Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13
  1. #1
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Williamsburg, Virginia
    Posts
    2,610
    Thanked: 2964

    A schedule for working puppy parents

    When we got Kimber, DH was in between contracts and was able to devote himself full time to being a stay-at-home pup daddy. If we get a puppy now/near future, DH will be working. He telecommutes so he'd be home, but obviously he would have to be able to concentrate on work. For those of you who work, what is/was the general time table for your working days?
    Stormageddon, Princess of Darkness, aka "Stormy"
    Birthday 9-13-18, Gotcha Day 11-11-18
    Hidden Content

    Miss Kimber, CGC, 6/15/2005-1/27/2018 forever in our hearts



  2. #2
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    3,947
    Thanked: 2421
    Typically I get up early and hang out with the dogs or take them swimming depending on weather, needs, etc. I don't leave until 8:45-9am. Dog walker 12-1pm. I'm home by 4:30-5pm. Do dog/house stuff. Then I work from about 8 or 9pm to 11pm (at home) while the dogs chew something or sleep.

  3. #3
    Senior Dog SamsonsMom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    NE Ohio
    Posts
    1,605
    Thanked: 1334
    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    Typically I get up early and hang out with the dogs or take them swimming depending on weather, needs, etc. I don't leave until 8:45-9am. Dog walker 12-1pm. I'm home by 4:30-5pm. Do dog/house stuff. Then I work from about 8 or 9pm to 11pm (at home) while the dogs chew something or sleep.
    That sounds familiar.

    So me - I get up early to hang out with the boys - up at 0445. I leave for work at 0845 and I'm home by 5:30-6pm. Feed the boys, kitties, outside breaks, etc when I get home. We go on our walks in the morning. I work 1.5 -2 hours at night from home. The boys are typically on each side of me on sectional. On Friday I get to leave work early.

    I had a pet sitter for 4 years. It was not positive for Asher. He would get too worked up. So, right before his surgery 14 or so weeks ago, I let her go. I have seen a significant improvement in Asher and his behavior. He no longer eats his crate bed. He's more relaxed and calm when I get home. He doesn't even bark when I pull in anymore. Such an improvement in him. And for Samson, he seems more relaxed too. I've also had no more emergency vet visits because one of them ate something or other. Don't get me wrong, she was a wonderful pet sitter. It was too rushed for Asher and he just didn't do well with that mid day break. Asher getting worked up caused Samson to get worked up. The deciding factor in letting her go for me is when she called me frantic at work because she couldn't get Asher back in the house. He was ripping apart her football she let them play with. Funny now not so funny back then. I was very worried about them being alone all day but believe it or not, I think it's best for them based on the overall improvement I have seen in their behavior.

  4. #4
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    3,947
    Thanked: 2421
    Quote Originally Posted by SamsonsMom View Post
    That sounds familiar.

    So me - I get up early to hang out with the boys - up at 0445. I leave for work at 0845 and I'm home by 5:30-6pm. Feed the boys, kitties, outside breaks, etc when I get home. We go on our walks in the morning. I work 1.5 -2 hours at night from home. The boys are typically on each side of me on sectional. On Friday I get to leave work early. I had a pet sitter for 4 years. It was not positive for Asher. He would get too worked up. So, right before his surgery 14 or so weeks ago, I let her go. I have seen a significant improvement in Asher and his behavior. He no longer eats his crate bed. He's more relaxed and calm when I get home. He doesn't even bark when I pull in anymore. Such an improvement in him. And for Samson, he seems more relaxed too. I've also had no more emergency vet visits because one of them ate something or other. Don't get me wrong, she was a wonderful pet sitter. It was too rushed for Asher and he just didn't do well with that mid day break. Asher getting worked up caused Samson to get worked up. The deciding factor in letting her go for me is when she called me frantic at work because she couldn't get Asher back in the house. He was ripping apart her football she let them play with. Funny now not so funny back then. I was very worried about them being alone all day but believe it or not, I think it's best for them based on the overall improvement I have seen in their behavior.
    I wonder if that was her, like her personality and how it affected them, because in nearly 20 years of having various dog walkers, I find the opposite to be true. Interesting!

  5. #5
    Senior Dog MightyThor's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Bend, Oregon
    Posts
    2,024
    Thanked: 3035
    Telecommuting is both a blessing and a curse. It’s so nice to be home to give the puppy crate breaks and play time, but you have to be careful to make sure the pup doesn’t expect you to be available 24/7.

