# How long can I leave my 8 week old puppy alone?



## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Hi guys, I have an 8 week old puppy. She's been with us for about 5 days. I haven't left her alone at all yet. I take her with me everywhere and she sleeps in my room. Im mostly a stay at home mom. I do have a side job that I do twice a month. It takes me 8 hours each time. Im trying to figure out what Im going to do with her. If I have to pay for her to get a pet sitter because she is so young, I will. Im hoping there is an alternative option. Like maybe I can ask my boss to show up later in the day so that she is only crated for 2-3 hours (My husband gets home around 4). I honestly have no idea if that is even an acceptable amount of time. Thanks for all your help guys. This website is amazing!


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## lexiz (Apr 4, 2015)

At eight weeks old, I would leave your puppy alone for two hours maximum. She is still bonding with you, and she still has a little baby bladder. Is she crate trained?


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

Well she takes naps in her crate during the day because I have 2 kids. I feel she is safer in there rather than the couch where they might forget about her. She doesn't love being in the crate if she isn't sleepy. However I randomly put her in it if I have to do something for a few minutes that doesn't allow me to supervise her (10 min or so). She also sleeps in her crate at night. She seems to be able to hold her bladder at night for about 3-4 hours. During the day she goes much more often.


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## lexiz (Apr 4, 2015)

Dogs secrete hormones during their sleep that allows them to hold it for longer at night.  During the day is a lot tougher for them! As long as she is being let out every couple of hours for potty/play breaks, she should be good! Crate training has been our best friend. Vesper (our female GSD) absolutely loves her crate and will sleep in it even when the door is open. It's her safe space. Perhaps making the crate more enjoyable for your puppy might make spending the time in there a little easier?


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

The rule of thumb for crating puppies and for how long they can go without pee break is one hour for every month of age, plus one hour. So a 2 month old can be crated for up to 3 hours at a time, a 3 month old pup for up to 4 hours at a time, a four month old for up to a maximum of five hours, etc. 

So by the time they are six-seven months old, you can crate them for an 8 hour day.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

@Lexis - what kind of things do you put in there? I hide treats in there, her kong with peanut butter in it and her nylabone. Even with all that, she prefers being with her people when she is awake. I'm still trying to figure out the best toys out there.


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## lexiz (Apr 4, 2015)

With Vesper, I can tell you what we did.

We NEVER EVER NEVER let her out when she cried. At night, I set an alarm for every two hours and I would get up and take her out. While I was gone, my husband would put cut up pieces of hot dogs and hide them in the kennel. Hot dogs were her special crate treat, and she never got them any other time. She started to think of her crate as the source of the yummy hot dogs! I put an old t-shirt of mine in there with her, and she seemed to like that. Also, I know that they say that the crate shouldn't be too big for the dog. Vesper has always preferred a larger crate. We had her in one that was perfect for her size, and she just didn't like it at all. She always wanted to stretch out, so we got a larger crate. That solved a lot of the problems right then. I'm not saying that works for every dog, but Vesper is a diva! We never put Vesper in her kennel as a punishment either! It's her safe space, and that's it. We don't put any toys in during the night, because it's sleeping time. During the day, I will put a frozen kong in there or a chew toy.

Do you have any other questions?


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

I love the hotdog idea and the T shirt. I will definitely be trying it. Its been challenging to not really being able to put her in there unless she feels like napping. Especially since I have a 2 year and a 6 year old that I also need my attention. Im going to try and resist taking her out when she cries. Thanks Lexiz. I really appreciate the tips!


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

you will just have to try things. Toys ignored by my first pup were enjoyed by my second pup. Neither liked the Nylabone. Just avoid things that can be torn apart like soft stuffed toys or knotted ropes. Knots are fine if you are watching. Loose strings need to be cut off of they could get swallowed. Long string is hard to spit out.


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## maverick_sablegsd (Dec 23, 2015)

I love this post. We are bringing home our GSD pup, February 4th. I work full-time and with my husbands' work schedule he is able to be home more(firefighter schedule 3 days on 4 days off) however there are days that we over lap and both would not be home to let the puppy out of his crate. We will in about 2-3 months have a kennel built for him in the yard (recommended by breeder) but for now he will be in the crate. 

Breeder recommended taking the dog to work in a crate and leaving him in the car while weather is cool and he is still young. Has anyone done this before and found it successful? I like the idea because it allows me to bind with my puppy. I am able to take 10s and I have an hour lunch.


