Calling all Dog Experts and Trainers :-)

[2cool4you]

So after much research and an opportunity that fell into my lap I am now the proud owner of a Catahoula Leopard Dog. Well ok not yet, in 3 weeks he gets to come home with me. I had been wanting a dog and researched this one because I wanted to do agility with him and Catahoula's are good for that. Breeders were hard to find and most in my area didn't have any litters and then I found one who had just had 9 puppies. Of course people were ahead of for picking the one I wanted. So I knew which one I wanted but I had to wait and see. Today the breeder called me and said he's mine, no one else chose him so if I wanted him he was mine.

So I went out and snuggled his pudgy little body and enjoyed that sweet puppy breath. And then put down a deposit on him.

He comes home with me on Sept 4th so I have until then to prepare an area for him. I'm setting up a crate for him but seeing as I do work and will be gone for 9 hours a day at least I've decided to enroll him in puppy daycare 2 times a week at least. I don't want him locked in a crate all day when he's that young and plus with housebreaking him I want to be able to keep him from soiling the floor so I thought about setting up an area with waterproof flooring and putting his bedding on one side and then puppy pads on the other side so he can define where he should go potty. Would this be an acceptable alternative or will it confuse him and make house breaking harder?

Also I'm going to enroll him in puppy obedience classes as soon as his shots are all up to date. I want to start off as a good role model for my pup and make him into an awesome dog.


Any suggestions are welcome.
Thanks

 

[arabianequine]

Awww he sure is pudgy isn't he....but so cute. I love all the white.

Not sure what to suggest maybe he can be babysat by a friend or family?

It would be pretty spendy to keep in puppy daycare all day everyday you work. Not sure what to offer to you...I heard the pads were not a good idea. Is there a safe fenced area outside he can be kept in. I have a crate but I can take the bottom out and have it sit on the ground. I would keep it in another fenced area though just in case. Not sure of your options....I can do that cause I live in the middle of nowhere.....you may worry about him getting stolen. Maybe you can hire someone to potty him once each day you work maybe it is cheaper then having him in daycare all day. Maybe you can potty him on your lunch break if you can in time to be back to work. Can a family member or friend take him potty while you are at work once each day?

Good luck!

 

[mom2jedi]

AWWWW! He's so cute! I have a Catahoula! Not many people know what kind he is, especially out here in San Diego. Most people think he's an Australian Shepherd. I absolutely love him. I've been told he's very laid back for a leopard dog. He's now 7 and is just fabulous with my kids and all the other animals around here. In fact, he grew up with my 7yo dd and had two cats that taught him his manners early on. The last year he's been introduced to all the other critters in the house and aside from sniffing them to find out what the new smell is, pretty much ignores them.

As for leaving him all day, that's harder for me to give suggestions on. I'm a SAHM so he's used to someone being around most of the time. We did crate train him when he was a puppy. He went to the dog park (after getting all his shots) to get socialized. He's the only dog I've owned so sorry I'm not more help! Make sure you post new pictures when he comes home though!

 

[justbugged]

Congratulations. You have a great start. Anyone that puts in the time to research the breeds of dog, and finally decides based on breed traits and their own needs and personality, will get the dog of their lifetime, out all that hard work. You have made very impressive choice. Way to go!!

 

[savingdogs]

Nine hours a day is a long stretch for a puppy to be alone. Do you have the ability to come home at lunch?

The ideal would NOT be leaving the dog inside to learn to potty inside. It would be much better to have an outdoor sheltered or protected area where the dog could choose to be protected or outside. Knowing more about your housing situation would be helpful in answering your question. In the city, someone could steal him or in the country someone could EAT him. But some areas would be just fine.

If an outdoor area cannot be arranged, can you arrange for a friend to help you keep this puppy happy during your work day for a couple of months? Someone who is home during the day? Until a puppy is four months old it is very hard to keep it from going potty whereever it stays for any length of time. After four months you can expect it to get some of the skills down. However they begin to have lots of energy and need playtime as they get a little older.

I am not fond of puppy pads for training. More often I see puppies chew them up. If you MUST lock a puppy indoors for a length of time, I would prefer to use a waterproof area, cover it in newspapers and create a "bed" area, a food area and a poop/play area. But cover the entire area with newspapers. I knew someone who did this in a kitchen however and came home to stripped cabinets, so beware, nine hours is a lot of time to get in trouble and too long to crate a puppy.

Doggy daycare is a great idea but dogs need consistency as a puppy and your pup needs its vaccines finished before it can go to doggy daycare, which isn't until they are four or five months old. Or perhaps a neighbor teen can be found to come at mid-day and walk and entertain the pup for awhile, pick up the soiled papers, and or let it play with their young dog for a few hours. But I think you need to find helpers. If they are around their own excrement too much they become hard to potty train.

I like the breed you have chosen, the one I knew was a good dog and had a great temperament so I am fondly disposed towards the breed you chose. I help re-home dogs is my experience with dogs. Hope my perspective helps.

 

[2cool4you]

I work from home one day a week so that just leaves 2 days with doggy daycare and 2 days at home alone. The puppy obedience classes require that they have the first set of DHLPP shots (given at 6 weeks or older), plus 10 days for the puppy's shots to start taking effect, before you can come to a training class. The same applies to my doggy daycare I scouted out except they ask he have the Bordetella shot too. So I can get his shots for doggy daycare. He will be 8 weeks when I pick him up.

