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Posted by sstorkel on February 28, 2003 at 19:34:10:
Brought home a new puppy (a 9-week old male Lab/Dalmation mix, tentatively named Ruckus) a couple of days ago and am looking for advice on how to handle the time when he is home alone. Like many people, I have a job that requires me to work at least 8-hours a day outside the house. My shedule is somewhat flexible, though. I'm typically out of the house from 9 or 10am until noon, and then again from 1-2pm until 6-7pm.
Currently, I have the dog confined to a small, relatively puppy-proof bedroom during the day. He doesn't seem to mind being alone too much, but he hates being confined. I have a crate for a large adult dog that I've put him in a couple of times and he makes a huge fuss (whining, crying, barking continuously) when confined to it.
Things I'm currently wondering about:
1) How do I go about housebreaking him, given the amount of time I'm gone every day? I noticed that he had a tendency to piddle in the same spot when left alone, so I've been putting newspaper down. He now seems to understand that he should go on the paper. At the moment, he's got about an 80% "hit ratio". Half the time when he misses, he's within a few inches of the paper. Unfortunately, I can't seem to convince him that he should go outside (I've tried putting down newspaper; he's more interested in sniffing every blade of grass or gets bored and sits down) and I'm unable to predict when he'll need to go (sometimes he seems to be able to hold it for hours, other times he'll go 1-2 minutes after eating or drinking).
2) I'm wondering how to keep him occupied during the day. He has toys to play with, but I get the feeling that he's a bit bored. He's started shredding the newspaper I put down, gets very rambunctious when I return home, and has taken an interest in trying to pul items off the bed or out of bookshelves. Don't think there's any way he can hurt himself, or destroy anything important, but I'd still like to minimize the amount of damage to the house!
Anyone have any advice? What do other people do with their young puppies while they're away at work? I've wanted to avoid isolating him in his crate, since he doesn't seem to like it and I've read that a puppy his age shouldn't be left in a crate for more than a couple of hours.
Thanks in advance for your help!