Puppy advice

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For us, we order our lives around our dogs, not vice-versa.

It is not fair to the dogs to stick them right back in their crate after they've been in there all day just so I can go out and do something. Even if they weren't crated, it's not fair for them to be left alone that much - they are pack animals and their "pack" includes their humans. They are most content when we are all together at the same time.

Very well said Michelem!

Lots of puppy experience here.

As everyone else on here has expressed, puppies take a great amount of time and attention. I second everyone's suggestions that an older dog might be better suited for your lifestyle.

Physiologically, they are not able to fully control their bladder until around 4-6 months of age - which means you'd have to be able to take them outside every couple of hours. And, that 4-6 months of age mark doesn't mean they can hold it for long periods of time - it just means instead of every 2 hours, it's every 3/4 hours.

You mention that the idea of getting a puppy and training them early is appealing. So, please take this into consideration:

Dogs learn through conditioning. If you are keeping your puppy in a crate for extended periods of time where they hear people's voices, or see people walking by - that is what they will become conditioned to. Meaning, when the time came for you to leave the puppy at home in their crate, they will freak out if there aren't people walking by and voices to be heard. Crate-training works because it replicates the idea of a 'den', which is instinctive for dogs. They often feel safer in their crates (it's where my dog goes whenever he's sick or scared). The way you crate-train your puppy is very important because it ties into animal instincts of a 'den' and their sense of safety. I would be concerned about needing to completely re-train your dog once they were older and no longer brought to work everyday. Puppies don't like to be in crates at first, it takes training to get them comfortable. You'd likely be dealing with whining and scratching at the crate door - and again, if people try to calm the puppy in response to the whining...this becomes conditioning behavior (with the potential of teaching the puppy that whining will get them attention...and you can imagine what that will result in).

Plus, puppies are not supposed to be in crates for long periods of time. The behavioral specialist at a nearby Veterinary school (the school is #3 in the nation), stated to me when my dog was a pup that you can only leave them in a crate for one hour per month of their lifespan. 3 months old means no more than 3 hours a day, and so on. With a maxing out of no more than 10 hours a day total (when they are adults) - and required potty breaks at the 8 hour mark.

It put a massive crimp on my finances, but when he was a puppy - I followed the above rules and would take my lunch break at the needed time to run home and un-crate him, I'd then drop him off at a doggy day care and pick him up after work. Eventually, as he got older and was able to stay in the crate longer and longer, I no longer needed the day care - and by then, he was not only used to the crate...but also well socialized with other dogs due to the time at doggy care. He's 7 years old now and though that first year or so was a bit rough, I'm so glad I put the time and effort into it.

Great book: "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by the Monks of New Skeet (if you aren't familiar with them...google them and their center in NY, they are probably the best resource for dog training IMO).

A puppy is cute and adorable and fun, but SO much work. Older dogs can always be re-trained...plus, you get the benefit of getting them when they are old enough to be crate trained in a much shorter span of time and stay in the crate for the full allotment of time, and they don't have to be housebroken. Dogs are amazingly smart and always willing to learn - it's the dedication to proper training and consistency that gets in the way...and that's the human's responsibility, not the dog. If I ever get another dog, I'm not sure I'd ever go through the puppy thing again - much easier to start with them when they're older. Any needed re-training can easily be done over a few months whereas a puppy will need extreme dedication for the first year or so.

Good luck with whatever you do and congratulations on getting a new dog!!!