Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Wolff on December 25, 2012 at 11:49pm

My first reaction is no, wait until your guy gets back home.  Raising a new puppy is a daunting job for 1 person, and you're doing a new job, too?  Sounds like too much.  

A puppy needs a lot of human contact time for training and socialization, and you could set yourself up for trouble if you're too busy to give it.

Even if you took on a mature dog, a well-behaved rescue, if there were any adjustment issues, you'd have your hands full.

I guess there's never a perfect time for a big new project.

We did get Al to keep Gwynnie company, but we never left him alone uncrated until about 1 y.o. as I recall.  

So I'd say now would be a good time to have a well-trained 1 y.o. pup, but not a new puppy.  Wait til your guy gets back, then you can raise it together, and puppy will have both of you.

We'll be counting the days with you.

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Permalink Reply by Chris West on December 26, 2012 at 12:49am

I would say this situation should steer you away from a 2nd corgi, if you are planning to have less time at home.

Have you read this article from the FAQ page?  It is really good...

Should I get another corgi

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Permalink Reply by Appa and Iroh on December 26, 2012 at 11:08am

Good advice, John. Thanks. Definitely see all your points and was thinking along some of the same lines for my "cons" list. I was most worried about a new one not getting the amount of supervision and training Appa has had. And thanks Chris, I looked over the article you suggested.

Reckon waiting on getting a new pup is better in the long run. 
Just worried about Appa being bored and lonely at home :-/. I don't want her getting depressed. I plan on a long walk before I go into work, tv or radio left on for her, toys that require thought left out, and then another walk or the dog park soon after I get home from work. 
Any tips/tweaks anyone has to offer to that plan would be much appreciated!

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Permalink Reply by Ludi on December 26, 2012 at 12:08pm

Dogs LOVE to sleep. Ace was home alone all the time and often would be in the exact same place I left him (or if he was in his crate, in the same sleeping position) for hours on end. Remember to not anthropomorphise your animal too much! Appa is a dog, and she won't be depressed just because she is left to her own devices throughout the day. If you leave puzzle-treat toys for her, and a comfy bed, I guarantee she will probably fuss with the toy for a half-hour, and then snooze the rest of the time. :-) Dogs are very good at taking extended naps!

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Permalink Reply by Chris West on December 26, 2012 at 12:57pm

I agree.  I occasionally have to leave Frosty alone for long periods of time.  I crate him and he sleeps the ENTIRE time I am gone, and never seems to mind in the least little bit.  Frosty has never become depressed about us being gone.  Just make sure she is in a safe area where she can't get into trouble.  I sometimes leave a radio or the TV on for Frosty so that he can't hear outside noises (people talking, cars  stopping @ neighbors, etc) that might get him riled up.

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Permalink Reply by Appa and Iroh on December 27, 2012 at 7:33pm

Those last two replies make me feel a little better. Lol, I know Appa's a dog and not a person I guess I was just worried about the sudden change in having someone around the house most of the time to only in the evening/night. But I guess other dogs survive, right? I guess I'm just overthinking it. God help me when I have a child if I act like this over my pup. ;)

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Permalink Reply by Diane on December 27, 2012 at 11:18pm

That's funny to hear someone else say that...   I feel the same way.   Most of the time my other half is able to take Chewey on the job with him but sometimes he takes jobs that don't make that practical and Chewey is home alone all day.     During the work week he gets a morning walk and at least an hour+ walk and beach run in the evening  and still I feel horribly guilty!   The irony is that whether I work from home or not he basically snoozes all day, so I know it is sort of silly...

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Permalink Reply by Juno on December 28, 2012 at 12:43am

if you are really worried(as I would be)....before you completely go into your leaving routine, practice it & set her up for success. You want to get her used to you being gone for that amount of time. Start small though. If she's not used to you being gone at all, try just leaving the house and coming right back in or getting into your car then moving to driving around the area & coming back. You want to slowly increase the time that you are away & with her at home alone.You also want to think about WHERE you want to leave her when you're gone and with WHAT. Appa is still a pup, correct? Anyhow, if you haven't left her alone in the past....decide if you want her to have free for all in the house while you're gone, in her crate, or a x-pen/gated area. I know some leave them gated in an area while others keep them crated & many would say that free for all may be too early & too much freedom. It really depends on your dog. Make sure you also leave her with trusted toy kongs(stuffed)don't leave her with toys u know she will destroy & eat. If you want to see what she does when you're gone, you can also monitor her with skype(suggested by Sam) he's mentioned in the past something about changing the setting to automatically accepting calsl? & you'd be able to monitor & see what your pup is doing w/o being home! Sam has posted this suggestion in a couple discussion, gotta see if it can be found.

Juno is a few weeks shy of 11months & he's been fine being left alone. As others have said, they just sleep & I think Juno does the same. In fact when i'm home all day with him, he refuses to sleep & i can tell that he's super tired. So me being with him all day takes away from his nap time that he's used to, making him more tired.

Hope that helped & good luck! :)

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Permalink Reply by Appa and Iroh on December 28, 2012 at 12:15pm

thanks you guys! Maybe I will set up a little video feed or record her day so I can at least see what she's up to while I'm not there. Might make me feel better/know if I need to change anything for her. 

:)

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