[Floyd]

Hey all! My fiance and I just picked Floyd up from the Humane Society on Saturday and got to know him over the weekend. Evidently he was found by another dog owner that couldn't take him in. The guy spent three weeks trying to find his original owner without any luck.

Floyd seems really happy to be in a home again... I'm assuming he had one before since he seems to be housebroken already. Today is his first day alone since we've gotten him, so there's some separation anxiety on our part (I think he'll sleep!). I'll be checking on him during my lunch hour, but shouldn't he be fine from about 6:30 am to 3:30 pm in his crate? What about water during that time? I figured the first couple days I'd take him out during lunch, but I can't do that on a consistent basis. Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!

And now, Floyd:

After his first meal.

This picture taking is going to be a regular thing, isn't it?

Doing what he does best.

Thanks all!

 

[Floyd]

Forgot to add... the vet estimated that he's about 12 months old.

 

[Barbara Winters]

Floyd's a cutie and from the looks of those short nails, had frequent nail trimmings in his previous home and probably was taken care of very well.

Nine hours IMO is too long for him to stay in a crate right now. I'd start with letting him out during your lunch hour, potty, drink, some playtime, another chance to potty, and then back in the crate with a snack. After making sure he can go this long without accidents in his crate you can gradually increase the time you come home during your lunch hour, if you have that flexibility. I wouldn't leave him with water-I don't think my dogs ever drank any water until I was home anyway.

If he starts having accidents then I would consider having someone come in during the day or doggie day care. The other option would to put him in a gated room like the kitchen with his crate door open and papers near the door where he can potty. The only downside to this is his housetraining may digress but it's still not as bad as having the poor boy pee or poop in his crate. As he's only about a year, there's a good chance he hasn't been housetrained all that long.

From the looks of him, and considering he is only about a year old, he could probably use 3 meals a day. No comment here please, Mikey T.

Enjoy your new boy!

 

[Emma and Doris]

Welcome Floyd, what a nice looking boy - say Emma and Doris.

Mine won't hold for more than 6 hours - and they have the roam of
the house. Maybe you can get someone to walk him at lunch time?

 

[Floyd]

If need be, we can always get someone... don't want the guy to be uncomfortable! (And possibly lose training!) I can do it for a couple weeks, no problem and by that time we should have someone lined up. He's very good at night... we overslept Sunday morning and by the time I got him out, it had been about 8-9 hours since the night before. No whining or barking to tell us he needed out.

I'm taking him to the vet today since he seems to have a sneezing problem. It's gotten progressively worse since he came home this weekend, so I'm thinking he's allergic to something in the house or outside. He's also done the reverse sneezing thing, which scared us pretty bad but doesn't seem to bother him. He just keeps walking around, wagging his tail while he does it!

 

[Guest]

Welcome, he is a handsome guy with a very sweet face. Thank you for adopting!

 

[Rubydoo]

He's very cute altho kinda thin.

Those hours are too long for him to hold it during the day at any age.

 

[Sandy and Bo]

Welcome to hansome Floyd!

Sandy

 

[xtineebee]

OMG! The *freckles* on him! He's great; mine was also adopted with the mystery of why an animal that had clearly been cared for was in the shelter.

As for how long you can leave them - I think that a puppy is certainly going to be tested by those hours. An adult would be as well, although they may be able to hold out longer in an emergency (i.e. your nephew has just broken his foot and you need to get over to help your sister ASAP. Sebi was a trouper that day, and was alone for almost 11 hours. I was certain the poor fellow would have broken, but he didn't - and was very glad to see me at last. I felt very guilty about it, but he seemed to take it in stride).

Bassets are also big on a set routine. If you leave and come home at set times on a regular basis, they adapt to you. He will most likely sleep while you are gone, no worries. But you better be ready to take him out *immediately* the moment you come home and give him a break and his evening walk. Issues really only come up if that routine is broken, we've found.

And once more with feeling - his freckles are adorable.

 

[Flash Ellwood5]

What a pretty boy! He is adorable! The best of luck to you...and about the basset routine, I couldn't agree more!

 

[copsmom]

Welcome and I agree the freckles are precious.

 

[Mikey T]

From the looks of him, and considering he is only about a year old, he could probably use 3 meals a day. No comment here please, Mikey T.

No comment ! :lol:

 

[Lina]

he is sooo cuteee....

 

[Guest]

What about water during that time?

We have a water bottle that attaches to Byron's crate. It looks like a big hamster water bottle, but Byron loves it. We lfill it cold fresh water when we go out and leave him in his creat/play pen. You can see it in the picture:
http://images1.snapfish.com/346%3C3595%3A%...3B%3C%3B3nu0mrj

 

[Guest]

Welcome to the forum and to the world of Bassets. I love his freckles!
Jennifer

 

[Floyd]

Thanks eveyone for the suggestions and comments! Yes, he is a bit thin right now and we've started him on Nutro Natural Chicken Meal, Rice, and Oatmeal adult food. Feeding times are very exciting for him!

I took him to the vet on Tuesday and they think he has an upper respiratory infection, so we started him on antibiotics (which he eats with no problem with his food!) and a nasal spray... he doesn't care for the spray much! We're taking him back in a couple weeks for a check-up, but I can already see he's not sneezing or coughing as much.

We definitely need to get him accustomed to other dogs, however. Yesterday he met another local dog and got so excited that he slipped his collar while the other owner and I were talking. He thought the ensuing chase "game" was a lot of fun. We're going to get him a harness to use now so that he can't slip away. Between his neck and small-ish head, a collar just doesn't seem effective when he wants off!