puppy alone for 4hrs advice - YorkieTalk.com Forums

jennzy · 03-13-2011, 11:13 PM

I need your advice... I have an almost 4 months (she'll be 4 months this weeknd). Today was my first day of work since I got Coco. I got her on Friday and on saturday and on Sunday we worked on paper training and play pen training as well as her name.
She did really well! Whenever she needs to pee I take her to the peeing area of play pen and she pees.

She does really well in her play pen. I'll put her in there at night and when im busy doing house work & can't watch her or running errands. Her pen is approx 120cmx120cm. (she whines for a minutes then either falls asleep or plays with her toy)

So this was our schedule today.
wake up at 6.55am pee & poo
play for 20 mins.
7:20 eat breakfast in the play pen. during that time i go and wash my face because she takes ages to eat because she needs to paw out her food.
7:35 I take her to the roof and run around for 10 mins.
7:50 we play in the room.
8am i put her in the pen and i get ready
8:10 we play for a bit and try potty. but no potty. She ususally falls asleep after our meal play and potties when she wakes up. We play again and try potty 5 mins later. no luck. she's sleepy at this point. 8:20 i turn on the TV and i give her a frozen Kong after i kiss her bye.

12:40pm I get home. To my surprise she made a huge mess of her playpen! she peed on the pee pad once and just at the edge of the pad (I have two that is about 120cm long) & somehow she threw her bed across the pen. I let her out of the pen to clean up. (big mistake on my end.) i didnt see her squat and she peed outside (next time while i clean up, i should hold on to her)
then I tried feeding her lunch. But she's not interested in eating so we play (actually more like running around... i run and she follows me because she doesn't like to play up there yet...But she seems to be enjoying as long as I keep on running.) for 15 mins upstairs in the roof.
I put her back in the pen and tell her to eat. She eats then we play for 10 more mins.

Then I leave at 1:40pm and I get home at 4.40pm (so i left her in 2 4 hr blocks with a break.)

Few steps I plan on doing
I ordered more of the pannels so I can make the pen bigger to include a partial block and an entry way to the potty area so she doesn't throw anything in the potty area. I plan on sewing her bed to the bars so she can't throw it & taping or purchasing those pad holders so she doesn't move it or scrunch it up. I also plan on purchasing some puppy relaxation CD via itunes and have it play.

Any other advice?

I am still looking for someone check up on her in between but living in Korea, it's really difficult.

p.s if you plan on writing that i am horrible and other negative comments, please keep that comment to yourself because in all honesty, no one wants to hear negative comments.

Thank you

beader · 03-14-2011, 03:44 AM

Take her outside as soon as you get home then clean up. She will have to go after she wakes up, saves you from cleaning up two times.
Sounds like both of you are having fun

manolos mom · 03-14-2011, 04:43 AM

Sounds like you love this baby. The only advise I can give BE CONSISTENT..

Ringo1 · 03-14-2011, 04:46 AM

Sounds like a pretty good schedule; she just has to learn to try and hold it for 4 hours; this may improve as she gets older. My puppy used to tear up pee pads too; it's just something they do.

I think you have a pretty lucky dog myself - she gets lots and lots of attention and play.

jennzy · 03-14-2011, 05:01 AM

Today after work I ran to the grocery store to look into these peepad holders and other things... I don't think I will be getting her the peepad holder because they're pretty high. I think I will just continue taping so she doesn't rip & scrunch it up.

I found puppy class in Korea!!! I contacted the trainer and she said the next puppy training session will begin in May. Dog trainers are really hard to come by in Korea. The animal as pet industry is just beginning hence I'm having hard time finding a dog walker. Most you have to send your dog for 4 months and I definatly don't want to do that. There are two located in my city that offer English weekly dog training. The clicker method costs approx 800$ and its 2.5 hours per lesson and its 8 weeks (group class yikes!!!!) and a lady offers group classes for 90$ and private sessions for 65$. It's on the US Army base and since I dont have an army pass, I just have to jump through hoops every time I go in for training but it's ok! it'll totally be worth it!

