New puppy

[Ragamuffin]

I’ve wanted a dog of my own for as long as I can remember, so I was over the moon when my stepdad decided to get me a puppy for my birthday. We picked Finn up on Saturday. He’s a farm-bred tricolour border collie - 10 weeks old. I work on a farm, so once he’s had his vaccinations, he will be coming to work with me. But in the mean time, I’m trying to get him used to being on his own for a few hours while I’m at work. Any tips would be appreciated. Pic of my boy below

[Astro04]

Oh! So much cute!
My sister also had one, now it almost have one year!
What it needs is something and someone to play with. There's someone can play with him in the meanwhile?

[Dawn.]

Oh my goodness, he is SOOO cute!

[Arabesque- golfing girl.]

Hello, your new puppy is so cute and I hope you have a lovely time together. When you get a new puppy, they are so much fun, you will have days when you don't feel well or you are tired and all they want to do is just play with you. I have two articles on puppies, when you have time if you would like to look at them, they can help you out. They are, https://www.rover.com/blog/50-puppy-...sier-training/ and https://www.puppytip.com/leaving-a-p...he-first-time/ Try your best to always stay calm with your puppy no matter what they are doing, chewing on your shoe's or starting to pee on the floor ect, just try to fix what is happening. Give him lot's of chew toys so that he can play and chew on. If you can find training classes when he is old enough, they are really good to have. Try walking him on a leash and taking him to a dog park for exercise and burning off energy. In your backyard, try throwing a tennis ball or frisbee or any kind of toy for him, it's so much fun. I hope you have fun playing with your dog.

[Celyn]

Finn is SO cute!

It's probably best to leave Finn alone only for a short amount of time at first then gradually increasing that to a few hours. Some people use the technique known as 'crate training' but if you don't have a crate or don't want to do that technique, you can set up an area within a room or an entire room that your dog can safely stay in, both during training and while you are away in the day.

Be sure to 'puppy proof' the area while you are away so that Finn can't get up to any mischief. If accidents (such as chewing or scratching furniture or going to the toilet indoors) do happen and you only find out hours later when you are back from work, avoid punishing Finn as he likely won't understand why he is being told off (especially if accidents happened hours ago and not recently).

You might also want to make sure that his needs for food, toileting, exercise and play have been met (if possible) before leaving Finn on his own when you are working. Ideally, you want Finn to be calm before you leave him and not in an excitable state (though young dogs are often excitable in themselves!).You might also want to look into toys that Finn can play with when he is by himself...I know Kong toys are quite popular! When you come home from work, it's probably a good idea to spend some time playing and walking Finn...I'm sure he'll be happy to see you!

For more information on how to go about training your dog to be left alone, you might want to check out information from the following organisations:

American Kennel Club- https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/tr...g-puppy-alone/
RSPCA- https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwe...ning/leftalone
Dogs Trust- https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-ad...joy-time-alone

[Ragamuffin]

Thanks everyone! I’ve actually started taking Finn to work with me. He usually sleeps in his crate in the farm office while I’m milking the cows or doing the yards and I take him out every now on his lead for a wee. I did try leaving him home a couple of times but things have been very busy at work and I wasn’t getting home in time to let him out. He seems much happier at the farm.

[Dawn.]

Originally Posted by Ragamuffin

Thanks everyone! I’ve actually started taking Finn to work with me. He usually sleeps in his crate in the farm office while I’m milking the cows or doing the yards and I take him out every now on his lead for a wee. I did try leaving him home a couple of times but things have been very busy at work and I wasn’t getting home in time to let him out. He seems much happier at the farm.

Great to hear he's happy at the farm.

[Rika]

Aw, how cute! I am glad he's also happy at the farm.

[Starseeker]

You've had Finn for a month now - how is he doing? Has he grown?

Aww, such an adorable puppy! How are things going with him? Please share any updates you have with us.

[Ragamuffin]

Finn is now 4 months old and doing really well. He has grown a lot (mostly his legs have gotten longer haha) He’s already house broken and knows some basic commands. Hoping to get him some puppy training sessions soon.

[Arabesque- golfing girl.]

I'm so glad that he is doing well and he looks so cute. Have fun playing with Finn and he looks happy.

[Celyn]

Finn has definitely grown since I saw him last! He looks like he is happy and healthy! Glad to hear that he is house broken now as well. Puppy training classes sound like a good idea and it also sounds like you've made a good start with basic commands too. Keep us updated if you'd like

[Starseeker]

Adorable! Love his neckerchief

[Rivière]

How nice! I hope your new puppy is doing well!