In short, my pup will come home at 4 months old. I have the option to take 2 or 4 weeks off work, nothing inbetween (pity as 3 would be ideal) this is unpaid time off work I should add. When I go back pup will go to daycare 3 times a week, someone will be home the rest of the time. We have two adult dogs also as some of you may know.

So, even if i take 4 weeks off I will of course be getting pup used to being alone etc not just spending 24/7 with him so he is shocked when i return to work but this is a once in a lifetime purchase really and te most important you can make.... should i just take the 4 weeks off? I need to save a lot as recent car trouble just depleted my savings a good bit but i think it's doable. alternatively, some may think 2 weeks is enough and getting into the new routine may be more beneficial for the pup.

Thoughts?

I would opt for as long as possible, the pup needs to learn who you are and you need to start to build a relationship particularly important as your pup is an older pup and will not be used to being spoken to in English.

Thank you for giving me the option to take a month off and not feel bad :D :D

Well, depends on what you can afford but as he is an older puppy he will need to settle and then to understand that what you say goes. You will be able to start your training program and at the same time get him used to his new kennel mates.

Money-wise I will be pushing it only because my car had a random malfunction and just cost me 2k in a month (!) 8 weeks before puppytime... not helpful. You know what though this is what partners are for - helping out ;)

When I got Rhuari 8 yrs ago I hadn't had a new pup for 15 yrs so I took 3 weeks holiday which I had booked as soon as the litter arrived, he was 9 weeks old and got his final vac back at the breeders vet a week later, took him out and about in the car and in my arms till the vacs kicked in and did leash training in the house and garden.

House training was well under way in those early weeks, he got to play with Penny my Mums dachsie daily either at my house or theirs and he had the sedate company of my 15yr old cocker for the first year.

When I went back to work 3 nights per week he stayed at my Mums and depending on what she was doing that day he would stay there or come home with me, I set the alarm to get up and feed him midday and he would toilet outside then we went back to bed, he quickly learnt the routine and would wake me if he needed to go out before the alarm went off. Some days Mum would come and fetch him before lunch allowing me to sleep through.

Your case is different because you are not getting paid so take as long as you can afford to,puppyhood flies past so enjoy.

...and i don't want to miss a moment of it! i'm already sad enough he can't be imported until 4 months! :(

I would go for 4 if you can - gives you a bit more chance to settle him then get him used to being alone a bit more and such

Yeah, who was I kidding, I'm going to take 4. With holiday leave it'll be more like 5 :) Cannot wait!

Sounds great - have fun with your new baby :) Can I be nosey and ask what breed?

of course! Greyhound! :) Visiting him in 3 weeks :D :D :D

How exciting :) What colour is he - and where is he coming from?

He is a lovely deep red and coming from France. Added bonus of that is that I get to go to sunny France in a few weeks ;) :)

Sounds stunning :) Will you be showing him? Have you decided on a name yet?

Yes he is coming in sort of specifically for show though he will be primarily another pet and companion but yes showing regularly all going well, and lure coursing when he hits 1.5/2 :) Think the name will come when I meet him... I hope!

Red Greyhound?
Magma, Blaze, Ember,

What is his registered name and that of his parents?

I would go for something a bit French personally, Merlot? lol

now there is whole country of french wines to choose from very nice

Ah I won't have any trouble picking a name, I have lots of ideas just think it's better to meet him in person before deciding on one :) His registered name is picked now anyway.

Aw you spoiled our fun :D

hehe, i am listening to all the ideas!

I'd be a bit worried about him going to day care at 18/20wks old.  Most day cares don't adequately supervise dog-dog interactions, and puppies can end up feeling overwhelmed, scared, fear aggressive, or even learn to be excessively focussed on other dogs (because that's what they spend all day doing - playing with other dogs).  Where dogs get their fun and games as puppies has a lasting and formative influence on where they will seek fun and games in adult life...

I'd suggest that, instead of day care, you consider using a pet sitter to pop in, play with and toilet pup etc, 2-3 times a day.  Or, if you have a relative or friend who will be home and doesn't have dogs of their own and would like some puppy cuddles, use them instead.

