WFH with 13 Week Old Puppy
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Anonymous
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When I work from home, I crate my German Shepherd puppy for 2 hours at a time because she's very active and gets into everything. She needs to be watched constantly.
Ultimately, what I want is for her to hang out in my room with me while I work, without a crate. I just want her to be in the same room while I work; however, if I let her in my room while I work now, she'll eat my carpet, my bed, and she may have an accident. How do I gradually train her to chill out in my room while I'm working? |
Anonymous
Anonymous
| She’s a puppy. She doesn’t chill out for a few years at least. You should’ve adopted an older dog if you wanted a calm dog. |
Anonymous
| She will get there. But as PP said, you’re quite a ways off. Plenty of exercise and training and the passage of time will help. |
Anonymous
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Yeah that sounds like too much crate time. He might become frustrated and then you’ll have other problems to deal with. Honestly the answer is just constant redirection and training. There is no real shortcut.
The main thing to remember is that a tired dog is a good dog so go out and romp around as much as possible when you have the chance. |
Anonymous
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I also like the monks book.
That’s a lot of dog, but is it little enough to be contained by a playpen? A scrap of linoleum and a playpen was a great bridge for us between crate and being attached to us with a short leash. If you could set that up in a corner of your office you’d be on your way. The other solution here is a cycle of long walk/play, short nap, pee break, short nap, repeat. The best chance you have of a puppy hanging in your office like an older dog will is if he’s exhausted. Just make sure to do a pee break, because exhausted puppies drink water so 30 min later they need to pee. |
Anonymous
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This is what you do: Work hours: alternate between crating periods and outdoor exercise periods. After hours and weekends: multiple daily sessions of roaming in the house under CONSTANT supervision, and crating when you need to focus on something else. The only way a puppy learns if when you catch her in the act of doing something she shouldn't. In the act, not a few seconds later, because their memories are strictly associative. It means following her around and waiting until she does something you don't actually want her to do! And then you say "No!" in a harsh voice and make her understand that's not allowed, and you redirect her to something that is. And then you use a happy, pleased tone with lots of petting when she redirects her attention, to reinforce the message. Repeat a million times, and she will be reliably house-trained. Then, when she's a teenager, you'll have to do it all over again, with a stronger, moodier dog  But please understand that the training you do now is the basis for the training you'll do when she's a teen. You cannot train a teen dog easily if they don't already vaguely remember their puppyhood training.
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Anonymous
| OP here: Great feedback everyone and thanks! I like the idea of the playpen with a scrap of linoleum. |
Anonymous
| I put mine in a short leash and keep her with me when I’m working. One of the plus sides of this is that when I get up to take her out, she can’t run off and get in trouble or have an accident. Mine is really mischievous. |
Anonymous
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Lots of good advice, OP. You say train her gradually but it sounds like you're thinking gradually in terms of weeks. A 13wk old puppy is still a baby. This is a process of months. Lots of exercise, plan work breaks around it. A playpen or a leash attached to your chair are good options together with chew toys designed to keep your dog busy and wear them out. Think food puzzles, well-stuffed kongs.
Even if you're working from home, if your schedule isn't flexible but your budget is, hire a dog walker to come midday for a good 20-30min play or walk session. Your puppy will get there, and my dog is my favorite officemate ever and my #1 reason for not wanting to return to the workplace. |
Anonymous
| If you have time and can find one nearby, consider some time off leash at a Sniffspot. That wears my puppy out. She’s even a bit tired the next day! |