DaniyPatito

Ok so I am sorry I post on here pretty much ALL the time, but as a first time dog owner I feel you all are smarter,wiser, and have ALL the answers hehe.

So for my job I have varied hours to say the least, but I would say on a typical day I don´t need to be out of the house for more than four hours. My struggle is that even though I am home I am still working (currently on a ten page single spaced community assement in spanish that is making me go crazy) I am not sure how to handle Tito. On weekends for example we normally will play for an hour or so and then he will nap for two hours we will walk for an hour he will nap for two etc.

Sadly I am just not able to do this on the weekdays I need to be working a bit more hehe. My question is this, how often do you/did you provide one on one attention to your dogs such as sitting and playing with them training etc. Tito will not play in his crate so I am thinking about making a play area so he can be playing while I am home but not in his crate since I can still take breaks to take him out to potty...My other question is how did your pups handle solo play and what toys did they use for that. Tito seems to only want to be with me to play even if that means I am on the floor and he is sitting on my lap chewing a toy, as soon as I get up he doesnt want to chew the toy sighhhh

Sorry this is so long I NEED HELP!!!!

henry'smum

Hen has a play pen! It is 10feet by 10 feet and is great for when i have to leave him for a couple of hours. It is in the garden and has a tarp covering half ofthe top and 3 sides in case of rain. In it he has interactive toys like a kong and his favourite the kong wobbler which we put treats in and he has to work to get them out. It is like the older style puzzle ball.He also has a blanket in there in case he wants to sleep and various toys i dont mind if he destroys! We like it because it gives him and us some alone time and its enjoyable for him, even though he was a little grumpy when we first put him in it, now he runs to it!

Barney'spal

Would it be possible to set up that play area for him in the same room that you're doing your work? They really like being with their "people"....Mine is pretty much content as long as he is in the same room. Good luck, he's at a cute age right now...time consuming I know, but when he gets older and more settled, you miss it.

dreamons

Try the Kong toys if you can get them there. You can fill them with treats and my Bassets like that. Since we're retired it varies day to day but we also have 3 so they play alot with each other. If you do let him run around while you are working listen carefully as when it gets very quiet he may be doing things he shouldn't. Good luck he is very cute.

houndmomma

I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been able to work out of the house when I had all my puppies. When I got Flash I was doing a lot of technical writing so I know what you’re going through. I’m currently working with our latest addition Mabel and she’s 5 months old and only knows two speeds – 100mph to out cold.

Here is what I’ve do – maybe some of it will help.

My kitchen is on the larger size with three exits that I put baby gates on that are attached to the wall and work like swing gates – and/or I can pop them off in a second. This way I can have her locked in the kitchen with me so she has ready access to water and letting her out. Also now that she’s getting a little bigger I can have her down in the family room right off the kitchen with her brother and sister whom I’m trying to get acclimated with each other. (That’s another story)

I start the day with cuddle time and play while I’m waking up with tea or pop I’m on the floor playing with her. For the first couple weeks because she was so young I sat on the floor with my laptop while she played. Every time she had to go potty – I did a few minutes of loving time with her – then back to work. After a few weeks I moved to the kitchen area and brought some toys with me in there for her. I like to rotate them all the time so she doesn’t get tired of any of them. Whenever she I need an eye break I’m on the floor with her.

When I have to do some printing and/or need access to my main computer instead of getting up and down to go to the printer – I have her tied to me in my home office – her brother and sister always spend the day in there with me so she just follows them and usually goes to sleep – but again I bring different kinds of toys for her. I’m lucky that she enjoys her toys. I keep a few special ones to the side that I know she really likes if I know I have some phone calls to make – so far they’ve keep her busy enough while I’ve been on the phone.

Long and short of it is – during the day - I don’t think I give her hours and hours of cuddle or loving times – it’s just throughout the day she’s always being loved. If I don’t have her in the family room with my other two she’s with me and right on my feet. A lot of time I just take my foot and rub her with that while I’m working – she seems to like it and she’s getting attention. As I type this she’s draped over my foot.

Oh, forgot to add – she’s still eating three times a day – so for lunch time – she goes in the crate for a while.

I hope some of this helps remove some of the guilt you have with not spending time. I think really they’re just like kids – they just need you to be there and love them.

Here is what my family room looks like when she starts to pull our “some” of her toys. Na, ya can’t say my kids are spoiled.

Jen~

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DaniyPatito

Thanks guys, I will make the pen tomorrow haha my house is only one huge room, well really it is two but I only use one side. It was the bedroom and it was built to fit six queen size beds...I have my bed and desk on one side and my kitchen on the other with enough room in the middle for a ballroom dance!

I do have one kong toy but it is a small one since my family sent it from america I also have some new toys from America for him that he seems to like but if I am not there they are no fun!

He is at a great age right now, and I am sure I will miss it when it is over!

Jen, you have some great toys, which are the favs also how old is your puppy in that picture?

Lucy&Millie

The Kong toy is great! If I know I'm going to be gone a while or very busy around the house, I will fill it with Peanut Butter and then freeze it. It lasts longer if you freeze it.

I also have two treat balls, that the girls have to play with in order to get the treats out. They roll them, bounce them, throw them across the room, anything to get the treats out.

Since Bassets are scent hounds, they love to use their noses! We play a lot of scent games. Sometimes, when I'm busy around the house, I will put them in a room for a few minutes and then go around hiding treats around the house. Some treats are very obvious, so they catch onto the game fast. Other treats are a little harder to find. Once they realize there are treats hidden around the house (which is why you leave a few out in the open), its a massive scavenger hunt.

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Lucy - Age 6?
Millie - Age 2

houndmomma

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniyPatito Jen, you have some great toys, which are the favs also how old is your puppy in that picture?

Thanks – ya know it’s strange – she really doesn’t have any fav’s – I catch her playing with them all at different times. She starts the day with them all put out of sight on the other side of the sofa – so all that you see are the ones that she pulled out. These weren’t bought just for her – the toy boxes have grown over the years to have the amount they currently have.

If I were to start out building her toy box – I would get the Kong because you can put so many things in it for hours of play if your pup likes it. I personally haven’t had one that liked it yet – but I hear of so many that do. Then I would add something that makes noise – they love to chew it and kill it when it makes a noise and something to chew on. Just be careful when you get chew toys for a basset – they have a stronger bite than the average dog as a pup and if you get a chew toy that is too soft – they could chew and choke on it. So I’m always careful when I get something to ensure that they can’t chew off parts to choke. Just tonight I noticed a toy that a friend got us – Mabel chewed off small parts – so in the garbage it went. Oh, the bigger green toy in the middle – that’s her bed buddy – its big enough that she can cuddle with it – and all the paws make noise – it’s her security blanket – we always have that one with her.

I think Mabel was just over three months in this photo – it was just a few days after I got her – so Bubbad would have a better idea how old she was – for some reason – I’m terrible when it comes to getting her age right – I’m a bad momma

I forgot to mention that also during the day while I’m working I’m doing a lot of catch with her – she like to bring me different toys to throw and bring back to me – so that’s a little extra playtime in and I’m still getting work done.

Jen~