what to do with a new puppy when i go to work?

[BULLBLASTER]

i am getting a gsp puppy soon and am wondering what to do with him when i go to work?
a crate? outside?

thanks

[jackelope]

i crate trained mine, but if you are talking a new pup, he shouldn't be left all day in a crate. he'll have to pee and poo at some point before 8-10 hours later when you get home. i was in a position to go home at lunch to let him out, walk him, etc.
suppose you could leave him outside, but that opens up a whole other potential can of worms with winter weather and stuff.
 

[BULLBLASTER]

its too far to go home and let him out at lunchtime.

[jackelope]

well...................i have a friend that has a doggie door into his garage. the dog stays in the garage and goes out when needed. i would still be concerned with a young pup. he'd figure it out in due time...you might have to puppy proof your garage a bit and expect to be cleaning up puppy poo for a while...but it might do. maybe section off a part of the garage so he doesn't have access to the whole thing.
other than that, not sure. you'd need to figure something out. IMO it's not fair to leave a dog crated all day every day. thats a miserable life for a dog.

[BULLBLASTER]

the garage is a pretty good idea, is the garage warm enough for a puppy, and could i just leave the man door open a bit for him to go outside?

[jackelope]

i think you need to decide what the right thing for you to do is.
you might look at cutting a hole in the man door to put a doggie door into it. you can buy the kits at the big pet chain stores i know for sure, or online.

[jackelope]

look at this:

http://www.ronhazelton.com/howto/dog_door_installation.htm

[Ridgerunner]

we put ours in the garage in a wire pen we got at petco, put some paper down so they have a target to go if they have to go, then you don't have to worry abotu them.  Thorw their bed and some water down and they'll be fine.  

[Ridgerunner]

Oh the wire pen is collapsable so it can be taken down or put up within a minute.  Works really slick.

[coop2424]

The accidents will happen not matter what you do at the beginning but I strongly recommend crate training the dog at some time.  Once they get older the crate will be a place of comfort and if you need to use one for travel or basic needs they will feel comfortable in the situation.  I have two dogs that I crate trained and they are now in their crates more than anywhere else.  I do not lock the crates but that is just where they go.  I would just get a habit of putting the crate where ever you have the puppy for the day with their bed inside it.

[bobcat]

I got my GSP in the month of December (11 years ago) and he was only 6 weeks old. When I went to work I barricaded him in the kitchen with a couple of baby gates, and of course had to clean up the mess every night when I got home from work. But it worked out pretty well. After a few months of that, with him being much bigger and the weather warmer, I began leaving him outside in the fenced yard, and of course he had a dog house to get out of the weather. When I left him for the day in the kitchen I would leave some dog toys in there and I'd throw things in there like carboard boxes and anything that was just garbage that he could play with. Most of that stuff would be shredded and scattered all over the kitchen floor when I got home.    

[BULLBLASTER]

can they jump over the fence things in the garage or the gate things?

[SpokaneSlayer]

I don't think a small pup could.  Mine is now 5 months old and he can reach up to the kitchen counter.

[Schmalzfam]

Not sure how old your puppy is but, if you are talking 8wks or so, I would be scared to leave him unsupervised, with too much room to roam.
Personally, if he is a little guy, I would put him in a crate and bring in the car to work so, he was able to get out on your breaks and for awhile at lunch.
If you are talking older, I would do the garage thing. We have a 6x6 dog kennel in our garage. That gives them the room to move around and ours don't poop or pee in it but, some may.
I don't know, I would just be leary of too much room to roam while I wasn't home. If someone isn't home our dogs don't go outside but, that is how we feel.

[bobcat]

My dog couldn't jump over the baby gates. I believe they were about 2 1/2 feet high. Using a garage is a good idea but at the time I didn't have one, so that's why I used the kitchen. Plus it was a lot warmer than a garage in the winter would have been.

[BULLBLASTER]

maybe i will section off some of the garage, and put a crate in there for him?
he will be 8 or 9 weeks when i get him

[jackelope]

the first day we left my lab pup at home i blocked him in the kitchen with a baby gate. when i got home, he had tried so hard to get past that gate that he ripped one front dew claw almost out and had bled all over the place.
i am a firm believer in crate training, but not for 8-10 hours at a time.
can you take him with you to work in the crate and let him out every few hours?

[SpokaneSlayer]

I take mine to work with me right now, but only because we are in the process of moving out of our apartment into a house.  He does fine.  Snoozes most of the time.  I let him out at lunch and he does his thing.  When we're finished moving, he'll have a large yard to himself.