    We’ve raised both of our pups while working from home and it’s been very important to stick to a schedule and let the puppy cry himself out in another room, out of sight. I want my dogs to know how to be comfortable alone so I have a crate on the opposite side of the house from my office. I also listen carefully - if he’s crying or whining I ignore him, I’ll even skip making coffee to stay out of his line of sight! As soon as he’s quiet I’ll go into the room and give him attention, even if it means adjusting the pee schedule.
    Mighty Thor, "So Much Dog", born 1/6/2014
    And baby Barley, born 3/9/2018

    Hidden Content

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to MightyThor For This Useful Post:

    barry581 (08-18-2018)

  7. #6
    Senior Dog SamsonsMom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2016
    Location
    NE Ohio
    Posts
    1,605
    Thanked: 1334
    Quote Originally Posted by Labradorks View Post
    I wonder if that was her, like her personality and how it affected them, because in nearly 20 years of having various dog walkers, I find the opposite to be true. Interesting!
    Yes, totally believe it was her personality. She was as happy and animated to see them as they were her. It was just too much for young boy Asher. He just couldn't turn the excitement off when she left so the rest of the day he became destructive (eating his bed) and was still hyped up when I'd get home (barking when I pull in). It's so nice now to have two relaxed boys when I get home. Asher is content with just laying on my lap to let me know how happy is he to see me.

  8. #7
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Colorado
    Posts
    2,598
    Thanked: 2588
    I can do work from home but not all the time. Dave's store is in transition and the new one isn't built yet, so he's home alot. It helped for the puppies. We have one of the lab pups still until the 27th, and then the 30th I'll be home with the griff pup.

    At 8 weeks or so, the pup is fully able to be in a pen from about 6:30 to 1:30 with a pee pad in there, and then I typically come home to feed lunch. With my work, I can still do it and keep one eye on the puppy as she interacts with the older dogs or let them be in the back yard. Pup gets some afternoon pen time again when it's dinner time for big dogs and us. Pup is playing from after 6 until about 8. Crate time from 8 to 5AM. Then it's play time from 5am to 6:30.

    We'll see how things shake out with Dave's work and my flexibility as we go in to the time with the griff puppy. I do still have over 2 weeks vacation time at work, so they usually don't complain about me working shorter days right now. They are too worried I'd want all the holidays off in December! LOL

  9. The Following User Says Thank You to JenC For This Useful Post:

    kimbersmom (08-18-2018)

  10. #8
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Carolina in my mind..
    Posts
    6,391
    Thanked: 4178
    I would think the first few weeks will be the most challenging if you're bringing home an 8 or 9 week old puppy that is not yet housebroken. You and your husband can come up with a schedule to try at first, knowing it will evolve quickly as the puppy grows. The puppy might need a break from the crate every hour and 1/2 at first. Once she's house trained, he can stretch out the time between potty breaks as her bladder capacity grows with the rest of her. If your husband tends to work through and not take a formal lunch break, hooray for him! Now he'd have a reason to step away from the computer and spend some time with the pup before diving in again for the afternoon! If you get a slightly older puppy or dog that is already housetrained, or nearly so, taking only a mid-day lunch break might come sooner.

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to smartrock For This Useful Post:

    kimbersmom (08-18-2018)

  12. #9
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Eastern Ontario Canada
    Posts
    3,336
    Thanked: 2070
    Quote Originally Posted by SamsonsMom View Post
    Yes, totally believe it was her personality. She was as happy and animated to see them as they were her. It was just too much for young boy Asher. He just couldn't turn the excitement off when she left so the rest of the day he became destructive (eating his bed) and was still hyped up when I'd get home (barking when I pull in). It's so nice now to have two relaxed boys when I get home. Asher is content with just laying on my lap to let me know how happy is he to see me.
    Very interesting side conversation. My dog walker had major issues with Penny who loved her and would repeatedly launch at her. I can see how that would be annoying. but at the same time - she is a dog walker and her boss is a trainer so...i mean your job is to figure this shit out :P She was a very lovely woman and possibly too bubbly.
    However, the issues didn'T translate into other issues like you.

    I agree for Asher it was probably too short a stay.

  13. #10
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Eastern Ontario Canada
    Posts
    3,336
    Thanked: 2070
    The first few weeks one visit a day may not be enough for house training (meaning some pups may not be able to hold it) depending how long you are gone (ex: 6hrs VS 9hrs). I know people who set up an x-pen, crate witin the xpen and a potty area. more litterbox style not pads for the times they had to leave and they may have an accidents.

  14. The Following User Says Thank You to Tanya For This Useful Post:

    Beth C (08-21-2018)

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •