I have been wanting to get another puppy for a long time now, but my main concern is potty training. When i do get a dog I am going to take about 10 days total off to be with the dog. But once I go back to work then what? the puppy will go from going out all the time to a few times a day, i can walk the dog in the morning around 7:45am then when my mom gets off work she normally gets to the house around 4:10 or so but thats 8 hours without being let out, i live too far away from work to go home at lunch. i was thinking i could try using the potty pads as an alternative and lock the puppy in the kitchen on the tile after the morning walk, then as it gets older by like 6months take the pads away? I dont want the dog to think its ok to use the pads forever just as a crutch since he wont be able to hold his bladder at 10 weeks or so for 8 hours. i am off wekends so its only the weekdays but im not sure what to do please if anyone has ideas help me out.
Also, I had a dog before but when i got the dog he was already potty trained. I had him for about 8 years but he got cancer and the surgerys didnt work & he died. I dont think 8 hours is too long to be alone once trained. I do have a cat but i figure if i get the puppy as apuppy and not grown already they can get along like my last dog did. I can take the puppy out more than twice a day. definately in the morning
when i get home before i go to bed & at night if needed. For the first week like i said i can take off&then probably for the next two weeks i can probably make it home at lunch (its 20 minutes both ways i have an hour lunch)but do u think after amonth id be able to stop coming home at lunch would the dog be old enough to hold it or use the pad if needed? i know it can take a month or sop to train completely. i am just afraid that once the dog is older that he will think he has to use the pad all the time and not learn its outside he should go i will use the same feeding time  Read more... (433 words, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)