Expert: TLR - 4/23/2007

Question
QUESTION: I am in the process of getting a puppy bichon and I really want the dog but i'm willing to do what it takes.  I work and so does my bf what other measures can I do to properly take care of my dog?  Please let me know...  Thanks!

:)
ANSWER: If you and your boyfriend are both working, I do not recommend getting a puppy.
With you and your boyfriend both being at work all day, your puppy would be very lonely. Dogs are social creatures and they must not be isolated in small places for hours on end and have only a brief visit or two a day from someone.

If you really want a dog, get an adult dog that is already house trained and well-behaved. Find one that won't need to be in a crate during the day. Animal shelters and rescue organizations usually have many to choose from.

Or, get two adult dogs that can keep each other company during the long hours you are at work. Sometimes rescue organizations will have two adults that have lived together and have come in together who get along great and who will be trustworthy in the house while you and your boyfriend are gone.

I DO NOT recommend getting a puppy; they require WAY too much attention to be left alone all day. To nourish and grow to their potential, they require interaction and brief learning experiences throughout the day.

Don't be tempted to get two puppies hoping they'll be less lonely...you'll only double YOUR work. Puppies need ongoing socialization and training that only you and your boyfriend can give. Two puppies left alone all day just means two of them are not getting the attention and training they need.
Also, house training two puppies can be a nightmare! Especially when you're not sure which one is making the mess.
Two puppies are likely to bond together, rather than bond to you...this seldom happens with two adult dogs.

Puppies/dogs CANNOT be in a crate for longer than 4 hours, with the exception of bedtime.

If you're absolutely set on the idea of getting a puppy or already made the purchase, try an exercise pen or baby gate to confine the puppy in a LARGE open space. Puppies do NOT like small, confined places.

You can purchase a cheap exercise pen here:

http://www.betterthanretail.com/midwestpens.html

I have the 36" one for my Bichon.

~TLR~

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It's only one puppy, It would only be working hours 8 to 5.  I could take an hour lunch and make sure it's okay um.. also i'm set and already made a non-refundable deposit.  The dog is pottie trained full already and he would have full attention on weekends and all week just while i'm at work? Let me know if you can suggest anything

Answer
The puppy cannot be crated for more than four hours and as previously stated, he would be very lonely because dogs are known to be social creatures. A puppy demands a lot of attention throughout the day and if you're not there to house train him, he'll never get the concept. He should be let outside every 2-3 hours, which is something you can't do when you're at work.

An exercise pen or small, gated-off room works well to confine a puppy when you're gone for more than four hours a day. I usually do not recommend puppy pads, but if you have your mind set on getting the puppy, I'd train him with the puppy pads. They have a special scent in them that attracts the puppy to the pads...that way you don't walk in and have puddles and piles everywhere. But becareful; some dogs like to eat their own feces.

Please note that all of this does not address the loneliness issue. A puppy should be running around and playing during his early months. He should be interacting with people throughout the day. A puppy who is left alone most of the day will be lonely and unhappy. He may not become the dog he could have been.

When you come home from work, try not to burst in the door and get him excited by giving him hugs and kisses and shrieks of glee. I know this sounds hard not to do, but such a melodramatic entrace, after many quiet hours alone, is too much for your dog's nervous system. If you do this every time you come home, your puppy will begin to anticipate your homecoming long before you get home.
He will become restless and anxious as he awaits the big emotional entrance that he knows is coming when you get home. In doing so, he will try to release the tension with chewing or barking.