mid-day and let the pup
out, feed it and play with it is a great idea.  When we
got home from work, we then had to spend lots of play
time with the puppies.  Sounds you have a great area
for your pup to run with supervision so that shouldn't
be a problem.

Are you thinking of puppy kindergarten classes?  We've
had great luck with obedience classes with our dogs as
far as learning good behavior.  They have helped me so
much, too, in learning how to handle puppies.  I still have
lots to learn and I know there are other real working
families on the list.  Hope you get lots of better ideas.
So glad you're on the list!

Take care, Lori and crew in Seattle

Peggy & Kurt wrote:

Hi allI'm needing some assistance.  I've been doing a lot of reading on raising a puppy, and the more I read, the more I realize I don't know.....  My dogs have been well loved but not well behaved.  I'd like to do things different this time, and I keep coming up with questions.  Would love advice from others on this list...My most pressing concern is the fact that my husband and I both work full time(no kids).  I'm looking for someone to come and feed and let the pup out mid-day.  But it's still a long day.  Concerns about house training, length of time in crate, confine to the kitchen.... When she's old enough she'll go to doggie day care twice a week.  We live on an acre and are fencing in an area up by the house.  How old should the pup be before leaving her in fence.  How would this effect house training?  I've got lots more questions, but hopefully if I just do a few at a time no one will get overwhelmed....Thanks!PeggyPS - I LOVE seeing all those baby pictures - thanks