What do you do with your dog in the day?
 

Hi everyone!
This is my first post, so let me introduce myself. I have a 15 month old yorkie named Maddie, along with a pug and a 3 month old baby, so our house is quite chaotic. I'm a nurse, and I was working 3 night shifts a week which was good for the dogs, because that meant someone was home at all times.
However, I'm starting a new job which will be 8 hour days Monday thru Friday. I was wondering what everyone else here does with their dog during the day. Maddie is still not housetrained, but I can't leave her in her crate all day. I'll have to block off a room, but I have visions of coming home to a complete nightmare, with pee and poop everywhere and chair legs chewed up. I was thinking of litter box training her, but if we can't get her to consistently go outside, I'm not sure if we'll be able to litter box train her. Plus, I can just see her digging in the box to bury toys. We tried pee pads when we first got her, but that never worked. I've been researching dog daycare, but I doubt we can afford it for 2 dogs (plus a baby in daycare!) Any ideas? :confused:

I block off the kitchen and laundry room area with a gate. I leave everything my 9-month old pup needs with him ... toys, potty pad, bed, food, water, etc.. I leave a radio and a light on.

He has done no damage in this area at all --- but he has done some "cute things" (damage) in other parts of the house.....so, he isn't a perfect little angel by any means.

His being left in this area works very well for us.

Carol Jean

Hello and welcome to YT.
Cant give you any advice as im lucky enough to work from home just wanted to say hi.

I'm also not looking forward to blocking off a room, because our kitchen would be the best bet. And unfortunately, Maddie has taken to jumping onto my kitchen table and peeing on it. So I'd have to move all the chairs out of the room during the day, and move them back at night when we use it. Uggh.

With two dogs you really have no alternative to using the kitchen to confine them in.Just leave everything you think they will need. A kong or other chew toy to keep them occupied would be good and rotate the other toys left out. If you can, walk them or play a fast game of fetch to tire them out first. I understand about daycare for dogs being a cost issue,but maybe you know a student you can pay to take them out for a walk at some stage during the day ?A big walk in the evening will burn off some energy--will your partner help?

Home Alone
 

Hello and welcome to YT! My name is Pam and my dogs are 11 month old Fagan our Yorkie and our 8 year old Corgi Pepper. We both work and kids are at school so we put our x-pen (it's a portable pen ) up in the kitchen so that he only has a small area in the kitchen and not free roam of the whole room. It's a large enough area that I can put his crate or his bed, toys, food water and a couple of pee pads down. That has worked very well for us and keeps Fagan safe and out of mischief when we are away for long periods of time. Hope this helps. By the way...where in Mass. are you from? I'm originally from Haverhill, on the North Shore. Can't wait to see pics of your babies!!! :welcome4:

This is the same thing I do. My kitchen has ceramic tile and easy to clean and I'm able to gate it off from the rest of my house. My dogs both use pads. Somedays I DO come home to a mess, but better in there than the whole house!! They seem to do fine. They have their little beds, 1 washable rug to drag their toys to (which Scout pees on everyday, that little stinker...I think he doesn't want Pippa to get on the rug, so he makes it his own.) food, water, and a radio. It is a clean up job everyday, but it's pretty easy with a swiffer wet. I puppy proof it by putting the trash can under the sink with the baby lock on it. There really isn't anything for them to get into except their own stuff.

My husband will be able to walk the dogs at night, and probably also in the morning before he leaves for work. And when I get home, they'll get plenty of exercise outside. What I'm more concerned with is how to deal with her need to urinate. The pug can go 8 hours without peeing, but Maddie goes every hour. When we used pee pads before she would rip them up. I guess I'll have to try them again, but I was curious if anyone used a litter box and how that worked. I have a feeling that it is more difficult to litter box train than train to go outside.

Some people have talked about holders for the pee pads. I have never used them, but apparently they have them in the pet stores.

I would do the x pen in the kitchen, it will keep them from chewing anything they aren't supposed to like table and chair legs, and walls etc.

Welcome to YT. This is a good place to ask qurestions. There is alwyas someone who has been through whatever it is you might have questions about.

You might try washable potty pads to get her used to them then see if you can switch to disposable.

Hi and welcome to YT!!

Ours played with the pee pads when they were puppies. They don't do that anymore. You might give it another try since your baby is older now. :)

Kim

We've always crated our dogs so I don't have much advice in that department, but I'd like to welcome you to YT, it's an awesome forum!! Can't wait to hear more from you!

My two stay in the laundry room which is blocked off by a baby gate. They both did fine this last year which I was away from the house for about 8 hrs a day M-Fri. Now my job allows me to work from home 3 days a week and I just love it. This breed is very high energy but again they do love there naps.

Pick a nice safe place and allow for fresh food and water. I found being away from the home for 8 hrs it was hard to crate train a puppy. So instead the Wee-Wee pads thank goodness worked out great and they both are now trained.

Best of luck and welcome to YorkieTalk. ;-)

We tried blocking off our kithchen with a gate. She seemed okay, but would not always poop and pee on her pad. We gradually started letting her have the living room, dining room, and hall next. She seemed content with this and used her pad. She did not destroy anything. Recently, we had to confine her due to a broken leg. She had to stay in an xpen. When I came home, I could hear her barlking and crying out on the street. When she has free run of the living room etc., we always end :) up waking her up when we get home. We decided that she handles the freedom better and does not get as nervous. We figure she sleeps all day as a defense mechanism. Anyway, she is the best puppy I have ever had. She can be trusted and is not destructive. I guess you just have to use trial and error.

