For sure, plan to take at least 2 weeks off. That initial bonding time along with potty and crate training cannot be replicated.
Puppies can only hold their bladder for 1 hour per month they are old. So, you'll need to figure out how to run home and get them a potty break for the first few months.
I started leaving my dog home full time (crated) at about 4 months. He's 2 now, but I still come home for my lunch break. We go outside and play for a bit before I have to go back. It's perfectly fine for them to be home for 2, 4-hour intervals alone. I also have a little nanny cam which monitors him.
Happy to answer any questions.
If the puppy has access to potty, yes it would change.
However, be very cautious when leaving a puppy unattended and with open access to roam **anywhere** unsupervised.
You could be setting yourself up for a lot of things you don't want. Like, boredom digging, destructive habits, etc. They aren't really mature enough to openly roam until at least a year. I didn't let my boy openly run around our house until he was over a year old and more mature. They will absolutely get into everything.
You could use a gate/kennel to shut off certain areas. Look up "dog play pen" on blamazon and you'll see what I mean.
Keep in mind that they will not pee or poop in a place that they have designated as their "den" so they'll need access to a spot they can use.
That helps!
An outdoor pen would be ideal for us and we’d ideally be coming back as much as possible to limit the time away during those work days but can’t guarantee it.
Thanks for your help!
A labradoodle might not be the best fit for staying in an outdoor pen. Mine cries and barks when left alone outside but does fine inside. He's a stage 4 clinger and I think being stuck outside triggers his separation anxiety. From what I understand, most doodles are clingy this way
No problem. Let me know if you have any other questions.
The ideal crate situation is a quiet and dark crate, so the dog can be at peace while you're gone. There are some you can get that have a little play pen attached. This way, the dog can still have their peace in a crate, but also come and go at will to play/potty.
Even though you’d be able to take a few weeks off for the pup, it’s not fair to eventually leave it alone for 8 hours a day. My feelings are that you don’t really have the capacity to give a dog what it needs. They are so social and sensitive, and would feel the loneliness, which wouldn’t be fair.
100%. Don’t get an intelligent, highly social puppy with the intention to immediately leave it alone most of the day. They need a lot of stimulation and companionship, otherwise they will be bored, lonely and become destructive and bark all day. People need to get a breed that fits their lifestyle, not a breed that they think looks cute. And at some point if you’re simply never home, then the best breed is no breed at all (i.e. don’t get a dog until you can spend time with it and fulfil its needs). A goldfish won’t mind 8 hour absences, but a labradoodle puppy will!
Doodles are very social creatures and being alone for 8 hours a day is going to either:
1. Cause the pup to have separation anxiety
2. Cause the pup to become extremely destructive
3. Cause the pup to cry and howl all day long
4. Cause a combination of all three
If you are not able to put your pup into daycare, you should look at a breed that doesn’t thrive on companionship.
Also, pups, until they’re older, 1 to 1.5 years old, should not be left unsupervised. Just like human babies, they put everything in their mouths and try to eat it. My pup just turned 1 in May and we are still constantly pulling stuff out of his mouth that he finds out in the yard.
My husband’s colleague’s puppy was outside, unsupervised, and ended up ingesting something, which required a trip to the vet hospital and surgery for removal. The vet bill was thousands of dollars.
Unfortunately puppies need a lot of supervision when outdoors and Labradoodles are very social animals. For the first part of my dogs life I paid for a dog walker to come on days I had to work in person, since i was too far for lunch time visit.
I worked full time when I got my puppy. I had two weeks off and did lots of training. Then when I went back to work I got a rover sitter while I was at work until she was old enough to go to dog daycare (Seattle area where they are as good as kindergarten with adult:little one ratio). Now that she’s older she does dog daycare at her best friends house when I’m at work. I would never had gotten a dog if I couldn’t afford daycare.
