AboutPatti Expertise To date, I've owned 7 dogs, all of which have lived into old age.
Having cared for them in all stages of life, I feel I can offer sound advice to other pet owners, and people considering getting a dog.
I am knowledgeable about the AKC (American Kennel Club) dog breeds, training and exercise, caring for sick and elderly pets, feeding, as well as many holistic treatments pets can benefit from.
My only request is that you write me using standard English and punctuation.
Experience My life experience in this field is more like "on the job training" rather than an actual degree in animal welfare. You may benefit from my experiences over the past 30 years.
Aside from the dogs I've owned, I'm also involved in "breed rescue" and have fostered several dogs, all of which have been adopted to wonderful "forever homes".
I find helping people who want a dog very rewarding.
Question Hi I want to get a large breed puppy(of a working/guard dog type breed) this winter and need some info on caring for him or her........
I work 9-5 monday to friday like most people....with noone home to let the puppy out my question is where should I leave the puppy? A crate or play pen?(if a play pen is used I could put newspaper at one end, A bed at the other ect.) I am looking into a few different breeds ight now all ranging from 60-100 pounds could you reccomend the proper sized crate and play pen I'd need.... how tall should they be also?
One more thing is worrying me and that is potty training...at what age(in months) is a puppy reliably housetrained and able to hold it for at lest half a work day?
Is it true it takes 24 months for a large breed to dog to reach adult size?
Thank you for any advice.
Answer Hi Haylie,
It's certainly possible to get a puppy, and also work a full time job. Thousands do it every day.
It's really important that you're there to take the puppy out for a romp at some point during the day, mid-day works the best. If you are unable to do that, maybe a friend, neighbor or family member can help with this. Another option is to pay for "doggie day-care" at a boarding kennel.
Puppies under 4 months of age have very little bowel or bladder control. Puppies under 3 months have even less. For that reason, leaving a young puppy in a crate when he's home alone for an extended period of time is not a good idea, it leaves the puppy no choice but to soil in it's crate, and that's counter productive to crate training.
The amount of time a puppy can be crated increases as it gets older:
9-10 Weeks old: crate no longer than 30-60 minutes
11-14 Weeks old: no longer than 1-3 hours
15-16 Weeks old: no longer than 3-4 hours
17 + Weeks old: 4+ (6 hours maximum)
So, by the time a puppy is about 5 months old, he or she should be able to "Hold it" for about half a work day.
A puppy or dog should be able to stand up, turn around and lay down comfortably in it's crate. The crate needs to be small enough to prevent your puppy from getting away too far from his mess. This is very important when housebreaking a puppy.
Because your puppy is going to grow, buy an adult-sized dog crate that come with divider panels. At first, provide your puppy with the smallest area and remove panels as your puppy grows. For a Up to 90lb dog you'll need a 42" deep crate, for a dog up to 110 lbs, you'll need a 48" deep crate.
Until the puppy is old enough to "hold it" a good alternative to crating when you must leave him alone is to contain him in a small area within your home with the help of a child gate or two. Kitchens and laundry rooms, or other spaces with tile or vinyl flooring work well. There are also portable pens for containing a puppy, they come in different sizes but this is the sort of pen I'm talking about:
You'd need to lay down a thick layer of newspaper over the entire floor of wherever the puppy is contained. Place the puppy's bed and water at one end, leaving a large area which the puppy should use to soil in (it's a dog's instinct not to soil where it sleeps). Leave puppy safe toys in the area too. Eventually, as the puppy gets a little older and used to the set up, you will notice that he tends to soil in one spot. In time, you can slowly remove newspapers from the entire pen, leaving just the toilet area papered. This isn't rocket science, and your puppy may have times where he misses the paper. In those cases, put more newspaper back in the containment area.
The basic concept behind house-training is to give your dog frequent opportunities to relieve itself outside, while offering constant supervision in the home. When you're at home and unable to watch your puppy like a hawk, then keeping him in a crate works best because it does not allow him room enough to soil in the crate. You can read more about crate-training here:
Because your puppy is going to be alone for most of the day, you need to be there for him in the evenings, and weekends. Without enough human contact and socialization, a puppy will develop many bad behaviors that can be very hard to change. Like the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a good impression! Dogs and puppies that spend too much time alone can develop very unneighborly habits, such as barking non-stop, destructive chewing, digging holes (in the ground or in your furniture!) or even self-mutilation. Dogs are social animals and need their people.
When a puppy is reliably house-trained depends on how well you enforce the rule: "No Accidents In The House". Every time there's an accident in the home, it's an opportunity that's lost yet you can never punish or yell at the puppy because that can cause a set back. When accidents happen, it's the owners fault for either not supervising closely enough, or not getting the puppy out in time. Clean up the mess with an enzymatic cleaner, such as Nature's Miracle, so your puppy won't be attracted back to that location. Luckily, most larger breeds are easier to house-train, simply because they are large enough not to be able to hide their accidents, like many small breeds can.
Regular vigorous exercise and mental stimulation, adequate socialization, and interactive play are all part of a necessary daily routine for a well-adjusted dog. It's best to give a dog or puppy a good walk or run (20-30 minutes) before leaving it in the morning. It will be less anxious, more composed, and prepared for a little R & R in the form of a good nap when you're away. Then, a shorter walk at mid-day, if that's all there is time for, and another good walk or run when you return home in the evening. Going out for walks is not only exercise, it's mental stimulation! Exercise generates serotonin in the brain and thus has a calming and mood-stabilizing effect on man and beast.
Your puppy will be calmer and more quiet during the day when he's left alone, if you provide him with adequate exercise, I can't stress that enough. So many behavioral problems stem from not enough exercise!
Many large breeds dogs need 18-24 months to gain their extra muscle mass and "filled in". Talk to your vet regarding the kind of food your large breed puppy will need. Many veterinary nutritionists recommend a large breed puppy food (lower calcium to energy ratio) and that you do not overfed your puppy. This will help the puppy grow slower, so it's less likely to develop hip or elbow dysplasia.
Because dysplasias are so common in large dogs, investigating your puppy's parents health is also very important.
