[ahrenss]

Hi all,

A while a go I came here searching some info on apartment breeds and was really helpful. So first I would like to thank you, I decided to add a puppy Boston terrier to my life.

But since having a puppy is a lot of work and patience I would like to ask some help and tipps on how to manage my time so that our little Boston Terrier feels well at our apartment and do not suffer from depression, anxiety or any other separation problem.

The thing is I live in a apartment in Munich that is not small but doesnt have a Balcony. There is a small living room, our bedroom, a quite big kitchen and a normal size bedroom.

I live with my girlfriend and our puppy will be joining us when he is 8 weeks old.

I leave for work at 8, come back at around 1:30 p.m, leave again at 4:00 p.m and finally come back at 7:30

With this schedule in mind I am planning to wake up early and give him food, wait 15 minutes and bring him out to do his business.

When I come home in early afternoon also give him food and spend some time with him until I have to leave again. At night the same thing.

Do you think this will be ok for him? I've read around that Boston Terriers do well when alone at home but the info I found seems to be too generic.

Also, I read two times a day is enough for a Boston Terrier to eat but since I she will stay alone I think giving her 3 small portious would avoid the she stays hungry.

Thanks a lot

Gabriel

[puplove]

Initially I wouldn't leave the pup longer than a few hours. Do you plan on crate training? An 8 week old pup needs to go out every few hours to relieve itself and if initially you don't keep up on that you could create potty troubles which would be hard to break. Is there anyone who can come in and let the dog out for you. I would be most concerned about potty training.

[crazyears]

Agree with puplove. My understanding is that we shouldn't leave a puppy in a crate more than one hour longer than the number of months in the age of the pup. So, 2 month old puppy plus 1 hour=3hours at the most.

If you really have no choice maybe an X-Pen would be a better option. (Although when you are there on weekends gradual crate training would definitely be good. You never know when it will come in handy.)

Set X-Pen up in an area where the floor can be cleaned easily, Put her bed, safe chew toys, and water on one end and some pee pads on the other end. Working on the theory that dogs don't like to soil their sleeping area. Hopefully she would have more freedom but still couldn't destroy anything or go potty in inappropriate areas.

Your feeding plan sounds fine. Younger puppies need to eat more often than adults. When housetraining though, consider that some pups need to be taken out and given the opportunity to go outside in order for them to get the idea of where you want them to eliminate and to avoid in house accidents, which will create housetraining setbacks. The more often they are fed, the more often they will need to go. Our last pup went out about every half hour unless he was sleeping. It's a lot of work at first but definitely worth it. Saves so much frustration in the future.

Be sure to post photos of your pup. We have a BT mix and he is a fantastic dog. Very smart and so cool. Best of luck with your new puppy.