dog care during the day

[ricky]

Hi,
We have a 4-month old mini schnauzer puppy. He is such a joy to be around. I have been home for a month now taking care of him. But I am going back to work next month and my husband works as well. We are essentially going to be gone from 9am - 6:30pm.

One of us is going to come home in the middle of the day to take him out. We walk him 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the evening. He doesn't have high energy and doesn't bark. I am constantly worried that he will be lonely once I start working. Do we need to hire a dog walker to walk him in the middle of the day? Is it necessary to send him to doggy day care? We rather not because it is so expensive.

Thank you for any advice!

[Sarah]

Doggy Day care would be great for socialization, but hey if it's that expensive, then don't. Do you have a Kennel [aka crate], if so I would leave him in the crate while you are at work. put something that is old and yours in there to comfort him in your absense, and maybe a toy. If one of you are going to come home and let him out, there should be no reason for you to have a dog walker. walking him 45 minutes twice a day is enough. However, if you a dog walker is not that expensive, and it would be easier on you and your husband, then have a dog walker come in.

[MaryAnn]

How long will you be gone at any one time? A puppy needs to be watched constantly just like a small child. An 8-week old puppy can hold on for one to hours before he needs to relieve himself. By three months, that period of control should extend to two to three hours - - as a general rule, an hour of control is added for every month of a puppy's age. Exercise, excitement, feeding, or waking from a nap reduces this period. Bear in mind that your puppy needs to go an average of eight times a day. If you happen to leave food out all day long, he will need to go more. Be sure he has access to plenty of fresh cool water.

Give him tough chew toys to keep him occupied and an interactive toy filled with a few treats that he has to work at to get. A Kong filled with peanut butter the night before and placed in the freezer will keep your dog entertained.

Playing a CD, for example titled "Through a Dog's Ear" will keep him relaxed through out the day. If your schnauzer is a barker (as a lot of this breed are), keep your blinds and/or curtains drawn if there is a lot of activity in your neighborhood. Be sure he has a cozy bed or kennel he can retreat to.

Be sure to "Puppy Proof" the areas your dog will have access to when you are gone.....secure wires and cords, cover outlets, etc.... Close certain doors you don't want the puppy to have access to when you're gone.

A "Doggy DayCare" is wonderful if it is run and/or operated by qualified and trained personnel who are experts in dog training. Your dog will have playmates for socialization skills, can potty any time he needs to, lots of activites to keep him occupied, as well as have qualified personnel keeping a watchful eye on your puppy all the time. My Miniature Schnauzer who is currently a little over two years old has been attending a Doggy DayCare since she was a little over one year of age. I will take her a couple of days a week as she enjoys "playing with her friends". Our DayCare is run by a Certified Dog Trainer and has a Vet in the building. They separate the small dogs from the big dogs. They have a large clean indoor area for each and a larger area for outdoors. Packages are available where you can purchase a set amount of hours at a discount.

Two long walks a day are great, but what about the socialization and obedience part of dog ownership? At a DayCare that is run professionally, a dog will learn what behavior is and is not acceptable.

My opinion and the opinion of a lot of professional dog trainers are against leaving a dog all day in a crate. If you isolate a dog in a crate for a large portion of the day while you are at work, he will literally go crazy when you come home in the evening and let him out. What would you do if you were shut in a small cage for eight hours?

Crate training exploits the fact that dogs are clean animals and do not like to sleep where they have soiled. It therefore enchances bladder control by encouraging a puppy to wait until he is out of the crate to relieve himself. A dog's confinement to a crate for 8-9 hours will make him so frustrated that when they are eventually released from the crate at the end of the day, the dog/puppy turns into a tornado of fury with aggression directed towards a member of the family. That is the WRONG USE OF A CRATE.

Remember a small puppy has limited bladder control. If you leave him in a crate too long, you will be forcing him to soil his bed and that is unkind.

[Sarah]

Dogs in the wild live in dens, and since domesticated dogs ancestry comes from the wild dog aka wolf the instincts of going into a den lives within the dod. The crate can also be viewed as a den to the dog. It is somewhere where the dog can go and feel safe and secure, while alone.

[ricky]

Thank you very much for the information. My puppy will be 4 months when I go back to work. So My husband or a dog walker is going to come home in the middle of the day to feed him and take him out for a break.

He sleeps throughout the night in his crate and loves it. So what we plan to do is to fence him in the kitchen area with his crate during the day until he is completely house trained. This way, he can go into the crate if he wants to or he can play in the kitchen area. He has tons of toys and treats. He doesn't bark at all, which is strange for a mini schnauzer. We are also seriously thinking about sending him to doggy day care about 2-3 times a week. Hopefully he doesn't pick up barking from other dogs.

We live in a dog-friendly building. Every time we go out for walks, we always say hi to other dogs along the way. He is pretty socialized for his age. Of course, attending doggy day care will be even better in terms of socialization.

[MaryAnn]

SARAH....I understand all that. However, what I am opposed to is locking a dog in a crate all day. Leaving the crate door open during the day is terrific, as this allows the dog during the day to have a safe and secure place to retreat to if he so chooses.

RICKY.... You are very welcome. What you have planned for your little schnauzer when you return back to work sounds like a wonderful, well-thought out plan. He will have access to run and play, as well as access to his open crate.

My little schnauzer gal also sleeps in her crate at night and also loves it. You mentioned either your husband or a dog walker will come in at noon and feed your little guy. I assume that is because he is only 4 months. When he is 6 months of age you will only need to feed him twice a day.....once in the morning and once later in the day toward the end of the afternoon. Dogs have amazing body clocks. They know to within a minute when it is dinnertime. My little gal will stop playing or whatever she is doing at the same time every afternoon and go and politely sit and wait on the area rug facing the kitchen...waiting for her evening meal. I swear she learned to tell time.

Regarding "picking up barking from other dogs at a daycare"...I don't think you need to worry. At a DayCare that is run professionally, a dog will learn what behavior is and is not acceptable. And constant barking is not acceptable behavior. The Daycare (if is is anything like ours here) will require the dog be assessed first to see if it is a good match, and then require a Vet check and negative Fecal test.

Schnauzers have no problem meeting big or little dogs, do they? My 15 pound gal loves to play with her 65 pound Golden Retriever friend. They are both Therapy Dogs and attend together. The residents love seeing the two of them walking side-by-side.

Interactive toys that hold and dispense treats are a great source of entertainment for dogs. Remember however, not to feed so many treats that he refuses to eat his regular food. Treats should only be 5-10% of his daily food allowance. Kibble works great in those interactive toys, again just be sure it is part of his daily intake.