Hi all,
Specific questions are at the bottom of the post, below is just some context about my situation and what I've learned for far:
Background
I live alone an apartment and work 9-5 Monday-Friday, with two days per week being remote. I'm trying to understand whether it would be viable for me to adopt (preferably foster-to-adopt) and what I can start doing now to make sure that I'm well educated. I'll most likely take some time off work as well so that they aren't being left alone for a full 8 hours within just days of coming home with me.
I've been reading about the 2 week shutdown period, have read Patricia McConnell's "How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety" and have just started her "The Other End of the Leash" book.
Right now, I'm thinking that adopting a slightly older (young, but not a puppy) dog would be a good idea so that they're more likely to have an easier time on their own during the day and might be more capable of holding their bladder while I'm at work. We had dogs when I was a child, but this would be the first time that I would be fully responsible for care and training. Not set on any particular breed, I'll probably ask the shelter for some advice based on my lifestyle.
Plan so far
The plan would be to take around 1.5-2 weeks off of work and organise my WFH days so that I'll get just over 2-2.5 weeks at home starting from the day they come home with me. Have a crate, lead, toys, food at home already and waiting. During that period, minimal guests (just my partner, and only after the pup has had some time to acclimatise to my home), no outings, keep a regular feeding schedule and make no demands of their attention unless they want to come up to me.
After about a week(?) in, start spending more and more time outside the apartment (like starting at a minute and working up to a few hours), and then probably stagger my WFH days when I first go back to work so that I'm not doing 3 consecutive days in the office for the first couple of weeks.
Concerns/Questions
– Please recommend some books for me to read up on, particularly if it's about training and welcoming rescues home rather than puppies without the same baggage.
– I've read that obedience training is a no-go during the shutdown period. Does that include crate training to give them a safe space?
– I don't have a garden, so bathroom breaks are going to be out in public starting from day zero. How can I manage the overstimulation of seeing cars, people, etc. out on the street during bathroom breaks?
– My apartment has no lift, just stairs. I'm worried about how much it might stress out a dog to be immediately forced up/down stairs or picked up multiple times a day for bathroom breaks. Should this be a big concern?
– Would it be a good idea to set up some of those disposable real grass pads inside (or on the balcony) to address the bathroom issues? I'm worried about having to later re-teach them to only go outside.
– What sort of exercise is safe to do with them during the shutdown period? Walks outside might be too scary for them, and I don't have a yard.
– How soon is it appropriate to get them used to me being outside for increasing lengths of time?
Thank you! If it looks like I've missed anything, please let me know!