Ask Joey-I don't have time to train my dog!

Can training wait with a new dog?

Dear Joey,

I recently adopted a dog. I love my mixed breed Riley, but I'm going through a busy time at work and I just don't have time to train him properly. I live alone so no one else can do it. My increased work pace will slow down in a few months and then I will have time for training but will the damage be done? I know I should get started right away. Also I can't wait a few months for Riley to be house trained. Any advice?

Jess in Cincinatti 

Dear Jess,

Being so busy at work, is probably not the best time to adopt a new dog. But now that you have, you do need to find some time each day for training Riley. Dog training does not have to take hours every day. It's an onging, consistent process as you interact with the dog. You need to know how to train Riey and what to do. If you can just carve an hour or two out of your week, please sign up for a dog training class. The big box pet stores such as PetSmart and Petco offer classes at different times during the week and on the weekend. You can also ask your vet for a recommendation for an independent dog trainer. Some will even come to your house to save you even more time.

If you just can't get out to a training class, then I suggest you purchase an online class. Here is the link to the one I have used and highly recommend:Dog Training Course. What I did with the audio part of this course was to upload it to my ipod and then I listened to it while I was at work, out running errands or whatever. Then when I came home, I could practice what I learned on my dogs.

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Also, while you are away from home so much, you really need to get someone to come over during the day, let Riley out to go "potty" and to give him a little attention and play. It's not good for Riley's social skills to be alone so much. And it definitely won't be good for him to be crated up for long periods of time. I'd look into hiring a dog walker for a few months. Your vet can probably give you a few recommendations for this too.

Good luck with your new friend and let us know how you both are doing.

Chaos hd

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