Need help raising 2nd pup
by D'Arcy
ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
We are going to look at Maltese puppies this weekend. We are thinking about getting a 2nd one. Our current one, Bijou, is a year old. He was crate-trained and did wonderful! I was able to come home at lunch every day and let him out so he was only in his crate 4 hours at a time. By 6 months of age, he didn't need the crate anymore and he now has the entire kitchen to himself while we are at work. However, with the 2nd one, I won't be able to come home at lunch. That would mean 9 hours in a crate. That seems horribly cruel to me. Am I right? If I do use the crate, should I put it in the kitchen with Bijou or should I keep them in separate rooms? Should I put the puppy (w/out the crate) in the kitchen w/Bijou and accept whatever messes there might be? If the puppy makes messes in the kitchen will Bijou decide he can, too, and not wait until he goes outside? Help! I have lots of quandries about raising the 2nd one. Any advice would be grealty appreciated!
DISCUSSION:
Leaving any dog or puppy in a crate for 9 hours while working is cruel and inhumane. Add another 8 hours of the puppy being confined in the crate while you're sleeping is 17 hours total in a 24 hour period! If this is how the new puppy would be treated, even temporarily while housebreaking, I would be very hesitant about getting another one if I were you. Maltese don't like to be caged for that long.
Bev
9 hours alone, either in a crate or confined to a small room, is definitely too long for any puppy! Then, crated again at nite? It is also dangerous to leave a new puppy with the established alpha male! Not a good idea unless someone is home with the new puppy for the first few months and basic training & pecking order has been established.
BeeGee
I have to agree with Bev. Put yourself in the puppy's place. With all that energy, would you want to be cooped up for all those hours, even if you had toys and things to chew? I think if you do get another puppy, you should, if possible, take a little time off from work to get the puppy adjusted to its new surroundings, new sibling and start housetraining. I know a lot of people keep their puppies in crates for hours and hours and seem to think the dog is fine, but I cant see having a dog if all it does is lay in a crate all day. Do you have a relative or friend that would be willing to come over midday and let the puppy out of the crate for a short time to relieve itself and stretch its legs? I know, its a hard decision, but there are solutions. Good luck :)
Sandy, Puff & Trevor
I have to echo these sentiments here - too many negatives involved with this situation. Time off from work would help in the settling in, but what about afterwards? As you know it takes a while for a pup to adjust and I don't think this is a great situation for a pup. Have you thought about a cat?
Leslie R
Three weeks ago I adopted Grace, an 11-week old female Maltese, who is now at home with her 18-month old Maltese brother, Andy. I took two weeks off from work to bond and enjoy. Because I am gone from home eleven hours each day, I hired the girl across the street (12-years old) to come in every day after school (about 2:30) since I adopted Andy at 14-months old to walk him. She now walks both Grace and Andy. However, I knew that this would not be enough for Grace so I called my vet and got references for pet sitting services. I now have a wonderful woman who comes in every morning at 10:00, feeds Grace and then walks both Grace and Andy. Grace stays in the kitchen, in a crate (with the door open) surrounded by a puppy pen. She never soils her crate and very rarely her puppy pen area. This may all seem like overkill but I want her to have as much freedom as possible. My kitchen now looks like Doggie Day Care, my house is entrusted to others, and the expense is a bit higher than I planned on, but I figure the sacrifices made now will pay off tremendously in the long run. Plan ahead and good luck.
Mary
Hi. I have to agree with the others. I really think you should put off bringing your puppy home until you can spend at least a week with him/her. Crate training works great but you have to BE THERE to let the dog out at regular intervals. Most crate training aides will tell you so many hours for the dogs age etc. I don't have a guide here in front of me but I know that 9 hours is completely out of the question and may leave you with an angry confused puppy who pees and poops in his crate (because he has to all day). If you can't take time off work then find people to come into your home. With the proper resources you can make this work, but it will involve a huge commitment of both time and money. Good luck with whatever you decicde.
Robin MC
You could try a free standing ex pen in your kitchen. The bed at one end and the scented puppy puddler pad at the other, food and water in the middle etc. It would allow him to socialize with your adult dog through the bars, get some exercise, and also to paper train at the same time. Someone will have to feed him or make sure he has eaten at least once in the middle of the 9 hour period you are away, to prevent hypoglycemia. I have used this set up exactly when there is a puppy left from a litter that hasn't gone home yet, however I am home during the day. Perhaps you could try this first on the weekend when you are home. My other adult malts do not start messing inside. Good luck.---KathyD
KathyD
Thanks, everybody, for your opinions and for confirming my fears. We have worked out a good plan, I think. I've hired a friend who works near my home to come by every day at lunch to play and feed the puppy (and his older brother). My husband has taken off the first 1/2 of this week to be w/the puppy and my stepsister will take the 2nd half of the week. I'm also going to look into a puppy pen (w/the cage inside) so the puppy will have more room to run around.
We got a new little one on Saturday, 2/13, and both boys seem to be getting along very well. As soon as I saw them, I knew I couldn't resist so we put our plan together ASAP. Now I can rest easy at work, knowing both of my boys are surrounded by loving caretakers. Thanks again!
D'Arcy
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