[Lucy Ross]

This summer my family went to a young cousins birthday party and met their cute, sleepy little puppy. We had been looking for a dog, but hadn't found any my mom thought were "cute enough". This one met the marks, apparently. Lo and behold, after texting the previous owners of Millie(their puppy), there were two siblings left. We ended up coming home that night with a lovely, if nervous Luna Mae. The cats weren't particularly pleased with our new family member.

Two months have passed and training is going well, much better, in fact, than her sisters training at my cousins house. They are having potty problems, but that's a different story. Luna knows sit, stay, lay, waits for food, tells us when she needs to potty, and knows where to go(mulch in the corner of our yard). And we have only gone to the first puppy class last Thursday! We are learning 'come' at the moment. We have her in the crate at night and when we are gone, which she doesn't enjoy yet, but doesn't have accidents in there and doesn't try to escape.

She was spayed on Monday, and we have had to put her on sedatives to keep her from ripping her stitches while playing. They don't work all that great, but somehow her incision is still healing well. She hasn't tried to lick it at all, so we have not had to put her cone to use yet.

Her breed? A Springer, Britney, pointer mix. Luna is a very high energy puppy.

I have been caring for her mostly, with a little help from my siblings and dad(my mom is busy with our current foster baby). But school starts up tomorrow, and both my parents work. My grandma will probably come up for a few days to watch the baby, but it will leave soon, and she will go back home, which is awhile away. I've tested some things out, and I think Luna can stand being in her crate while I'm at school, but I'm not sure.

If I wake up at 6:30, change and eat breakfast, feed her, etc, then I can take her for a walk from 7-7:30. I did that this morning, and when the sedatives kicked in as well as the work from the walk(and the fact that she doesn't usually get up till 9), she was asleep on the couch again. I have to leave for school at 7:45, it ends at 2:30 and I can be home before 3. We went to the fair last night, and were gone from 3 till 10, but a friend came over at about 7 and let her outside to potty. My mom works 3 days a week, and from home the other days, so she could let her out to potty every once in awhile, but couldn't keep her out.

Is it reasonable that shes in the kennel for about 6-7 hours while we are out during the day? I don't really know what other choice we have, but any tips or tricks for this would be great!

 

[Littlefox]

Perhaps you could set up a puppy pen in the bathroom where she has access to her kennel (open door) to sleep in, and if you don't want to use puppy pads you could put some mulch in a large tray (kitty-litter-box or similar) for her to use to relieve herself, a water dish and a few safe dog toys.

Looks like your school is close to your home, would it be possible for you to do a quick visit during lunch break on the days where no one is home?

 

[Lucy Ross]

We cant leave during lunch unless we have a PSEO pass (which I don't):/
Checked with my mom about setting up a spot in our bathroom, she isn't convinced the dog will need to go potty during that time. She's not much of an animal person. Do you think she would sleep most of the time we aren't home? My mother seems set on crating her all 7ish hours. I'm not one to argue unless it would cause her medical problems though...

 

[Littlefox]

I would not crate a puppy for such a long time (I am talking about those plastic kennels, if you have a large metal crate which you can set up like a puppy den, then that's a different story)! Puppies will need to drink to stay hydrated, so it will also need to be able to void. Keeping him/her thirsty is cruel and dangerous.

Puppies also need to have companionship, or you could be setting yourself up for all kinds of behavioral problems down the road.

If you could set up someone to check in on the pup and let him/her out for a pee-break then you could do the crating for a work day. You could ask your vet if they know of someone who provides that service.

When you get home you will have to make sure to provide him/her with a lot of physical activity as well as mental stimulation. While you do your homework you could offer his/her food in a Kong (wet the kibble, fill it in the Kong and pop it in the freezer). It will provide some mental stimulation and fill the time while you are busy. Play search games where you hide treats in the yard or around the room for the puppy to find.

You could also look into puppy day cares, at least for the days where no one is home, which would be awesome for his mental, emotional and physical health, being able to interact with other dogs.

