Is there any way that you can arrange for dog walks while you're at work? Doing that on non-daycare days would be optimal.

There are companies and private persons that offer these services.

Wish I had some advice that would help you with what you want. Hope you can find someone to come let the puppy out. That is a long time for a puppy to be alone, even in a small room. Maybe you need to rethink the puppy and find her a home where she will have someone around to take care of her.

No, I'm not comfortable having other people come into my home when I'm not there.

I really feel for you and how hard it is with a puppy when you work full-time. I did that and it was really a hard struggle financially, to pay for a dog walker, but I bit the bullet.

Looking back, I'd tell anyone in your position (and mine, previously) that if they can't afford some sort of daycare arrangement, you're not positioned to get a dog or puppy. Choosing to paper train a dog for the reason you wish to train, is absolutely the wrong reason.

I think it's confusing and could wind up affecting the dog's health if they choose to hold it in rather than relieve their needs in the house. Also, a house trained dog is a FAR more adoptable dog should this situation not work out.

(I don't mean to be all doom and gloom, but think it's important to play your decisions all the way through.)

That particular dog I got as a puppy and had him walked/fed twice a day, then once a day when he got older. Like I said, the financial burden was immense.

Professional dog walkers (companies) are licensed and bonded (and I think safe beyond any reasonable doubt) and I think you might consider the trade off of letting someone into your home vs. leaving your dog alone all day long.

I also know that when you sign up for full-time daycare, like 5 days a week for working people, the cost reduces considerably as opposed to taking your dog once or twice a week.

Perhaps you can find a daycare who offers reduced rates for packages or chunks of pre-paid service.

Best of luck to you and your pup.

I went home at lunchtime every day until my pup was at least a year old - and at that time, my other dog was geriatric, and I kept going home at lunchtime to let him out, until he passed away 6 months later. Yep, it was a pain, and only practical for me because I live 5 minutes from work.

I know it's not what you want to hear, but I agree with the others that you may need to find a new home for your pup. Potty breaks aside, your long hours will result in even less time spent playing, socializing, and training your dog - and all of those things are critical for her at this age.

I've only had the dog 2 weeks, got her from the pound. So while technically she "should" be potty trained by now, I have no clue what the other owner did with the potty training, just that she was surrendered due to behavioral issues (small children in the home with the pup). I've questioned, and am still questioning, whether I should keep the dog, and it's not so easy a decision.

I don't know what I'm going to do at this point other than I'm going to *try* to get her potty trained. Which is why I asked about the puppy pads -- that's all I want to know about, I don't want to get beat up because I decided to open my home to a sweet pup who had none.

What you got you needed to hear, not what you wanted to hear, unfortunately. NO ONE is advocating that you turn the dog over to a kill shelter, and if you are "older" you probably know that deep down.

And, be real, no one "beat you up". Although, I hesitated to even respond knowing the predictable displaced anger we get when we speak the truth about what's best for a dog.

There are other options, not just keep the dog locked up for 9 hours, or surrender it to the needle. I urge you to consider them.

The dog brain trust on this board is like no other. You have not received answers from people who don't know what they're talking about.

When you're done being angry and lashing out, consider doing everything you can to affect the best outcome for the dog, so that she will live a long, happy life.

Best wishes that it works out for you and your dog.

I am not angry nor am I lashing out. I only wanted answers to the direct question I posed, not advice whether I should keep her or not.

Signing off this post now, no desire to keep getting verbally *ss-whooped. I will, however, keep my scheduled appointment with a professional trainer this weekend to see how I can best address this issue in addition to others.

I commend you for taking in a shelter pup. That is a wonderful thing to do. You had/have the best of intentions. Sometimes though, stuff just happens and you have to make changes. i sincerely hope you are able to find a solution, other than leaving her alone for 9 or more hours and wish you and the pup the best.

Apparently the original poster isn't coming back. Over 40 hours a week locked in a small room is intolerable for a puppy. A cat would be a much better choice for a pet. The pup should go back to the shelter.

I realize MXK said he/she wasn't coming back but just in case, I'd like to say that no one here is or was lashing out and we did actually answer your question by saying it's counter productive to train on pads when the dog is already almost trained to potty outside.

You didn't offer history and based on what you did offer it was easy to assume you had raised the pup. It's great that you want to provide a home for it, but in doing so, you've made a commitment and under the circumstances you've described, it's not a commitment you can meet. To be very blunt, the dog needs a home with love and attention, not a room and solitary confinement.

Is it possible to get a chain link 6x10 or so kennel and install off a back door to laundry rm with a doggie door to it? Get one with the chain link top so puppy can't jump or climb out. You can install an aluminum storm door that comes with a built in doggie door. Then you keep regular door open and storm door shut and locked. But puppy could safely go out to potty. Just make sure you bury some chicken wire in hound about 2 feet inside run, about 6 inches deep, so puppy can't dig out, if it isn't on concrete.

If that's not an option, you can take a paper towel and blot up puppy pee/a little poop, and smear it on center of pad. Dogs like to potty where they have gone before. Smearing some on a pad says "Hey! This is your potty area!". Use about 4 pads to make a larger area at first. I use white duct tape to tape all 4 corners down to discourage puppy from chewing and rearranging the pads. White tape is less noticable to the puppy. Dark or colored tape seems to attrace their atty and makes them want to try to chew it.