I'm not a big fan of day cares - I think (when a pup is older) that a dog walker is a better idea; the constantly changing environment means that dogs are focussed on that as much as each other, and not just cooped up with each other for hours. 

I think 'Daycare' tends to be used as a catch all description of the various options you suggest, as opposed to kennels, not neccesarily as a specific kind of non owner care.

Ok, I heard it as meaning 'doggie day care', as a professional service...

May well mean a professional service, but a lot of different types of services could come under that heading, from kennelling in boarding kennels, to simply joining a person with or without own dogs at home, to a situation as you envision with larger numbers of dogs with minimal supervision allowed to please themselves all day in a paddock.

In this instance, our daycare will be a woman who lives locally and runs a dog boarding/walking business. She offers daycare for one to two dogs and they basically stay with her for the few hours I'm at work and get puppy cuddles and a walk and playtime. :) She is experienced, insured, has the recommended qualifications and doggy first aid and of course we have met her and had a long talk about our needs. :) We could alternatively leave him at home and just have her come collect him for walks but I am wary of him being over walked at a young age and the damage it can do.

..Thanks for bringing up these interesting points though. It does beg the question that at 5/6 months would I be better off going with the daycare or the same person popping in a few times a day? either is perfectly doable, I just want what's best for my boy so maybe even a mixture of the two would be best. We are talking 3 times a week, btw.

If she (or anyone else you know) can look after him without any contact with other dogs, that would be ideal.

But when there is contact with other dogs involved - even one or two - I think you need to be really careful since the experiences which puppies have at this early age are formative. 

When people are also running a business - answering the phone, responding to emails, caring for other dogs (ie kennels) and so on - it just isn't possible for them to supervise dog interactions as closely as possible.  Where a well-socialised adult dog will have the social skills to deal with most situations without conflict, and to be resilient enough to bounce back even if on the receiving end of something scary, a young puppy just won't have that yet. 

Really, I wouldn't want a pup of mine interacting with other dogs without my being present.  I'm a trainer & I advise my clients to try not to use a dog walker or doggie daycare until a dog is preferably a year old - and even then my preference would be a walker, not daycare.  In the meantime, I recommend pet visits for puppies... 

It would be better to have someone pop in several times a day, have vigorous games of tuggy, roll some balls around the garden to be chased, etc etc, in my opinion.  Or, if you know of a friend or family member who doesn't have other dogs and could puppy sit during the day (at their house or yours), that would be ideal too.

Sorry, if it's two dogs it will be my other GH with him. She won't go every day as quite simply as an adult greyhound it would eat into her valuable sleeping time. I wouldn't even consider it with my 9 year old greyhound as he'd hate it. She runs a home boarding business so no kennels to attend to either. I have visited her and spent a lot of time discussing our needs and feel quite confident it will be suitable, but of course I can have her simply visit either if needs be but I was concerned about leaving pup for 5 hours with one or two visits in that time, still leaves a couple of hours alone.

What would really help you decide is knowing what the breeders routine is. 

For example if mid morning is usually dogs down time while the breeder does shopping housework etc, or is the time the dogs get least owner/breeder time early afternoons?

For example when I am rearing puppies I tend to have from Lunchtime to teatime as fairly quiet time knowing that this slot tends to be the one new owners are likely to be doing no n dog stuff.

Most people do things with their dogs when most of the family are home post 3.30 - 5pm, so I tend to do age appropriate socialisation etc at this time, as that is what they are likely to get when they go to new homes.

Any puppy staying a little longer than 8 weeks I will try and ascertain new owners daytime routine so that pup can have quiet and interaction at similar times.

That is a BRILLIANT idea, thank you for that. As it stands, I spoke to the daycare lady again last night after a further fit of paranoia about my puppy (i think having kids is easier than dogs LOL ;)) and him not being happy with daycare etc. She confirmed that he will be the sole dog there with her 2 out of the 3 days he will be there. On day 3 there will be a jack russell there, we have agreed that I will bring him over a few weeks in advance of going back to work and see how he gets on with the JRT so we can ascertain if this would work or not. If it doesn't work out, then that day could be the day the dog walker/pet sitter comes. :)

Sounds like a good solution - good luck.

Thanks for all the advice! :)