Hi, Is that workday 10-5 include travel time to and from home or does the time from home increase by another couple of hours? I have a lot of my dogs raised in working homes and while they were puppies and young adolescents I have recommended that the owners make provision for the dogs preferable restricting their puppies to a larger area with a washable floor rather than a crate. Crates have their purpose and I'm not looking to get into a debate on the whys and wherefores of crate training but with baby puppies an owner should keep a journal and add up the number of hours they actually keep a puppy crated. It can be mind-numbing! Yes puppies sleep a lot but they also get very upset if forced to be dirty in their sleeping zone and mental frustration will occur and physical development will be inhibited. It is very important for a baby puppy to develop strong muscles and this is done by providing the puppy with a larger area to move around in. Puppies confined excessively will be more prone to joint weaknessess and subject to injury because they are not well toned. Conditioning puppies is done by providing large areas to move in at their free will and not with concentrated exercise jammed into a busy schedule. I recommend my working owners to hire a student or young retiree to spend time with the youngster to meet these needs.
Rose T.