 

[Lucy Ross]

Oh, she is in one of the big metal ones! We currently have a divider in it so it isn't too big, but I could take that out. The only problem with putting water in her kennel is that she tips over each and every bowl when we aren't watching her(we had to get a feeder with a weight on the bottom so she wouldn't tip it)

When we are home shes always out and with people, because we have a big family and a big fenced yard, and most of the neighbors have their own well behaved dogs that they bring over to play with her. I don't think there has been a week we have had her that she hasn't played with more than 2 dogs. We have the Kong and play other games with her too. So she's not without exercise and socialization.

I could look into one of the neighbors checking in on her... I do still have a day or two to figure out, because my mom can let her out a couple times tomorrow, shes at home. Thanks so much for your help so far by the way!

 

[DogFaming]

Spending that long in a kennel is too long. I know some may not agree, but really, who would be okay sitting locked up in a small place for that long day after day? It's not reasonable.

Don't let the crate be a crutch for extended periods of time. You need to explore other options that allow her to move around and get exercise as well as bathroom breaks in an area that she also doesn't have to sleep and live in.

I assume you want to be the best pet parent for your dog that you can be? An ideal situation for a dog is having a family that does everything they can to make sure the dog has the best life they can have.

 

[Littlefox]

Oh, she is in one of the big metal ones! We currently have a divider in it so it isn't too big, but I could take that out. The only problem with putting water in her kennel is that she tips over each and every bowl when we aren't watching her(we had to get a feeder with a weight on the bottom so she wouldn't tip it)

When we are home shes always out and with people, because we have a big family and a big fenced yard, and most of the neighbors have their own well behaved dogs that they bring over to play with her. I don't think there has been a week we have had her that she hasn't played with more than 2 dogs. We have the Kong and play other games with her too. So she's not without exercise and socialization.

I could look into one of the neighbors checking in on her... I do still have a day or two to figure out, because my mom can let her out a couple times tomorrow, shes at home. Thanks so much for your help so far by the way!

That will be fine if your mom and neighbour can let her out a couple of times during the days she is crated. Ideally those long periods of having her crated is kept to a minimum, and it is commendable that you are looking for guidance in this!

 

[Lucy Ross]

Spending that long in a kennel is too long. I know some may not agree, but really, who would be okay sitting locked up in a small place for that long day after day? It's not reasonable.

Don't let the crate be a crutch for extended periods of time. You need to explore other options that allow her to move around and get exercise as well as bathroom breaks in an area that she also doesn't have to sleep and live in.

I assume you want to be the best pet parent for your dog that you can be? An ideal situation for a dog is having a family that does everything they can to make sure the dog has the best life they can have.

If you have ideas for other ways I could keep her happy while I am out, I'd love to hear them. Of course I want to be the best I can for her, but people have lives outside their dogs that have to be worked around. There's nothing I can do about that. Thanks for any help

 

[DogFaming]

If you have ideas for other ways I could keep her happy while I am out, I'd love to hear them. Of course I want to be the best I can for her, but people have lives outside their dogs that have to be worked around. There's nothing I can do about that. Thanks for any help

Yes, we do have things that take us away from home, and it will happen throughout your dog's life, that's why it's important to come up with a better solution than a crate for all those times that you're gone.

If the weather is nice, can't she be in the backyard?

I don't know the size of your dog, but if she's small then possibly on bad weather days, a puppy play pen area that has more room. Someone already suggested a bathroom which should give more space. An unfinished basement area if something exists? I don't know what type of area you have other than a big yard. A big yard would be great as long as the weather is okay.

You're on here asking for advice, which is great to reach out like that. You do a lot when you're home with the puppy, which is fantastic, but the day time matters too. Yes, there are dogs that live with being in a crate for hours while their family is away, but just because it happens doesn't mean it's a good thing for the dog.

It may be an unusual comparison, but you know how kids have advocates that represent their best interests in court? Assign yourself as your puppy's advocate and make yourself responsible for what's in her best interests. If you see it that way, maybe you'll see a little wiggle room with different options.