Until Coco is ready for private session, we will continue working on play pen, paper train & leash walking. Coco had an automatic leash scare on sunday so today i bought her an old school leash :P we will start tomorrow morning up in the roof!

ArmaniMan · 03-14-2011, 05:12 AM

Sounds like a normal scene to come home to after a puppy is left for the first few times.

Consider washable pee pads- they are much thicker and sturdier and tend not to be dragged around and/or chewed up.

Do you have a crate? Lock puppy in the crate or in a bathroom or other small room when you are cleaning the pen- for two reasons, 1. less place for puppy to make mess while you are cleaning and 2. its better if they don't see you cleaning up their messes.

Otherwise, it sounds like your doing everything right. Your puppy will get used to you being gone during the day- right now it just seems like the longest time in the world to her and she is finding ways to occupy herself- she will calm down and everything will be fine

jojomima · 03-14-2011, 05:29 AM

She's still very young, just needs to get used to it. Lots of good advice. Just keep doing what you're doing, lots of love and patience.

jennzy · 03-14-2011, 05:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmaniMan

Sounds like a normal scene to come home to after a puppy is left for the first few times.

Consider washable pee pads- they are much thicker and sturdier and tend not to be dragged around and/or chewed up.

Do you have a crate? Lock puppy in the crate or in a bathroom or other small room when you are cleaning the pen- for two reasons, 1. less place for puppy to make mess while you are cleaning and 2. its better if they don't see you cleaning up their messes.

Otherwise, it sounds like your doing everything right. Your puppy will get used to you being gone during the day- right now it just seems like the longest time in the world to her and she is finding ways to occupy herself- she will calm down and everything will be fine

I dont know if washable pad will help. She already ripped her blanket apart during the mess today lol. Plus washing machines in Korea really suck so I think I will purchase peepads. they're not that bad. i bought 100 pack for just under 6$.

I think once the new pannel set arrives I will make a smaller one for me to put her down when I clean up. its a 12 set and I only really need 4 more so I'll use a few for a secondary area.

Thanks for the w ords of encouragement!

I forgot to mention, I experienced my first puppy zoom! coco just started running then stopping to sniff around then running again! so cute! it makes our roof run more fun! I think Coco will become my new physio therapist lol after all she got me jogging after the surgery hehe!

concretegurl · 03-14-2011, 06:19 AM

1.I'd be sure to always have water available to her, you are in Korea so you must know about dog water bottles they are really popular there I use one here because I have a miniature schnauzer-beard issues with wetness causing bacteria and yeast infections but foremost a pup can't knock over and make a mess with one loosing their water and wetting their area.

2.Always a potty place in her area until she is completely house broken...which you do-awesome!

3.Double check all the toys etc in her play pen are completely safe for her to have while unsupervised...of course you don't have a collar on her right?

4. Have your emergency dog first aid kit right there when you walk in the door in-case you come into an emergency-also have your vet's phone number written on it I found out myself how much you need both your dog emergency first aid kit readily available as well as the vet's number handy in a panic you don't have a second to spare searching for things. make sure you have nutrical or karo in it, along with the basics-also scissor if it doesn't come with it.

5. what's a puppy relaxation cd? I just leave my tv on but many people a radio-hearing people's voices seems soothing to them...especially a favorite radio station you listen to...she's seems old enough a ticking clock under her bed or a stuffy that makes heartbeat sounds might be unnecessary and more of a crutch if she's not using it already...

Sounds like you have a pretty great set up doing and are getting an even better one in the near future...just double check all the little things, improvement is always good! best of luck! Post pics we want to see!

JedsMom · 03-14-2011, 06:52 AM

I think what you are doing sounds great!

jennzy · 03-14-2011, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by concretegurl

1.I'd be sure to always have water available to her, you are in Korea so you must know about dog water bottles they are really popular there I use one here because I have a miniature schnauzer-beard issues with wetness causing bacteria and yeast infections but foremost a pup can't knock over and make a mess with one loosing their water and wetting their area.
Yes! she's already got one

2.Always a potty place in her area until she is completely house broken...which you do-awesome!

