hello.. we want to get a dog into our family... my hubby/ son 12years old and myself.. living in bangalore. being the only child my son desires to have a pet for a sibling!!!.. anyways.. my problem is that we live in an apartment block..3BHK.. fairly large but by 9:00a.m we leave for work and school so there is a time lag of 31/2 -4 hours before my maid comes home. the worry is that what will happen during those hours when the dog is alone. My hubby feels that it may feel abandoned and suppose he wants to do potty during that time its not fair to the animal... please help me find a solution to this as that is the only hitch. We all adore dogs and want to get one... K
Hi, Firstly congrats on wanting to get a puppy! Initially it can be quite a bit of work but the joys of having a dog overcome them . (I got a Golden Retriever puppy about 5 months ago). Bear with me...I got quite a lengthly reply. Usually puppies are sold when they are 8 weeks old, so they are really babies then. I would suggest that initially there be someone at home for at least a few days with puppy. While at home, allow the puppy to get used to being alone...like step out for a few minutes then slowly increasing to maybe a hour or so. That way puppy will know that you'll come back even if you leave the house. Then you can leave the puppy alone for a few hours at home. Get him/her some nice puppy toys to be occupied with. Alternate toys every 2 days or so to avoid being bored. This was what my hubby and I did when we got our puppy as we are both working. Now he stays at home for about 5 hrs alone during our workdays. Potty training - really important as puppies learn quicky and then maybe difficult to teach them to 'unlearn' the not-good habbits. Check out on 'crate training' in the internet, there are heaps of articles to teach you on this. Puppies go toilet frequently (after every nap, after play, after meals and just every 2 hrs or so) so teaching them to go to the right place will save you heaps on cleaning! I used to watch out for pre-toilet behaviour (turning in circles & sniffing) and immediately bring my puppy to his toilet area. But, there were accidents at home as well. It was a frustrating period but eventually he learnt to do it at the right place. Since you're in an apartment, not sure which area you would pick to be his toilet area. Some use the laundry / utilitis, lining a small area with newspaper. As they grow their bladder control will improve and eventually may only require to go once or twice a day. I guess the important thing would be for all at home to be consistent with regards to potty training. Hope this was useful. Keep us updated on your puppy news ok!
