Getting a puppy

lsmith9 · 05-02-2007, 12:42 PM

My boyfriend and I are debating on whether to get a puppy when we move into our house in June.
We both really love dogs, and he has grown up with one his whole life.
We want to get a smaller breed dog such as a Maltese, ****zu, Bichon.
The problem lies in the fact that I dont work right in town. I get on a bus at 645 every morning and return at 5. My boyfriend works in town but sometimes out during the day.
We have heard that when you get a puppy they need to be let out every 2 hours for the first while? is this true?
If we provided the dog a 'puppy pad' and an area of the kitchen fenced off with her bed/toys/food would this be ok for the day or do we need to ensure that every single day we are home at lunch to let the lil one out to pee?
what are your thoughts/opinions? we are not worried about after work or weekends, and we do understand the amount of work a puppy entails we are just worried about the day stuff!
What do you think?

jennawing · 05-02-2007, 01:37 PM

One option would be adopting an older dog that is crate trained/house broken. There may even be a rescue for the breed that you are interested in.

I have very strong opinions about people taking on puppies that do not have the time to devote to them the first few months. It is a lot more than where they do their business. Puppies need socializing, taught boundaries, house broken, and given a lot of interaction and exercise in order to curb bad habits and behavior. A household where everyone works and where someone cannot be home at all times is not the best setting for a puppy.

Candycane · 05-02-2007, 06:49 PM

My fiance and I have had the same discussion numerous times. We both work full-time as well and just cannot handle a puppy. We have considered, as Jenna suggested, adopting an older, housebroken dog.

If you are set on a puppy, I think that you should look into doggy daycare or someone to look in on the pup during the day. You may also want to settle into your house before even thinking about getting a dog.

We just moved into our house in July and it was very busy!

Best of luck with your decision!

And welcome to the forum!

suzoo · 05-02-2007, 08:37 PM

It is very important for someone to be there during the day in those first 6 months or so. I wouldn't do the puppy pad training as it then becomes ingrained in their little brains & is very hard to change afterwards. (believe me.. I have a Yorkie!)
The only way around that would be Puppy Daycare.. or having a petsitter stop by your house at least twice during the day (which can get expensive).. When my dog was a puppy, I had a teenage neighbour come by to let her out in the yard to do her business & play with her to get her tired.. then return her to her crate.. she did it twice a day. That worked well because the girl was on summer vacation so it was her summer job.
If you go with a petsitter make sure you go over the training procedure really well so that you are both using the same method. You don't want someone undoing during the day all that you've taught the puppy at night.
Good Luck!

lsmith9 · 05-03-2007, 11:46 AM

Thank you for your suggestions!
We will be waiting until we are settled to look into the puppy case more. But after listening to some of your suggestions, i have started to realize that maybe getting a dog that is 7 months or older would be a good idea!
It is definately something that at this time, needs alot more thought