Caring for a puppy while working full-time is a challenging experience, but it can be done. With the right tips and training, you can make sure that your puppy stays safe, happy and healthy during the day when you’re at work. The following information can help you out with raising your puppy as a full-time employee.
When to Leave Puppies Alone
At what age is it alright for you to leave your puppy at home when you’ll be out all day? This depends on different factors, such as how old your puppy is and whether or not your puppy has any health issues or concerns. In general, you can leave a healthy puppy home alone when they are over 10 weeks old. However, this doesn’t mean letting puppies roam free around your home.
Before your puppy reaches this age, you can start crate training. This helps ensure that your puppy will be ready to handle being in a crate while you’re at work. Staying in a crate helps reduce the risk of accidents and also keeps your puppy safe and secure when no one is around.
Keeping your puppy in a crate is a temporary solution. Puppies that are a few months old or more might not handle being in a crate for several hours at a time. At this age, puppies are keen on being able to explore their surroundings. Having your puppy in a crate all day can lead to behavioral problems due to boredom or frustration so it would be best to consider other options. For example, stop home for your lunch break if possible to let your puppy out for awhile or have a pet sitter come by during the day while you’re gone.
Providing Companionship for Puppies
Puppies are social animals so they don’t respond well to being alone for long periods of time. Having a pet sitter or someone you know, such as a friend or neighbour, spend time with your puppy when you’re working is a great way to lower the risk of boredom or separation anxiety. If possible, have someone stop by every couple of hours while you’re gone if your puppy is younger. As your puppy gets used to being left alone, you can have these visits occur less often during the day.
Creating Puppy-Safe Surroundings
How can you make sure that your puppy stays safe when you work full-time? If you’ll be leaving your puppy in a crate, make sure that it’s big enough. Your puppy should be able to turn around comfortably and have space for lying down without being crowded. Make sure the door on the crate is securely closed before you leave.
If your puppy is older and has been house trained, you might be able to set up a gated area when you leave. This gives your puppy more room to move around and space to explore. Make sure that no dangerous items are around, such as cords that your puppy could chew on.
A Happy Puppy at Home
One of the most effective ways to help your puppy adjust to you being gone is by maintaining a happy home environment. This means spending quality time with your puppy when you’re home. Puppies are highly social when they’re younger and prefer spending time with their family rather than playing on their own. When you get home from work and when you’re home on the weekend, make sure that you have plenty of playtime with your puppy.
When you won’t be home, leaving your puppy with a few safe dog toys might help prevent boredom from setting in. Don’t leave your puppy with toys that can easily be chewed or torn apart, since these could be dangerous. Instead, leave your puppy with sturdy toys to chew on, or consider using puzzle toys. These toys require puppies to figure out how to get to treats that are stuffed or hidden inside them.
Getting House Training Help
Going through house training is among the biggest challenges that pet owners face when they work full-time. You can’t expect your puppy to do well with house training if you start it off while you’re away all day. Instead, consider starting this training on a weekend. This allows you to work with and watch your puppy on a constant basis as needed.
When you work on house training, make sure that you reward and praise your puppy for eliminating in the right area. Don’t punish your puppy for accidents, since this can lead to nervousness. Keep in mind that crate training can make house training less stressful when you work full-time. Puppies are less likely to eliminate where they sleep, which means they have a lower chance of having an accident. Just remember that they do need to be able to eliminate often during the day when they’re younger, so make arrangements to have someone help you out with this.
What to Know About Separation Anxiety
Separation anxiety can develop when puppies are left alone, especially for long periods of time. Puppies with this problem can eliminate indoors, bark excessively and exhibit other behavioral issues. Having someone stop by to see your puppy every few hours or more often while you work can help prevent this from happening.
Don’t forget to look after your own well-being while raising your puppy and working. Having other people around to help you out is one of the best ways to ease stress during this time. Unwinding by playing with your puppy after a long day at work can also help you relax while making your bond stronger.
Raising a happy puppy when you’re busy at work may be a challenge. At Knose, we know how important it is to create a safe environment for your pets. Subscribe and get regular helpful tips on how to take care of your dogs so they can live their best life.
