# Pomeranian puppy and fulltime job-bad idea?



## gardn198 (Jan 9, 2011)

Hey all,

I'm not new to owning dogs-- I had a golden retriever who passed away at age 12, currently have a pomeranian and a golden retriever back home in Michigan. I recently moved to LA (I'm 24) and I work full time. I love my dogs back home but they're family pets so my parents wouldn't let them come with me!

I live in a huge 3,000 square foot apartment with 5 roommates, and we have a cat. This cat, according to my roommate who owns her, gets along with dogs but not with other cats. I really really want a dog companion, I'm just wondering what opinions you can offer before I make a decision.

I work full time, but it's only about a half hour drive so I could come home on my lunch hours a few times a week, and possibly get a dog walker the other 2-3 days I don't come home. I'm just worried that, knowing how much harder it was to potty train my pom vs. our new golden retriever puppy-do you think that will be an issue?

I also think I should keep the puppy in my room while I'm not home. I have a large flatscreen that I'd be worried would fall on it if god forbid there was some kind of earthquake or something. I have the master bedroom of the apartment and it's very large, larger than our kitchen- so I think it'd be best to keep the puppy in there. 

Do you think I will have a hard time potty training a pomeranian and working full time?
I'd walk it in the morning at 8:30 am, and I'd be home from work by 6:30 pm at the latest. I really do want a dog, and I know other people do it with this kind of schedule, I'm just wondering if that would work. Pomeranians are pretty independent so I think they would be okay to be home alone vs. a more emotional breed like a golden retriever... does that make sense?


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Smaller breeds, smaller bladders supposedly. Also, pups need to go like, every couple of hours until they have full control of their bladders, apparently.

I am a full time student and also working part time, so I went with an adult pom instead of a puppy. I think maybe a young adult would be a better idea than adopting a puppy


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

I second the idea of an adult. Check with reputable breeders in your area -- many hold back show prospects that don't end up turning out for some small reason, but make excellent pets, and are often cheaper, too. Retired show/breeding dogs are great as well, and usually not very old (often around six years old). Or you could go with a rescue pom (I almost think that the "badly-bred" foxier poms you see in rescue are cuter than the show ones).


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Yappp I have a rescue pom (from a puppy mill seizure), and he is the best thing that has ever happened to me! (Besides my cats and hedgehog of course hehe). He's very cute, even if he doesn't fit the breed standard 100%


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## gardn198 (Jan 9, 2011)

My biggest issue from getting an adult is that... can you still get pet insurance? I thought they only allow you to get insurance before they reach a certain age and already have "pre-existing conditions" or is that not true? 

My friend's 8 month old Chihuahua got a rare form of parvo (apparently it's EVERYWHERE here in LA) and it cost her almost $10,000 but luckily Rue was saved! So I'm definitely getting pet insurance. The extra $35 is worth it to me.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

I am pretty sure that it depends on the insurance company. I just had a quick look at the first one found on Google and they even offer senior dog insurance, so I am pretty sure you can register your dog at any time

By pre-existing condition, they probably mean something like luxating patella, etc. or some sort of a genetic disorder. Not things like parvo. Also remember that dogs that come from rescues already come vetted so they are usually healthy


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

My husband and I got a puppy and worked full time, but with our work schedules, the puppy was never left alone for more than 4 hrs. Usually less, and he was confined when he was home so he couldn't get into things. It was still a lot for two people to juggle. Now that the dog is an adult, we have SO much more freedom. We still don't leave him more than 6 hrs without a walk (though on his own he's refused to go out in the cold for 8+, and can hold it for 11+ overnight when he refuses to get out of the warm bed in the morning). My dog is 20 lbs and I don't know how much the "small dog small bladder" thing is true. He has been fine with only 3 walks in a day, by his own choice since one of us was home all day and would have taken him out any time. As a puppy though? When we were home he had to go out every 20 minutes. So glad that's over. 

Insurance coverage cut offs vary by company, but it is generally once animals are considered "senior." A young adult dog should have no trouble getting insurance.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

If any one of your 5 roommates is around while you are gone and are willing to spend time with him (even if its just puppy underfoot with peepads everywhere while they eat lunch or watch TV even)-- I am a sucker for pups myself, and if you wouldnt have to leave him/her alone for more than a couple hours at a time during the day (at night he/she should be trained to sleep)... and you do go with a dog walker etc... there are plenty who specialize in little dogs, then of course it is doable-- just dont do the alone for hours routine (NOT OK for any dog especially a little puppy) its inhumane!.....But you seem like you are willing to work for this ... so of course this is doable....Not saying it will be easy, but doable, how "bad" do you want it!....