[rasbo]

I used a crate on mine,really worked well.I worried more about what might happen outside the crate.lots of guys I know take their pups to work every break they go out to them.Ive got a larger one now still leave my dog in it,

[BULLBLASTER]

i have to park 1 mile from work and walk to work, so taking him to work wont work out too well either.
how long can i keep him in a crate for?

[jackelope]

no offense at all but have you done any reading or homework on owning a dog?
there's a lot to owning a dog and what comes with it.

the pup will need to take a pee every few hours and he will not pee in the crate.

[rasbo]

no offense at all but have you done any reading or homework on owning a dog?
there's a lot to owning a dog and what comes with it.

the pup will need to take a pee every few hours and he will not pee in the crate.

there is a paper thing like a diaper you put in the cage,they will pee on that,as they grow they will pee on that out side the cage.my cage is 3x4 works great

[jackelope]

that only works if the crate is big enough to use something like that. the principle behind crate training is that the dog won't pee or poo in the crate because that is where he sleeps. some say tomato, some say tomoto, but  a crate when i say crate is one of those plastic boxes with a swing out door on it, and using it correctly for crate training, it is not nearly the size of yours or the wire cage type deals. i've got one of those too.
2 different training methods i guess...

[Schmalzfam]

[/quote]there is a paper thing like a diaper you put in the cage,they will pee on that,as they grow they will pee on that out side the cage.my cage is 3x4 works great
[/quote]

I don't think that this would be a good idea, for a lab. They tend to eat anything and everything when left alone. With that said...don't leave him with a stuffed animal, to comfort him. I only leave kongs in their crates and the toughest one.
Walmart sells a wire crate, http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8056010
It also comes with a divider. That should be plenty big enough for a 8-9 week old lab for a bit. However, he will mess in it. I also wouldn't leave a pup alone that long with out water.

Have you thought of maybe finding a pet service to come let him out  half way through the day? or a neighbor?

Just some ideas.

[whitey]

Kennel Harley up,let Him out as soon as I get home.Sleeps inside with Me at night.I think a dog should feel comfortable in Their kennel. I put a metal roofed cover over Harley's last fall, got water ran to the kennel and power out to it.This spring I pour my slab complete with septic tank and He is set.Clean,comfortable,dry..

[Houndhunter]

put them out side early if your going too, less likely to try and escape if they've grown up in that pen. atleast thats what i think

[Grizzle]

Some breeds of dogs do better then others when isolated all day (indoor or out), the GSP isn't anywhere near the top of this list.   They tend to get very attached to their people and some will become very stressed when left alone all day.  If I knew my new dog was going to be in a "home alone during the workday" situation, I might look into other breeds or other daycare solutions (doggie daycare, a second dog, hire a dog walker, etc.)  Maybe check with you're breeder and see what they think? 

Here's a link to the GSP Club of WA - http://www.gspclubofwa.org/aboutgsp/gsprightforyou.htm

"If you and your family are gone all day, are not home at consistent times and spend a lot of time outside of the house going to activities....Shorthairs are especially social and don't do well left by themselves for long periods of time."

http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/germanshorthairedpointer.htm

"They are very people-oriented, and not happy if isolated from the family. If exercised sufficiently once or twice a day, the German Shorthaired Pointer makes a very agreeable family companion. If left to his own devices for long periods without exercise and or leadership, he can become destructive and nervous."

Also I'm sure you've heard they need a lot of exercise, preferably off leash.   A GSP left alone for 8-10 hrs a day will be bouncing of the walls to get out and run/play when you get home.  BTW walking a GSP for a few miles on leash isnt exercise for them.....these guys can run all day long.  If I didnt personally own enough property for them to get out and run, I would seriously reconsider getting a GSP.  It's recommended GSPs have a 6' fence (I use an invisible fence)

Congrats on getting a new pup. 

[NW-GSP]

no offense at all but have you done any reading or homework on owning a dog?
there's a lot to owning a dog and what comes with it.

the pup will need to take a pee every few hours and he will not pee in the crate.

there is a paper thing like a diaper you put in the cage,they will pee on that,as they grow they will pee on that out side the cage.my cage is 3x4 works great

ya sounds great till they crap then you come home to a dog and crate covered in crap!

[NW-GSP]

do you have any freinds that have dogs? if so see if your pup can stay with their dog during the day.

[BULLBLASTER]

he stays in the crate, and my dad comes by during the day to let him out and spend some time.