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## Wags (Dec 17, 2015)

maverick_sablegsd said:


> I love this post. We are bringing home our GSD pup, February 4th. I work full-time and with my husbands' work schedule he is able to be home more(firefighter schedule 3 days on 4 days off) however there are days that we over lap and both would not be home to let the puppy out of his crate. We will in about 2-3 months have a kennel built for him in the yard (recommended by breeder) but for now he will be in the crate.
> 
> Breeder recommended taking the dog to work in a crate and leaving him in the car while weather is cool and he is still young. Has anyone done this before and found it successful? I like the idea because it allows me to bind with my puppy. I am able to take 10s and I have an hour lunch.


I think it depends on how cool it is during the day? I've heard of people doing this. I would never attempt it in our sometimes below zero weather, but perhaps if cooler weather is like in 40's it would be ok.


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## maverick_sablegsd (Dec 23, 2015)

Wags said:


> I think it depends on how cool it is during the day? I've heard of people doing this. I would never attempt it in our sometimes below zero weather, but perhaps if cooler weather is like in 40's it would be ok.


I am in Northern Cali, right now we are experiencing a "cold front" and it is around 40 degrees to 50 degrees. of course the car is parked in a shaded spot with windows cracked.


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## milaneechan (Dec 29, 2015)

lexiz said:


> With Vesper, I can tell you what we did.
> 
> We NEVER EVER NEVER let her out when she cried. At night, I set an alarm for every two hours and I would get up and take her out. While I was gone, my husband would put cut up pieces of hot dogs and hide them in the kennel. Hot dogs were her special crate treat, and she never got them any other time. She started to think of her crate as the source of the yummy hot dogs! I put an old t-shirt of mine in there with her, and she seemed to like that. Also, I know that they say that the crate shouldn't be too big for the dog. Vesper has always preferred a larger crate. We had her in one that was perfect for her size, and she just didn't like it at all. She always wanted to stretch out, so we got a larger crate. That solved a lot of the problems right then. I'm not saying that works for every dog, but Vesper is a diva! We never put Vesper in her kennel as a punishment either! It's her safe space, and that's it. We don't put any toys in during the night, because it's sleeping time. During the day, I will put a frozen kong in there or a chew toy.
> 
> Do you have any other questions?


Baymax (13 weeks old) is the same way about his crate. He likes to stretch out. Even though his crate is bigger than they recommend for training, he has never had an accident in there. We do use his crate for punishment sometimes (when he starts to go crazy bitey and aggressive, and nothing will stop him), but it hasn't hindered his like for it. He will still go in on his own when he wants to nap in peace, and goes in willingly at night for bedtime. 

I am curious about the kong. Looking at it, it looks like the treats are easy to out, so what kind of treats go in? And whats the benefit to freezing them. Looking into one for Baymax for when I get a job and his crate time will be unfortunately increased. (though, that's not looking like that will be any time soon >.>)


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## lrodptl (Nov 12, 2009)

From 8 to about 12 weeks I never crated for more than 3 hours. I would limit water after 6PM to ice cubes. They are not as active,so cutting back on water is not a problem and is advantageous in assisting with the crate time.


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## Agaribay805 (Jan 7, 2016)

@ Milaneechan - i try not to use the crate for punishment either but i do once in a while when i seriously don't know what to do about her biting! Most of the day its manageable but about once a day she goes nuts and I feel like i have to put her in there to protect my kids lol. I just wear boots and i can handle it but when she goes through her moment my kids are at perfect reach for her. What do you guys think about that? Would I be better off putting her in the yard until her moment passes? Also the Kong works better than other chew toys but for our pup, toys are a weak distraction. I put peanut butter mixed with little tiny pieces of hotdog or ham (about pea size). Hotdog is probably her favorite treat.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Be careful of tee shirts and other fabric if your puppy is a chewer. Mine rips fabric and swallows pieces. I can't even use a crate pad.


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## lexiz (Apr 4, 2015)

LuvShepherds said:


> Be careful of tee shirts and other fabric if your puppy is a chewer. Mine rips fabric and swallows pieces. I can't even use a crate pad.


Very good point! Vesper didn't start chewing up fabric-like toys until she was a little older, so when she was crate training we didn't have any issues with it. Ropes are a no-no for kennels, or when you aren't supervising. Vesper LOVES to ingest ropes. Very bad for her digestive tract so we had to stop using ropes entirely.


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