Advice for a Teacher

[Bender8788]

My husband and I have been wanting to add a cairn terrier to our small family for a few years now, and with our recent home purchase, we feel as though the time is finally right. Our main concern is deciding what time of year it would be best to introduce our new member of the family to our household. We've heard mixed things...My husband and I both commute to work, but I am a teacher, so I do have the summers at home. Having time for a cairn is not the issue, nor is providing the adequate amount of exercise and care. Rather, whether it would be best to wait until I am home for 2 months to help train and care for our pup or not.

Some people have said that having that time is near to a necessity, while others have said it is best to introduce the dog into the environment that it will be in most of the time (a.k.a. life in our home August thru May). Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a ton for your input!

[pkcrossley]

having time at home during the house-training of a puppy is a great gift. i personally think crate training works well, but confinement between potty breaks is all that is necessary, and what is critical is being home so that you can start with frequent potty breaks (1/2 hour apart), and then stretch them out. a puppy who gets a systematic and very consistent program for this is off to a good start in life.

once the potty training is done, i also think it is very healthy to start getting the puppy to feel comfortable with a realistic life schedule. with my first dog i happened to read a training book that said that even if you don't really have to leave the house while the puppy is young, you should do it anyway. most dogs have to learn how to handle time alone, and if they learn it early enough that it strikes them as normal they can learn to be contented chewing on toys and napping and snuggling with soft toys, and so on. this worked very well with my dogs, who were very patient and happy about being left during working hours. unfortunately i think i forgot to do this with redmon --he still gets annoyed if i am late getting home, and will dismantle anything that is low enough on a shelf for him to get ahold of, just to show that if i'd been home an hour earlier i could have saved myself the trouble of all this cleaning up....

so, i wouldn't say you need three months. a couple of weeks of home time, followed by introduction to a normal amount of alone time, should do it.

[hheldorfer]

Welcome to the forum! Although I know how it is to want to get a puppy ASAP, I agree with PK. If you were looking to adopt an adult dog I'd say you could consider adding a Cairn to your home now, or when you could schedule a few days off to get the dog settled in. With a puppy a lot of training will be necessary to create a good situation for him/her and your family.

Have you picked out a breeder yet? If not, this would be an excellent time to start "shopping around" - finding a breeder whom you trust and is planning to have puppies available next year.

Good luck and keep in touch.

[Lynn in TN]

I work in a high school cafeteria. I waited until summer to get Kelly. Not because I would need that much time with her but that the holidays are hectic at my home. With my 2 sons being out of school for the holidays and waiting for presents on Christmas I was afraid it would be to much excitement on the pup as it is almost to much for me. LOL Thanksgiving or Christmas break would be a great time, if your home is a little calmer than mine during the holidays.

[Meggie]

I got Hubble in December at 6 months old.

Fortunately my schedule is up to me. My boyfriend lives with the dog but when he went away on a 7-8 week business trip in February, I had the dog 24 hours a day, and I will admit, for us, it made ALL the difference training-wise. Especially regarding the cairn-nipping game phase

Hubble has maintained his training and behavior 99% since our schedule went back to normal. (the 1% deduction because he's just a puller on walks lately)

[Dempsy's Mom]

I know nothing of puppies - but I would think being home with him or her would be the thing to do - maybe just before school gets out so you have him for as long as possible. How fun for you guys! No matter what you decide it will work out because your heart is already committed. Looking forward to meeting your new family member. Welcome.

[sanford]

Great advice from pkcrossley and others. Good luck with your new pup!