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## Chief502 (Dec 3, 2012)

I work full-time and have a dog. He's an English Bull Terrier, though. I work 10+ hour night shifts, but I make it work because I really wanted a dog. I have a hard time sleeping at night and having another large warm body next to me helps me sleep through the night (well, morning technically, lol). Unfortunately, I can't have my boyfriend with me 24/7 and my nightly work schedule makes it hard for me to see him often. I see him about maybe 2 days out of the week? Anyways...If you think you can handle it and if one of your roommates is willing to help out - then even better! As I've always been told: If you can put your mind to it - you can do it! I think it's really up to you how bad you want a Pomeranian. If you do decide to get one, then a schedule will fall into place.  If your room is big enough - you might want to think about just puppy pad training your Pom. It may make things easier if one of your roommates doesn't want to help out.


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## Kayla_Nicole (Dec 19, 2012)

One of my best friends and her husband have the most adorable Pom. They both work full time and Ellie stays gated in the kitchen for the day. She is 3 or 4 years old now though, but she is able to hold it through the entire day. I would definitely suggest planning on heading home at lunch time for a potty break or hiring a dog walker though while your pom is a puppy. I'm not usually a supporter of puppy pad training, but for a very small breed, it may be a good idea for while it is a puppy. Good luck!


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## readmeli (Jan 15, 2013)

I think having a puppy is do-able for a person working full-time but you need to commit to it. You have to get up a couple hours earlier to tend to the puppy and be active with them. Then if you cannot come home at lunch, they need a pen area where they can have a crate & piddle pads and access to water. It may be more difficult to potty train. You then have to alter your schedule AFTER work as well to be home for them. You cant just leave a puppy all alone for 18 hours of the day. You come home and care for the puppy. Perhaps once or twice a week you can go out to dinner, but you must take care to play EVEN MORE with the puppy those nights. There is potty training, and training in general. Biting, biting, biting, chewing, chewing, and pee & poop'ing! It is a handful. You would need to have all your roommates commit to helping you as well. And then with a cat, there is even more involved because you need to train the puppy to respect the kitty. This could mean keeping the puppy leashed to you for several weeks and training to be calm with the cat....

I am going through all of this right now and it is A TOTAL LIFE CHANGE. But I am determined and changing my life for my new family member.

I'd look into the rescue dog route - something middle aged who can still be active but is somewhat trained and out of crazy puppy stage. I've had 2 rescues myself and they were both AMAZING DOGS.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

gardn198 said:


> My biggest issue from getting an adult is that... can you still get pet insurance? I thought they only allow you to get insurance before they reach a certain age and already have "pre-existing conditions" or is that not true?
> 
> My friend's 8 month old Chihuahua got a rare form of parvo (apparently it's EVERYWHERE here in LA) and it cost her almost $10,000 but luckily Rue was saved! So I'm definitely getting pet insurance. The extra $35 is worth it to me.


You can totally get pet insurance for an adult dog. However, known pre-existing conditions will not be covered. It will be easier (and cheaper) to get full coverage for a younger adult, rather than an older one, but unless there is something seriously wrong (epilepsy, for example), you should be able to get accident insurance no problem. We were able to get insurance for our "senior" 8 yo American Eskimo. Our insurance company also offered to consider upping our coverage to full coverage if we submitted all of Snowball's medical records which I just haven't tracked down yet (we have the name of his old vet, I just feel weird about calling them). I never understood the age-cutoffs for dogs. Our company a "senior" dog was one over the age of 6, which for a lot of small-breed dogs is barely out of puppyhood... but for a Great Dane or Mastiff that's pretty much a foot in the grave (okay, I'm exaggerating a little).

Anyway, in general, a pre-existing, condition would be anything that your dog has been previously diagnosed and can be considered a chronic or recurring condition, but it will vary a little by company. "Pre-existing conditions" can be a wide range of things: dental work, hip dysplasia, epilepsy, bladder infections, cancer, warts, allergies, etc.


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