Working and Leaving BC Pup

[baileychristine0514]

Hi all. This is my first post, as my husband and I have adopted an almost 8 week old BC/Aussie mix just this past weekend, which my son has named Dougie. So Dougie came home on a Saturday, and we began kennel training that evening, strictly for nights. Then Monday came, and my husband and myself work work full time. So that day, we kenneled him from 8:20am until about 12:30pm, when we have hired help to come play. Help left about an hour later, and Dougie was again kenneled from about 1:30pm until I arrived home shortly after 4pm. I was not confident or feeling really good in our choice to crate Dougie all day, in addition to the night crate training. It just seemed like it was too much time in the crate. So we decided to get a baby gate to confine him to the kitchen, and moved his kennel in this space as well. I also hoped that this change would foster a more positive relationship with the kennel, so he has more time to really explore it at his own pace, so his only experience with it is not just being shut in it at night. We still have the help coming for stimulation and interaction.

 

My main question is, for you working families, how long did it take for your pup to feel comfortable being alone while you were at work? And am I doing the right thing by shutting him in the kitchen versus kenneling all day?? Dougie howls and cries for long periods of time, both at night and during the day, which I get is normal. But  I think my biggest fear is that perhaps by leaving him alone so much, he will develop separation anxiety. But then other forums I have read seem to indicate that many BC owners work full time and their pups do not have separation anxiety issues. I just want little Dougie to be happy and well adjusted to the home,  and hopefully quickly. I understand he is still so so young, but I feel so stressed myself about all the decisions I am making, and if they are right or not! 

[AlexandZucchini]

You got this! That is a similar schedule to what I did with Zucchini. She came home at 8 weeks and spent two 4-hour shifts in her crate pretty much from Day 1. She had a hard time holding it for the full 4 hours for the first few weeks so I enlisted friends' help to let her out after 3 hours and shifted my lunch hour but thereafter she was in the crate in 2 4-hour shifts until I started trusting her loose in the house around 6 months of age. She was totally fine and has no separation anxiety issues (she's almost 3 years old now). Puppies sleep 18-22 hours a day anyway. If he's got plenty of stimulation in the time that he is out and you are home, he'll be fine. Tired dogs are good dogs, but over-tired puppies are destructive stressed-out wild tornadoes. Do you give him a chew toy or something else fun to do that he only gets when he's crated?

[baileychristine0514]

17 minutes ago, AlexandZucchini said:

Do you give him a chew toy or something else fun to do that he only gets when he's crated?

I do. He has a handful of toys, though nothing for strictly work hours. I have heard a stuffed Kong for only during work hours is great for them, something to look forward to and that will keep them busy. Although Dougie does not seem food motivated so far!

[Merrill Anne Jordan]

On 3/19/2019 at 5:34 PM, AlexandZucchini said:

Puppies sleep 18-22 hours a day anyway. If he's got plenty of stimulation in the time that he is out and you are home, he'll be fine. Tired dogs are good dogs, but over-tired puppies are destructive stressed-out wild tornadoes.

What Alex said. It was quite the learning process I’ve had with my Quinn over the past 8 months (he’ll be 9 months this coming week). I brought him home from the shelter (as a foster) at 6.5 weeks. But the routine you’re keeping sounds like what I did with Q and it’s also worked out well for us and no separation anxiety. I usually leave the house around 9:30 and return around 4. At around 6 months he started to get left out of his crate day and night and he’s almost always got some sort of stimulating toy around or chew treat. This will vary from dog to dog, timeline-wise though, so don’t feel like he needs to be out of his crate by six months. 

I’ve found that for indoor time, especially for Quinn, something not only to chew, but also to keep his mind engaged (like a puzzle or treat ball for example) has been really helpful. Of course, we would play and train too. But, most importantly, keep in mind exactly what was said above. A tired puppy is a good puppy, but an overtired and overstimulated puppy is a tornado of destruction. 

The crate time will seem like a lot at first. But Quinn actually loves his crate and enjoys the safety of it from time to time. I also gave him a PB stuffed Kong each time he went in which I’m sure helped  but we’ve not been doing that since he’s out of the crate most of the time. 

Finally, I encourage you to read/scroll through the posts on here. They’ve really helped me in so many ways from encouraging me that I’m not the only one dealing with certain behaviors, to helping me understand what is actually going on in a situation or that something is completely natural puppy behavior, and what I can do to help alleviate or redirect something. 

You got this!