I'm home with Reuger most of the time (I'm a stay at home Mom), but when we have to leave for a lengthy amount of time I leave him outside with the garage door open just a little. I know that everyone can't do that, but we live in the country and have our own private lane that is quite a ways from the road. I can chain him up in the yard, but he gets tangled and then he doesn't have much room to move. We have a fenced in yard, but he can escape through the holes. I should have named him Houdini!! If I'm only going to be gone 2-3 hours I'll leave him in his crate. When we leave him outside he's usually in the garage or on the porch when we get home. I know that not everyone will agree with this, but this is what works for us.

What I did with Deegan when my boyfriend and I are not home is to leave him in the laundry room with his crate open at one end, along with his food and some toys. And then I place newspapers on the opposite end of the room. Immediately he new to go potty on the newspapers and hasn't really made much of a mess at all while he's been in there. I was careful not to leave anything in his reach that he might decide to chew or destroy.

And about a month ago (he was 11 months) we started to leave him out to have the run of the house while we were gone, for short periods of time. We worked it up to almost half the day. When I would come home for lunch I would take him out of the laundry room. That went well for a few weeks, until I came home one day and noticed that he chewed the cord to our ShopVac. (Mind you, it wasn't plugged in - thank goodness.) I don't know why he regressed. He's never destroyed anything before. He had been doing so well. So we went back to keeping him in the laundry room and we will try again in a while. Maybe it was my fault for wanting to leave him out alone when he's still quite young.

But I wouldn't worry too much about leaving him in a secure and safe environment while you are at work. Let us know what happens! Good luck!
:wavey:

It did not go well today :(
Today was my first day of work, and when I got home it was a complete mess. I'm afraid we may have to get rid of her, which makes me feel absolutetly sick. There was pee and poop all over the place, and she did rip up the pee pad. I just don't know if I can handle this for 6 months (which is the length of time that I'll be training for my new job). I just got home from work, I need to study for work, but instead I'm on my hands and knees for 10 minutes trying to scrub the floor. With a new baby, it is just so stressful trying to take care of a dog that is nowhere near housetrained. She is the 6th dog I've owned, and I've never had a problem before. I just want to cry, because I don't want to get rid of my baby girl. But maybe another family can give her more attention than I can. I'll have to talk to my husband when he gets home tonight.

Hi-

I crated my furbabies in our bathroom and not an actual crate to get them piddle pad trained. It took about 2 months for each one ( I have 3) until they were trained to go on the piddle pad and if they had an accident my bathroom had tiled floors and cleaning up was real easy. Plus my bathroom had a bigger area and I just didn't want to put them in a crate - I know there is absolutely nothing wrong with crating them I just didn't care for it. If you can contain them to an area of the house this is tiled and babygate them in, that would be the ideal situation - it was for me. Hope something works out for you. :)

I work from home as well, But welcome to YT :) Look fwd to seeing some pics :)

I know this does not relate to the post, but please tell me where you got that blue fairy dress. I cant believe how cute it is

I use the 1/2 bathroom as "Sissy's room" at night and when I'm not home. I'm fortunate to be at home a lot due to my occupations (yoga/pilates instructor) where my outside classes are early morning and late afternoon and I teach in my small home studio the rest of the time. She has her bed, food/water and toys in the bathroom and there is a night light also. We began using this room the day she came home. I do keep a wee-wee pad in the room, but she has not soiled in the room day or night for a few months now, and only soiled before if I wasn't prompt at letting her out of the room and outside immediately upon waking. She seems to like her space and doesn't whine or anything. Good luck.

Bailey goes to work with me everyday, I'm lucky!

I think you mean Pippa's. And I got it at Hobby Lobby. It's a teddy bear costume. She's pretty tiny so it fits just right!

they stay at home and play and tuggle & toss on the floor and watch the disney channel!

I am home with my two during the day.

Hi and welcome to yorkietalk! Me and my hubby both work 8 hours a day and we leave our girls home a few days a week! We always go home at lunch to play with them and our lunches are at different times so we are home with them in the middle of the day for a total of 2 hours! Our schedule works out great. We just keep them in our bedroom when we are gone but alot of people will either crate them or put them in the kitchen!

I read your thread and it breaks my hearto to think that you might give up on your little girl after one day. I know that it is difficult, not to mention having a baby too. But try it a bit longer. One day isn't going to teach her anything. By chance did you contain her in a room at all? If it's that bad you can alway try keeping her in her crate for the first little while, and then slowly introduce her to a contained area. Please, try it some more. She will get better. :cry:

Welcome! I am fairly new here, too. I have Rocco who is about 6-7 yr old (he is adopted) and Bella who is 10 weeks. I am struggling myself on leaving them alone during the day. Before Bella, Rocco might leave us a 'present' in my entry way. I am lucky as it's tile. Now, I have Bella, whose kennel is 22x30, in it from about 10am to 2pm, when my hubby gets home. Her kennel is up in our walk-in closet. I also have to kennel Bella when my 5 month old granddaughter comes over. I wish I could use my kitchen, but I have no doorways.

I am having a problem with her chewing my bathroom cabinet & floorboards when I am getting ready for work in the mornings. A coworker told me to try lemon juice first on the areas she chews, or I can buy bitter apple at Petsmart. Anyone have ideas?

Good luck with your babies and starting your new job! :p

Give it another shot!
 

I know it's tough but give it a little longer and try a different method. Crate her. That way, it'll teach her to hold and train her bladder muscle. Come home during lunch time if you could. Or have a neighbor/friend come over during the day so she can stretch and relieve herself.

Have you tried the washable pee pad? They won't be able to shred it.

I'm pretty lucky as my mom takes mine to work with her.