What to do during the day?

I have a 4 month old beagle that has to stay home during the day by himself.
I tried leaving him inside in a crate when he was very young but he couldn't
wait the 4 hours I was gone (I would come home at lunch to let him out) and
he would pee in his crate. So I build a kennel in my back yard (my back yard
is the size of a large porch.... so not much room). I came home the other
day to a note on the fence saying that he was barking all day. So I moved
the kennel into the garage and put down some wood shavings because now I
have to be gone for 8 hours at a time and he could never make it...... The
wood shavings even though I tried to keep them clean just stunk up the
garage, so now I am using newspaper which isn't really working either.....

So my question is .... what do people who work do with their puppies during
the day? I need a low cost solution which won't destroy the house or
irritate my neighbors.

Kristy

doggie day care? or find a neighbor that likes dogs to exercise your pup? or
take him to work with you? maybe you could try a litter box? It's not easy
having a puppy and having to leave him for that long a time. I'd hate to
have to make these decisions myself.
good luck
"Kristy Smith" wrote in message
...
I have a 4 month old beagle that has to stay home during the day by
himself.
I tried leaving him inside in a crate when he was very young but he
couldn't
wait the 4 hours I was gone (I would come home at lunch to let him out)
and
he would pee in his crate. So I build a kennel in my back yard (my back
yard
is the size of a large porch.... so not much room). I came home the other
day to a note on the fence saying that he was barking all day. So I moved
the kennel into the garage and put down some wood shavings because now I
have to be gone for 8 hours at a time and he could never make it...... The
wood shavings even though I tried to keep them clean just stunk up the
garage, so now I am using newspaper which isn't really working either.....

So my question is .... what do people who work do with their puppies
during
the day? I need a low cost solution which won't destroy the house or
irritate my neighbors.

Kristy

On Thu, 9 Oct 2003 17:39:05 -0700 Kristy Smith whittled these words:

So my question is .... what do people who work do with their puppies during
the day? I need a low cost solution which won't destroy the house or
irritate my neighbors.

What you are experiencing is one of the reasons why 63% of puppies end up
losing their homes within the first two years. It is difficult to provide
for the needs of a puppy when you are gone all day.

Puppies in the wild are
some predator's lunch meat when left alone so their instinct tells them
they are in danger. They need to stay close to the den for safety (that's
where the pack sleeps). This feeling of danger makes the pup anxious and
calling out for the presence of its pack members.

In your situation one solution is to have somone come and let the pup out
to releive itself. From now until the puppy is six months old that should
be twice a day e.g. 11 am and 2 pm. After that once a day is OK. When
the puppy is older it will likely be less anxious (assuming anxiety has
not become a habit) and thus able to wait more quietly for longer.
Keeping the puppy indoors will make it feel more secure than outdoors.

Leave a radio or TV on, give the pup a kong or something to keep him
occupied. http://www.dog-play.com/toys.html

Make sure the puppy gets plenty of physical and mental exercise every day.
Fifteen minutes of hard play in the morning - fetch, tug etc, followed by
a 15 to 30 minute walk and finally five minutes of obedience will help.

Diane Blackman