How to Train a Puppy When You Work All Day

Bringing a cute little puppy into your home is exciting, but it is not without work. It is important for you to have a plan to train your puppy, especially if you will be returning to a full day of work outside your home shortly after its arrival. With the right tools, and some outside help, you should be able to train your puppy in a relatively short time. However, if you are not proactive about its training, you could experience slow progress.

Things You'll Need

  • Crate
  • Blanket
  • Chew toys
  • Dog treats
  • Dog walker
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Instructions

    • 1

      Take some vacation time when you get your puppy. Training should start from day one, and you will not be able to establish any type of training routine if you are not present.

    • 2

      Use a crate to house train your puppy. A crate is a great training tool because it helps a puppy feel secure and puppies generally do not like to go to the bathroom where they sleep. Leave the crate door open, and allow your pet unlimited access to it when you are home. Put a chew toy and blanket inside to make it an appealing place. When you leave your home or go to bed for the night, lure your puppy into the crate with a treat and close the door. As soon as you arrive home or wake up, take your dog outside and reward it with a treat for eliminating outside. Do not leave your new puppy in the crate for more than two hours at a time during the day to avoid accidents. Additionally, your puppy may cry during the night to alert you when it needs to go outside. As your puppy approaches 4 months old, increase its crate time to up to six hours during the day when necessary.

    • 3

      Establish consistent feeding times for your puppy. Consistent feeding will allow you to better predict when your dog needs to eliminate and thus make you more successful at letting it out before it has an accident. A morning and evening feeding schedule is best if you will not typically be home during the middle of the day. Additionally, take your puppy out on a consistent basis with no more than two hours between trips outside. Remember, small puppies have small bladders. Reward your dog with a treat each time it eliminates outside. If your dog is having a lot of accidents, note the amount of time between each elimination and take it out within that time frame.

    • 4

      Make a few visits home throughout the day to let your puppy out when you go back to work. This will allow you to continue taking it out on a regular basis as well as provide it some necessary attention. If you cannot come home during your work day, hire a dog walker to stop by your home and let your puppy out. Choose a professional dog walker or hire a responsible neighborhood kid to visit your pet. Make sure whoever works with your puppy follows your behavior plan of reinforcing your pet for eliminating outside.