GunnersMum

IMO, there is too much mischief a puppy can get into if left unattended for 2 hours in a garden. Puppies that young should
not be left alone at all unless they are confined to a crate or other "proofed" area in your house i.e. bathroom/laundry
room.

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ca323

I agree,

even being in the room with them you can see they just go from checking on thing out to the next constantly, and they chekck it all out with their mouths. Within a week our boy started to sleep til later, it takes time and of course sacrifice, in this case sleep. My wife comes home from work after midnight, lets him out, then I am on morning duty well she finishes her sleeping.

eclaire

First off I will say that every puppy is different and I think you need to work with what you have...

That said, Rainah has been staying in her crate during the day for 7.5 continuous hours since she was 5 months. (I've read everywhere that it should be however old in months they are plus 1 month, so a 5 month old would be 6 hours max, but obviously this doesn't apply to every dog) She has never had an accident and doesn't make a sound (the first time I tried her for that long I stayed home to see how she would react)

We got Rainah when she was 10 weeks old and she was sleeping right through the night about 2-3 weeks later. (from about 10 PM - 6AM) Every now and then she will wake us in the middle of the night, but its rare. Lately because its been so hot we let her drink water all through the evening and so she sometimes needs to pee in the middle of the night.

Anyways, I wish you the best of luck... keep with it, they learn quickly

PS - Exercise exercise exercise... I think part of the reason Rainah does so well in her crate during the day is because we walk her for about 1.5 hours first thing in the morning and then she has about another 2 hours hanging out around the house before she is put in her crate....

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zolo

Thanks so much for replies. Unfortunately I cannot walk the dog in the morning as I start work early and I leave home at 7 (except weekends of course). I live in a very warm climate and I have a garden at least 200 sq meters.

In mid August when I will take the puppy she will be 2 months. In the weekdays at 7 at morning can I let her in the garden alone before I leave for work until my wife wakes up and attends her, lets say for one hour?

Also provided the very warm climate, do you reckon to buy an outdoor crate for puppy, or that would be too much - we sleep inside and so small puppy sleeps outside alone?

Primo

Dobermans aren't outside dogs. If you plan to leave the dog outside to sleep etc I'd consider a different breed. In my opinion no dog is an outside dog. I also wouldn't leave her unattended for that long. I too will be getting a puppy soon and I know how much work it's going to entail. If I felt I wasn't ready to put in the work I wouldn't be getting the puppy. She's going to have you up and will demand your attention. Outside in the garden alone for an hour isn't going to work. She could eat plenty of things in that time frame, something as simple as a stick would be catastrophic to her delicate digestive system. I don't plan to allow my puppy out of my sight for more than 30 seconds when roaming freely.

You may want to seriously evaluate whether you have the kind of time to

A. Raise a puppy
B. Raise a doberman or any physically demanding breed.

My two cents.

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Argument against NILF:

ca323

It is demanding, I'm living it right now, been up since 6, barely slept all nice because I can hear him moving in his crate at the oot of my bed, and that was even after my wife let him out last night at about 2 and played with him then.

In the end only you will know what works best for you and your pup but Primo is right it takes work, and you have to be ready for the effort.

zolo

I am ready for the puppy, I already ordered it and I know the consequences and its not my first one, although its my 1st with my new family (wife & kids). My wife is ready to share the burden with me.

I am asking about the garden as most dog owners where I live, leave their dogs (dobes, german shepherd dogs, boxers etc) outside, mainly because the dogs are not properly trained/socialized to live in house but also to have an alert dog (or guard although it guards better inside the house)

You know climate here is very warm and there aren't many dog clubs or proper trainers and not many proper breeders. Most people here buy from pet shops because they are not informed or they find them cheaper or faster than to wait for a good breed or they simply attracted from a cute puppy in a crate. Then they buy an outdoor dog house and place the dog there from 3-4 months old.

I am going to follow different steps than above, the dog will be fully socialized with my kids, couple of other not aggressive dogs from the neighbor and walks outside, but its difficult for me to go to a doberman club 2 hours away, you understand that my 1st priority are my kids.

From my experience big dogs love the garden and I am sure that when she will be older she will quite enjoy playing there with the kids.

ca323

In the end you'll find what works best for you and your family and thats most important, not whatever everyone on here says is the "right" thing. So see how it goes and adjust accordingly. If I listened solely to the advice that the dog can only remain in its crate for its age + 1 then I'd be up to many times in a night. We worked on it for a couple nights and hooray he sleeps most of the night no issue. So be patient, be happy and enjoy it. I'm also saying this to reassure myself as well. Thanks.