I don't want to leave him outside because I worry he might get stolen. My neighborhood isn't the most trust worthy and besides I would worry constantly while at work that he might find a place to get out. As far as I know my yard is secure but puppies are good at finding ways out.

I have a pen that I used for my rabbit that is 4 feet by 3 feet and the sides are about 18inches tall. Then I have a metal exercise pen that goes around it that is 36" tall. So I was thinking about setting him up in that. The cage is waterproof so if he had accidents then they would easily be cleaned up. I had another thought about taking a low under the bed storage container and filling it with dirt and sawdust and putting that in his pen with him so that maybe he would use that as a sort of litter box. I have one that would fit exactly in one half of the pen I have. I used it to train my rabbit to use a litter box. That would get him used to associating dirt with going potty and thereby negate puppy pads.

Unfortunately I can't run home from work as I couldn't get home and back in the hour I have and none of my friends live close enough. His first week home though I'm taking off so we can spend time together and get used to everything before he's left on his own.

As for exercise I plan on a good long walk in the morning and one at night so he doesn't get too bored. As a puppy he won't walk very far at first but I want to try to get us up to 30 min in the morning and 30 in the evening. I walk that anyway everyday for exercise but having him along will make it fun for both of us. And on doggy daycare days he will get a 30 min exercise play time every day.

I'm so excited and can't wait to bring my pudgy boy home. 3 weeks is going to be forever. lol

 

[sheila3935]

dogs are pack animals they need company be it from humans or other animals. Leaving him alone alot is not a good option. Personally I could not afford daycare but if you can that may be a good option, maybe a dog sitter would be less expensive. Not sure as I have never used one. I have 4 dogs and work full time, but I have a fenced in yard and dog door that they can go outside as needed. My last dog Ren, I didnt even potty train. He just followed the others out the dog door to do his business.

 

[2cool4you]

Oh he won't be completely alone. I have 3 cats and a rabbit that thinks he's a cat in the house. Once they cats get used to him they will be all over him. So it's not like he will be in isolation.

 

[savingdogs]

That nine-hour stretch locked up somewhere with a few non-dog friends is the part that worries me about your situation. A pup won't know how to interact with your cat and I would not leave your pup with a rabbit unattended. I am afraid they won't be any real company at first although someday they may be great friends. Leaving the radio/tv on can help, but your pup is going to be really bored and get into trouble, escape from pen, etc.

If you use the dirt pan idea it might work, but the dog may not understand the plan for awhile. I'd buy tons and tons of chewies and interactive dog toys that are safe for dogs without supervision. I'd leave the TV on and NOT have those cats or rabbit left unattended with your new dog. Remember to always have more than one barrier if you want to keep this pup away from something (trash, nice furniture, other pets, etc) because he may breach one barrier in your absence. Expect to come home to some destruction and if there isn't much, you have a very good puppy. Personally I'd try to pay for daily doggie daycare because the damage to your home could be greater than the cost of doggy daycare. I volunteer for dogs being rehomed so I have heard stories of destruction that are truly incredible. Linoleum ripped up, holes in walls, couches unstuffed and blinds torn down and I already mentioned the stripped kitchen cabinets, and some of those dogs were left in crates but escaped. This is why I GOT those dogs, they did something really bad and made someone really mad to the point of not wanting them anymore. And they were just normal dogs, just young and active and bored.....pretty much what you are setting up. I'm not being mean, I'm being a friend warning you. I talk to people about preventing this stuff. A puppy that age needs to be kept busy for a couple of months and your plan just doesn't have anything for the dog to do.

Why don't you find a teenager who might like to dog sit? Your pup will be adorable, I'm sure a high school kid would love the job of entertaining a puppy for a little summer money. In a few months your dog will have a longer attention span and your plan of long morning and evening walks will work better. But a young pup's cycle of wake, potty, eat, play, sleep, wake, potty, eat, play sleep etc is very short whereas in a few months it will be stretched out and he will be able to tolerate longer absences better and just potty once or twice in the corner in your dirt pan it has come to understand, instead of having to "go" six times while you are gone and having it all over himself by the time you get there and not even caring anymore where it poops because it is always by it. If you call the local veterinarian office they often know of young people who do this kind of thing for pay so you might start there. Since there will be times you want to go on vacations it would be good to establish a relationship with this kind of person in any event, if you truly have no dog friendly friends. Having someone you pay puts you more in control in any event. But if you could either drop the dog off at their house or have them come in once daily, that would be the ticket. Or outright doggie daycare, but wait until the vaccines for your dog are in full effect for that (ask your vet for when this is in its vaccine schedule). One vaccine will not protect your dog from parvo, it would only mean it catches a lighter case. The doggy daycare may allow this but that doesn't mean it is a good choice for your pup. Parvo can REALLY ruin your day.

If someone could come in mid-day, pick up the papers, walk the dog outside and let it romp and play until exhausted ONCE in the middle of your absence, things should work much better with a pup that is still such a babe. Those are my best suggestions for you from the standpoint of someone who has taken care of more than 300 thrown-away dogs.

 

[savingdogs]

PS....not implying you would ever throw one away, just explaining where I got my dog experience. Sorry if I come off a little hard-boiled, but prevention is really the best way to go.