3.Double check all the toys etc in her play pen are completely safe for her to have while unsupervised...of course you don't have a collar on her right?
[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]Yup! she only has pet stages toys in her pen when i'm gone. no sqeakers or soft toys allowed when im not with her.

4. Have your emergency dog first aid kit right there when you walk in the door in-case you come into an emergency-also have your vet's phone number written on it I found out myself how much you need both your dog emergency first aid kit readily available as well as the vet's number handy in a panic you don't have a second to spare searching for things. make sure you have nutrical or karo in it, along with the basics-also scissor if it doesn't come with it.
[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]I have something known as nutri+gen which is like nutrical and the vet said it does the same job. I have bandaids and scissors & a syringe. What else do I need for the pet? Vet's number is on speed dial & there is a vet near my house that is open until midnight.[/COLOR]

5. what's a puppy relaxation cd? I just leave my tv on but many people a radio-hearing people's voices seems soothing to them...especially a favorite radio station you listen to...she's seems old enough a ticking clock under her bed or a stuffy that makes heartbeat sounds might be unnecessary and more of a crutch if she's not using it already...
[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]I was googling random things about puppies & puppy care (its been long since i had a puppy and i was a child myself...) and i found some articles on it. The relaxation music for dogs comprises of really weird very 20th century sounds that apparently helps soothe dogs. However one thing is certain, when I'm h ome we will not be listening to it together because I'm not a big fan of the 20th century music and i used to have nightmares about them when i took 20th century music history course back in university. But I do leave the TV on just on an education channel because its just talking and no sudden surprises or what not. [/COLOR]

Sounds like you have a pretty great set up doing and are getting an even better one in the near future...just double check all the little things, improvement is always good! best of luck! Post pics we want to see![/COLOR]

[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]Thank you for ur tips

[/COLOR]

jennzy · 03-14-2011, 07:18 AM

OI!!! the coding got all wonky! tried to edit but it wont let me.. so let me repost my responses

I finally found a bottle that fits into one of those famous korean water bottles for dogs. Breeder only gave me the nosal and told me any water bottle will fit. but nope! So I gave her that today because I realized that she threw her kong into the water bowl twice today! lol

CHecked all her toys. Only thing that goes in her play pen is the pet stages chewing toys & a nylabone. She gets other toys under my supervision and boy does she have a ton of new toys!

As for an emergency kit, I have something known as nutri+gen which is like nutrical and the vet said it does the same job. I have bandaids and scissors & a syringe. What else do I need for the pet? Vet's number is on speed dial & there is a vet near my house that is open until midnight.

Puppy relaxation music...
I was googling random things about puppies & puppy care (its been long since i had a puppy and i was a child myself...) and i found some articles on it. The relaxation music for dogs comprises of really weird very 20th century sounds that apparently helps soothe dogs. However one thing is certain, when I'm h ome we will not be listening to it together because I'm not a big fan of the 20th century music and i used to have nightmares about them when i took 20th century music history course back in university. But I do leave the TV on just on an education channel because its just talking and no sudden surprises or what not. I guess as someone who studied music her whole life I believe in music for anything & everything! hehe!

Thank you for your advice! definately a great reminder!

concretegurl · 03-14-2011, 07:29 AM

Ye totally I love sharing what was passed on to me or what I learned myself and love when ppl do the same for me...

Might want more than one toy in there so she doesn't get board with it...I really like Kongs too because they are so durable and safe. Pet Stages Rag Rope ball is a favorite here-my dogs destroy toys and it holds up...they do shred the stuffy ropes on it pretty bad after awhile though. Make sure she isn't wearing a collar or it is a break away one.

