Leaving puppy to go to work :-(.

RoyeBeth · #1 4th January 2009, 09:18 AM

I'm so anxious about leaving Molly to go back to work. I work two days a week, Monday and Wednesday, which is much better than working full time like I was when Jake was a pup. We firsts tried putting her in the kitchen with a baby gate when we had to go out for a little while. She immediately climbed over the gate!!! She was 10 weeks old and just climbed right out. None of my other dogs have every done that.

So my husband "built up" the gate and put another section on top, it was slick so she couldn't get a good hold on anything. But, the first day I had to go to work after my hubby and I being home with her for a week, I was standing behind a wall to see what she would do and she tried to jump over the baby gate, over and over and over again. She was panting and panting. It broke my heart. I left for work reluctantly. Fortunately my husband came home about an hour and half later to be with her for the rest of the day. He said she was still panting.

The next day I stayed home and took Wednesday off for the end of the holiday. I have to go back to work tomorrow and Wednesday. I don't know what to do.

Our Plan B is to put her in our bathroom, it's a very large room, we put her in there for about an hour when we went shopping. She was fine even though she had spilled the water and the floor was a mess. But I'm frightened to leave her for 8 to 10 hours which is how long I'll be gone. She absolutely hates being alone and will cry, howl, yip without stop when she's confined even if she can see us. She's tenacious and smart and I don't know what to do.

Plus I know her yelping will stress out my male boxer who will also be in the house but unable to get to the bathroom.

ehayes21 · #2 4th January 2009, 09:25 AM

8 to 10 hours is too long for a young pup to be alone in any room...what I might suggest is put her in the bathroom and hire a dog walker/pet sitter to come in a few times a day on the days you have to leave her that long. She'll be much happier and your bathroom will thank you!

**gmacleod** · #3 4th January 2009, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RoyeBeth

Plus I know her yelping will stress out my male boxer who will also be in the house but unable to get to the bathroom.

Is it not possible to gate her in the same room as your other dog? Both in the kitchen, for example. Her stress is due to being left alone/segregated from the rest of the family. If she's shut in a room with another dog, she's far less likely to get significantly upset by it.

RoyeBeth · #4 4th January 2009, 09:37 AM

Thank you for your suggestions, I know 8 to 10 hours is too long, I'm going to try to get off earlier, my boss is very understanding.

And gating her with my male boxer may be an option but the problems there are, she climbs over the gates!! I'm just amazed by that. My male boxer, Jake, doesn't climb out but she does. And then there is the worries that when they will be left along together that Jake will accidentally hurt her when playing. I've had to break them up a few times when I thought it was getting too rough. sigh I'm a nervous wreak worrying over this.

TwoDogs · #5 5th January 2009, 10:10 AM

Could you put her in a crate in the same room that your older dog is gated in. That way, she is safely contained and, because he is gated, he will be near enough to provide comfort. I too agree that 8-10 hours is too long for a pup her age and you should look into having someone come in half way through the day.

RoyeBeth · #6 5th January 2009, 05:23 PM

Thank you for all your suggestions. We put her in the bathroom, as I mentioned it's very large, and my husband double gated her, one on top of the other so she couldn't climb out. She could also see Jake if/when he went into the room, which I'm sure he did.

I was so concerned I asked my Boss if I could work half days until we find other arrangements and I got home around 2:00 p.m. He wasn't real happy but understanding, I certainly hope I haven't jeopardized my job. My husband actually was home until 11:00 a.m, so she was alone for 3 hours, longest we've ever left her.

Wednesday I'll work from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., takes about 30 minutes to get home so she'll be alone for about 5 hours. I still hate leaving her but don't know what else to do. She's a climber and jumper, she was trying to jump up on the bathroom sink counter, I just can't believe her tenacity.

Rahabswindow · #7 9th January 2009, 05:48 AM

We have a poodle-spitz mix, known as a "spoodle" in our house(about 15lbs tops) and a three month old brindle boxer, Zeke, and they love playing together. When I head out to work it's about 6 hours before my wife comes home. We three play hard in the morning, excercise, eat (not in that order) and then they play while I get ready for work. When I leave Zeke gets in his crate in the den while Junior (the spoodle) has free reign in that room since he's house broken and Zeke isn't puddle proof just yet. They seem to get along well that way and when I come early/unexpected they appear just as happy with each other and the situation as they do when we're home.

WAT · #8 21st January 2009, 12:39 PM

I am going to 2nd TwoDogs suggestion, I think that a crate in the same area with your older boy would be your best bet. I would be afraid to leave a puppy in any room for a long period of time. You never know what they can get into like: cabinets, toilets, etc. And I know this from experience