Re: Puppy By himself

In Reply to: Puppy By himself
Posted by:  Don
Posted on:  December 28, 2001 at 13:05:30

: Hello, I must first say this is a wonderful site. I have found much needed info here.

: My situation is: We, my fiance and I have a new puppy. Our work scheduels were perfect for him until she was laied off! (and right before Christmas!) Now we will both be working from 8 to 5. Our puppy is only 9 weeks old. I am not going to crate him for 8 hours a day, and I know he will go potty inside if I leave him olone all day. I feel very bad about this, but we can not live on one of us working. I think he would be easily papper trained as he is so smart, but just the fact that he will be alone for that long scares me! I love this dog so much! I don't want to tramatize him. Any Ideas? I did look through the FAQ's for info on this. I found nothing this specific.

: Thanks for any help you can provide. As I said before, I have used this site well. He is crate trained, mostly potty trained, and he even will sit, stay, and lay down at 9 weeks old! I credit this to you and all my love. He responds so well to both myself and my fiance.

: Don

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Hi Don,

Thanks for the compliments about the JRTCA site.

I can understand your dilemma but you will be happy to know that there are many happy, obedient JRTs out there that have to be at home all day without someone there.

The owners of these happy well-adjusted dogs have made the commitment to make it work. Many will gate off a room to give their dog more area than just the crate, but will also leave the crate opened in that room so their terrier can go in and out of it at will. They provide their dogs with some safe but stimulating toys to relieve some of the boredom of the day. Many will leave on a radio so the dog has the sound of a human voice to keep it company until their owner gets home. Many know that a good foundation in obedience will go miles to keep their dog well-rounded and out of trouble. Many also make sure that once they are home that they devote time to their terrier by taking it out and giving it the exercise and companionship this breed craves. Some look into doggy day-care for at least one or two days out of the week so their terrier has a day or two of total fun all day long.

You will need to put your pup on a potty schedule designed for people that are working. Please do yourself a favor and buy/order the book "How to Housebreak Your Dog in 7 Days" by Shirlee Kalstone. This is a paperback book that is less than 70 pages, and is less than $7 and is a goldmine of solid, common-sense tips to housebreak a pup and even a mature dog. She even has schedules for all sorts of ages and whether someone is home all day or gone all day. If you follow her instructions and don't do a lot of "improvising" you will end up with a housebroken dog. I can't guarantee her claims of 7 days because I don't think Shirlee ever dealt with a JRT lol!! This is the best book out there devoted strictly to this subject. I am providing a link to our book page, you can find it there.

Good luck with your pup. I am sure you will find a way to make this work!