Well I have a store bought dog emergency kit in my car from camping, and one I made myself at home; mine I made has a triple antibiotic ointment, rubbing alcohol wipes (for rubbing on foot pads in heat exposure only) hydrogen peroxide, round tip scissors, a measuring syringe for medicine,a large syringe for irrigation, karo, nutrical, eye wash, ear cleaners, the long tweezer things, sterile pads and self adhesive bandage tape/wrap, a splint, apple cider vinegar, pepto, the tablets you break open to induce vomiting, and of course extra meds for my dogs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jennzy

[COLOR="rgb(72, 61, 139)"]Thank you for ur tips

[/COLOR]

chachi · 03-14-2011, 07:50 AM

I think your pup will be fine just confine him to a small area and have food and water available to him

qnsryker · 03-14-2011, 10:12 AM

What I did for the first few weeks was put my puppy in a crate while I was at work. It was the same crate he slept in so he wouldn't potty in it. I fed him before work, played and then he went into the crate. I had attached a water bottle (hamster type) to the front so he could drink. I came home after 4 hours to feed and let him potty and play for awhile and then back into the crate for 4 more hours until I got home. I put the crate in front of the TV so he wouldn't get lonely :-) He never had one accident in the crate, because they say a dog won't generally mess where they sleep. After a couple of weeks I started putting him in an ex-pen with the water bottle attached, his bed, and some toys. This gave him more room and he didn't feel so restricted. He could also see our other dog. I didn't put a potty pad or anything in there. He has never once messed inside the ex-pen either. He is now a little over 6 months old and we have started letting him run around the lower level of the house when we aren't home because we have tile and also a doggie door. The crate training worked very well for us those first few weeks. I didn't ever want to use a potty pad since we have a doggie door and wanted him to know that he should always go outside and I thought he might get confused if I used potty pads in the pen. As long as you can let him out every 4 hours it should be okay. Good luck!

03-13-2011, 11:13 PM	#1
jennzy YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: TOronto, Canada Posts: 804	puppy alone for 4hrs advice I need your advice... I have an almost 4 months (she'll be 4 months this weeknd). Today was my first day of work since I got Coco. I got her on Friday and on saturday and on Sunday we worked on paper training and play pen training as well as her name. She did really well! Whenever she needs to pee I take her to the peeing area of play pen and she pees. She does really well in her play pen. I'll put her in there at night and when im busy doing house work & can't watch her or running errands. Her pen is approx 120cmx120cm. (she whines for a minutes then either falls asleep or plays with her toy) So this was our schedule today. wake up at 6.55am pee & poo play for 20 mins. 7:20 eat breakfast in the play pen. during that time i go and wash my face because she takes ages to eat because she needs to paw out her food. 7:35 I take her to the roof and run around for 10 mins. 7:50 we play in the room. 8am i put her in the pen and i get ready 8:10 we play for a bit and try potty. but no potty. She ususally falls asleep after our meal play and potties when she wakes up. We play again and try potty 5 mins later. no luck. she's sleepy at this point. 8:20 i turn on the TV and i give her a frozen Kong after i kiss her bye. 12:40pm I get home. To my surprise she made a huge mess of her playpen! she peed on the pee pad once and just at the edge of the pad (I have two that is about 120cm long) & somehow she threw her bed across the pen. I let her out of the pen to clean up. (big mistake on my end.) i didnt see her squat and she peed outside (next time while i clean up, i should hold on to her) then I tried feeding her lunch. But she's not interested in eating so we play (actually more like running around... i run and she follows me because she doesn't like to play up there yet...But she seems to be enjoying as long as I keep on running.) for 15 mins upstairs in the roof. I put her back in the pen and tell her to eat. She eats then we play for 10 more mins. Then I leave at 1:40pm and I get home at 4.40pm (so i left her in 2 4 hr blocks with a break.) Few steps I plan on doing I ordered more of the pannels so I can make the pen bigger to include a partial block and an entry way to the potty area so she doesn't throw anything in the potty area. I plan on sewing her bed to the bars so she can't throw it & taping or purchasing those pad holders so she doesn't move it or scrunch it up. I also plan on purchasing some puppy relaxation CD via itunes and have it play. Any other advice? I am still looking for someone check up on her in between but living in Korea, it's really difficult. p.s if you plan on writing that i am horrible and other negative comments, please keep that comment to yourself because in all honesty, no one wants to hear negative comments. Thank you __________________ <Mickey & Coco> Last edited by jennzy; 03-13-2011 at 11:15 PM.

03-14-2011, 04:43 AM	#3
manolos mom Donating YT 4000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 7,982	Sounds like you love this baby. The only advise I can give BE CONSISTENT.. __________________ Ethical Breeders follow and support http://www.ytca.org/

03-14-2011, 04:46 AM	#4
Ringo1 Ringo (1) and Lucy too! Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: On the Edge of Glory Posts: 3,447	Sounds like a pretty good schedule; she just has to learn to try and hold it for 4 hours; this may improve as she gets older. My puppy used to tear up pee pads too; it's just something they do. I think you have a pretty lucky dog myself - she gets lots and lots of attention and play. __________________ Mommy to Lucy, Ringo, and Matthew

03-14-2011, 05:01 AM	#5
jennzy YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: TOronto, Canada Posts: 804	Today after work I ran to the grocery store to look into these peepad holders and other things... I don't think I will be getting her the peepad holder because they're pretty high. I think I will just continue taping so she doesn't rip & scrunch it up. I found puppy class in Korea!!! I contacted the trainer and she said the next puppy training session will begin in May. Dog trainers are really hard to come by in Korea. The animal as pet industry is just beginning hence I'm having hard time finding a dog walker. Most you have to send your dog for 4 months and I definatly don't want to do that. There are two located in my city that offer English weekly dog training. The clicker method costs approx 800$ and its 2.5 hours per lesson and its 8 weeks (group class yikes!!!!) and a lady offers group classes for 90$ and private sessions for 65$. It's on the US Army base and since I dont have an army pass, I just have to jump through hoops every time I go in for training but it's ok! it'll totally be worth it! Until Coco is ready for private session, we will continue working on play pen, paper train & leash walking. Coco had an automatic leash scare on sunday so today i bought her an old school leash :P we will start tomorrow morning up in the roof! __________________ <Mickey & Coco>

03-14-2011, 05:12 AM	#6
ArmaniMan I ♥ Armani & Chloe Donating Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 3,895	Sounds like a normal scene to come home to after a puppy is left for the first few times. Consider washable pee pads- they are much thicker and sturdier and tend not to be dragged around and/or chewed up. Do you have a crate? Lock puppy in the crate or in a bathroom or other small room when you are cleaning the pen- for two reasons, 1. less place for puppy to make mess while you are cleaning and 2. its better if they don't see you cleaning up their messes. Otherwise, it sounds like your doing everything right. Your puppy will get used to you being gone during the day- right now it just seems like the longest time in the world to her and she is finding ways to occupy herself- she will calm down and everything will be fine __________________ Armani & Chloe

03-14-2011, 03:44 AM	#2
beader Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: wi Posts: 91	Take her outside as soon as you get home then clean up. She will have to go after she wakes up, saves you from cleaning up two times. Sounds like both of you are having fun

03-14-2011, 05:29 AM	#7
jojomima Owned by Shadow Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Medford, NJ, USA Posts: 576	She's still very young, just needs to get used to it. Lots of good advice. Just keep doing what you're doing, lots of love and patience.

03-14-2011, 06:19 AM	#9
concretegurl Between♥Suspensions Donating Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Vaissades Posts: 7,979	1.I'd be sure to always have water available to her, you are in Korea so you must know about dog water bottles they are really popular there I use one here because I have a miniature schnauzer-beard issues with wetness causing bacteria and yeast infections but foremost a pup can't knock over and make a mess with one loosing their water and wetting their area. 2.Always a potty place in her area until she is completely house broken...which you do-awesome! 3.Double check all the toys etc in her play pen are completely safe for her to have while unsupervised...of course you don't have a collar on her right? 4. Have your emergency dog first aid kit right there when you walk in the door in-case you come into an emergency-also have your vet's phone number written on it I found out myself how much you need both your dog emergency first aid kit readily available as well as the vet's number handy in a panic you don't have a second to spare searching for things. make sure you have nutrical or karo in it, along with the basics-also scissor if it doesn't come with it. 5. what's a puppy relaxation cd? I just leave my tv on but many people a radio-hearing people's voices seems soothing to them...especially a favorite radio station you listen to...she's seems old enough a ticking clock under her bed or a stuffy that makes heartbeat sounds might be unnecessary and more of a crutch if she's not using it already... Sounds like you have a pretty great set up doing and are getting an even better one in the near future...just double check all the little things, improvement is always good! best of luck! Post pics we want to see! __________________ Shan & 8 kids now!

03-14-2011, 06:52 AM	#10
JedsMom Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: ky united states Posts: 110	I think what you are doing sounds great!

03-14-2011, 07:18 AM	#12
jennzy YT 500 Club Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: TOronto, Canada Posts: 804	OI!!! the coding got all wonky! tried to edit but it wont let me.. so let me repost my responses I finally found a bottle that fits into one of those famous korean water bottles for dogs. Breeder only gave me the nosal and told me any water bottle will fit. but nope! So I gave her that today because I realized that she threw her kong into the water bowl twice today! lol CHecked all her toys. Only thing that goes in her play pen is the pet stages chewing toys & a nylabone. She gets other toys under my supervision and boy does she have a ton of new toys! As for an emergency kit, I have something known as nutri+gen which is like nutrical and the vet said it does the same job. I have bandaids and scissors & a syringe. What else do I need for the pet? Vet's number is on speed dial & there is a vet near my house that is open until midnight. Puppy relaxation music... I was googling random things about puppies & puppy care (its been long since i had a puppy and i was a child myself...) and i found some articles on it. The relaxation music for dogs comprises of really weird very 20th century sounds that apparently helps soothe dogs. However one thing is certain, when I'm h ome we will not be listening to it together because I'm not a big fan of the 20th century music and i used to have nightmares about them when i took 20th century music history course back in university. But I do leave the TV on just on an education channel because its just talking and no sudden surprises or what not. I guess as someone who studied music her whole life I believe in music for anything & everything! hehe! Thank you for your advice! definately a great reminder! __________________ <Mickey & Coco>

03-14-2011, 07:50 AM	#14
chachi I Love My Yorkies Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 37,147	I think your pup will be fine just confine him to a small area and have food and water available to him __________________ Chachi's & Jewels Mom Jewels http://www.dogster.com/?132431 Chachi http://www.dogster.com/?132427

03-14-2011, 10:12 AM	#15
qnsryker Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Henderson, NV Posts: 73	What I did for the first few weeks was put my puppy in a crate while I was at work. It was the same crate he slept in so he wouldn't potty in it. I fed him before work, played and then he went into the crate. I had attached a water bottle (hamster type) to the front so he could drink. I came home after 4 hours to feed and let him potty and play for awhile and then back into the crate for 4 more hours until I got home. I put the crate in front of the TV so he wouldn't get lonely :-) He never had one accident in the crate, because they say a dog won't generally mess where they sleep. After a couple of weeks I started putting him in an ex-pen with the water bottle attached, his bed, and some toys. This gave him more room and he didn't feel so restricted. He could also see our other dog. I didn't put a potty pad or anything in there. He has never once messed inside the ex-pen either. He is now a little over 6 months old and we have started letting him run around the lower level of the house when we aren't home because we have tile and also a doggie door. The crate training worked very well for us those first few weeks. I didn't ever want to use a potty pad since we have a doggie door and wanted him to know that he should always go outside and I thought he might get confused if I used potty pads in the pen. As long as you can let him out every 4 hours it should be okay. Good luck!