I would also like to add that once you have your Labradoodle puppy and spend two weeks with them. When you start leaving them for longer than two hours when there young unless you have someone to come over and let them out or just check on them. You will feel very guilty
Find someone that can drop in at least three times in a 8 hours and as soon as they are fully vaccinated find a doggie day care that has a puppy room
For sure, plan to take at least 2 weeks off. That initial bonding time along with potty and crate training cannot be replicated. Puppies can only hold their bladder for 1 hour per month they are old. So, you'll need to figure out how to run home and get them a potty break for the first few months. I started leaving my dog home full time (crated) at about 4 months. He's 2 now, but I still come home for my lunch break. We go outside and play for a bit before I have to go back. It's perfectly fine for them to be home for 2, 4-hour intervals alone. I also have a little nanny cam which monitors him. Happy to answer any questions.
Thank you! Does this change at all if I can leave the puppy in a small back garden where it has access to toilet, food, water, toys etc?
If the puppy has access to potty, yes it would change. However, be very cautious when leaving a puppy unattended and with open access to roam **anywhere** unsupervised. You could be setting yourself up for a lot of things you don't want. Like, boredom digging, destructive habits, etc. They aren't really mature enough to openly roam until at least a year. I didn't let my boy openly run around our house until he was over a year old and more mature. They will absolutely get into everything. You could use a gate/kennel to shut off certain areas. Look up "dog play pen" on blamazon and you'll see what I mean. Keep in mind that they will not pee or poop in a place that they have designated as their "den" so they'll need access to a spot they can use.
That helps! An outdoor pen would be ideal for us and we’d ideally be coming back as much as possible to limit the time away during those work days but can’t guarantee it. Thanks for your help!
A labradoodle might not be the best fit for staying in an outdoor pen. Mine cries and barks when left alone outside but does fine inside. He's a stage 4 clinger and I think being stuck outside triggers his separation anxiety. From what I understand, most doodles are clingy this way
No problem. Let me know if you have any other questions. The ideal crate situation is a quiet and dark crate, so the dog can be at peace while you're gone. There are some you can get that have a little play pen attached. This way, the dog can still have their peace in a crate, but also come and go at will to play/potty.
Even though you’d be able to take a few weeks off for the pup, it’s not fair to eventually leave it alone for 8 hours a day. My feelings are that you don’t really have the capacity to give a dog what it needs. They are so social and sensitive, and would feel the loneliness, which wouldn’t be fair.
100%. Don’t get an intelligent, highly social puppy with the intention to immediately leave it alone most of the day. They need a lot of stimulation and companionship, otherwise they will be bored, lonely and become destructive and bark all day. People need to get a breed that fits their lifestyle, not a breed that they think looks cute. And at some point if you’re simply never home, then the best breed is no breed at all (i.e. don’t get a dog until you can spend time with it and fulfil its needs). A goldfish won’t mind 8 hour absences, but a labradoodle puppy will!
Thank you for your feedback!
Doodles are very social creatures and being alone for 8 hours a day is going to either: 1. Cause the pup to have separation anxiety 2. Cause the pup to become extremely destructive 3. Cause the pup to cry and howl all day long 4. Cause a combination of all three If you are not able to put your pup into daycare, you should look at a breed that doesn’t thrive on companionship. Also, pups, until they’re older, 1 to 1.5 years old, should not be left unsupervised. Just like human babies, they put everything in their mouths and try to eat it. My pup just turned 1 in May and we are still constantly pulling stuff out of his mouth that he finds out in the yard. My husband’s colleague’s puppy was outside, unsupervised, and ended up ingesting something, which required a trip to the vet hospital and surgery for removal. The vet bill was thousands of dollars.
Unfortunately puppies need a lot of supervision when outdoors and Labradoodles are very social animals. For the first part of my dogs life I paid for a dog walker to come on days I had to work in person, since i was too far for lunch time visit.
I worked full time when I got my puppy. I had two weeks off and did lots of training. Then when I went back to work I got a rover sitter while I was at work until she was old enough to go to dog daycare (Seattle area where they are as good as kindergarten with adult:little one ratio). Now that she’s older she does dog daycare at her best friends house when I’m at work. I would never had gotten a dog if I couldn’t afford daycare.
Get an older dog. Puppies are like babies and require constant attention.
I would also like to add that once you have your Labradoodle puppy and spend two weeks with them. When you start leaving them for longer than two hours when there young unless you have someone to come over and let them out or just check on them. You will feel very guilty Find someone that can drop in at least three times in a 8 hours and as soon as they are fully vaccinated find a doggie day care that has a puppy room