Good luck

 

[Lucy Ross]

I would like to start out that I'm not here for an argument, I simply wanted to see if there were any better options that would work for my family and dog. Our backyard doesn't work because she has scaled the fence more than once, and we live next to a fairly busy road. Same goes for pens, she simply climbs over them. She has even broken our doggy gate. We cant use a leash and attach it to the ground because she tears it out, and our soil is actually just clay.
Bathrooms don't work because she has already tried to chew through, get this, one of the toilet pipe/line/things. And she can open the toilet lid, which we could fix, but its unnecessary due to the other problem. They aren't safe.
Her "crate" is actually a large dog kennel, and she is only 23 pounds at the moment.
Plenty of room to stretch out.
The sun is still out for about 5 hours after I return, and she gets plenty of exercise with my young brothers, our littler foster kids, and the neighbor kids that come to play in our yard. Shes knocked out by bedtime.
I've been to a few court sessions for our fosters, and their advocate is always more concerned for their well being than how pleased they are with what is happening. Wiggle room isn't an option when I am making decisions that could affect my pups safety.
Anyway, no need to worry anytime soon. My grandma is coming to keep an eye on her so she can be out during the day. I've found my solution

 

[Teaswizzler]

A suggestion in relation to the water bowl; I found a large plastic feed dish like they have in bird cages but a bit stronger and bigger that clipped to the wire on the side of a crate. I put it low enough for the dog to drink from when they were in the crate, which in our case was to sleep. No issues with water bowls being tipped over. I think it was meant for a Guinea pig or similar,; found it at a pet shop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Littlefox]

I would like to start out that I'm not here for an argument, I simply wanted to see if there were any better options that would work for my family and dog. Our backyard doesn't work because she has scaled the fence more than once, and we live next to a fairly busy road. Same goes for pens, she simply climbs over them. She has even broken our doggy gate. We cant use a leash and attach it to the ground because she tears it out, and our soil is actually just clay.
Bathrooms don't work because she has already tried to chew through, get this, one of the toilet pipe/line/things. And she can open the toilet lid, which we could fix, but its unnecessary due to the other problem. They aren't safe.
Her "crate" is actually a large dog kennel, and she is only 23 pounds at the moment.
Plenty of room to stretch out.
The sun is still out for about 5 hours after I return, and she gets plenty of exercise with my young brothers, our littler foster kids, and the neighbor kids that come to play in our yard. Shes knocked out by bedtime.
I've been to a few court sessions for our fosters, and their advocate is always more concerned for their well being than how pleased they are with what is happening. Wiggle room isn't an option when I am making decisions that could affect my pups safety.
Anyway, no need to worry anytime soon. My grandma is coming to keep an eye on her so she can be out during the day. I've found my solution

That's wonderful that your grandma will bridge some time until the pup has matured a bit more. There is a lot to consider when your family is also fostering, and human babies' well-being is always getting first seat!!! I love the fact that you are looking for the best set-up possible for everyone :thumbsup:

There is a lot on your mom's plate running a household with so many balls to juggle, including work. I can appreciate her situation, however the pup needs that extra attention, especially now while he is still so young! Anyways, your grandma is the knight in shining armour ...grandma to the rescue, haha She deserves some extra love from you too :huddle: Will you let us know how things are progressing/working out?

 

[Lucy Ross]

A suggestion in relation to the water bowl; I found a large plastic feed dish like they have in bird cages but a bit stronger and bigger that clipped to the wire on the side of a crate. I put it low enough for the dog to drink from when they were in the crate, which in our case was to sleep. No issues with water bowls being tipped over. I think it was meant for a Guinea pig or similar,; found it at a pet shop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ohhh that's a great idea! Will definitely check it out, thanks )

 

[Lucy Ross]

That's wonderful that your grandma will bridge some time until the pup has matured a bit more. There is a lot to consider when your family is also fostering, and human babies' well-being is always getting first seat!!! I love the fact that you are looking for the best set-up possible for everyone :thumbsup:

There is a lot on your mom's plate running a household with so many balls to juggle, including work. I can appreciate her situation, however the pup needs that extra attention, especially now while he is still so young! Anyways, your grandma is the knight in shining armour ...grandma to the rescue, haha She deserves some extra love from you too :huddle: Will you let us know how things are progressing/working out?

I will!! I think my grandma actually enjoys being out of her house. The pup sends her back to her doberman Lexi, and she was talking about how much she misses her Apparently Luna is a bit more mischievous when I'm not watching her thoughonder: Again, thanks for all the advice so far! Joining this forum has given me help for for training and keeping Luna happy.