# Can you spend too much time with your puppy?



## [email protected] (Apr 8, 2009)

I know puppies and dogs love to be with their humans but I'm starting to think I've overdone it. I don't work so I'm home all day. I'm a real homebody and am happy to only leave home once a week for groceries and Rogan goes with us. We use this time to socialie him as we live in the country and he doesn't see any people or other dogs (except family and friends who visit). So he has only been left alone twice (for a few hours) since we got him, at 6 weeks old. Whats got me worried is that we're going away for the 1st week-end in May and he's going to have to go to the kennel. I'm feeling sick about how he's going to feel being left there. We did take him last week for a 1/2 day and he's going next week for a full day and then I'm going to try to leave him overnight for 1 night (if I can bear it) before he has to be left for 3 days/2 nights. He did not like his 1/2 day visit. He looked scared when we left him and was beyond excited when we came back to get him. Any opinions?


----------



## littledmc17 (Apr 9, 2008)

I have been there done that. I work and come home for lunch so Brady since a pup was ina crate for total of 8 hrs
My dh and I went to Bahamas for my ungrateful sisters wedding
we put our dogs in a kennel for a week (first time away for more then 4 hrs at a time)
Brady would not look at me for 2 days then we got back into routine he was fine.

It depends on the dog and if we go away again certified bonded pet sitter will be at the house


----------



## darga19 (Mar 4, 2009)

I'd say you're doing right by trying to introduce him to the kennel and build up your periods of time.

I'd try not to worry if I were you. When you leave the dog leave calmly and don't let yourself get upset and have a long emotional good bye or anything like that. Your mood will only rub off on him.

I doubt you've really spent too much time with your pup, but they do have to accept you being away from them for periods of time. I've never had any separation anxiety problems but I'd imagine it could lead to that if you have him by your side 24/7 and never show him that you WILL be coming back!!

In the end I'd do my best not to worry. He'll be fine! Hopefully you'll have him at a good kennel where he can have some good playtime and stuff.

One other piece of advice is maybe to enroll in an obedience class. It'll give you another way to socialize and an obedient dog is always great to have around!


----------



## Deejays_Owner (Oct 5, 2005)

Is not having one of your except family or friends who visits, come and stay at your place for the weekend not an option?


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 8, 2009)

I am hoping my son will be able to come and stay at our house that week-end but it's not definite. I should have also mentioned that Rogan will be 8 mths old in 2 days. I do still want him to have "practice" stays at the kennel because I'm sure at some point in his life he'll need to stay in one. I'm thinking it's better to introduce it to him while he's young.


----------



## Minnieski (Jan 27, 2009)

I work from home and my girl is out with me most of the day, but I still make sure to give her some alone time - like I'll take the trash out and leave her in the house (takes 5 minutes) and then she knows I'm coming back. We had to go on a trip for a few days for the first time since we got her the other day (she's 4 months old now) and we had a friend stay at the house and take care of her. When we left we pretended like it was any other time, and she did just fine. Good luck!! Just don't be too needy or worried around him because he'll definitely pick up on it and he could get separation anxiety.


----------



## Deejays_Owner (Oct 5, 2005)

I would never leave a pup at a Kennel, the damage that could happen could take years to fix, never mind the health concerns.
If it was something that was so important that I had to attend, and could not have family or friends stay and watch the pup.
I would do as Dawn as said go for a certified bonded pet sitter at the house.


----------



## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

I am also home with our pups all the time except for shopping/errands. Last fall, Boss (who was then a 14 month old pup), had never been left alone longer than 4 hours when my husband had a health emergency. I was at the hospital ER for 14 hours and worried about how Boss (and the house) would be when I returned home. He was VERY happy to see me but all was fine and I think he must have just snoozed the whole time I was gone. It is good to have them used to some time alone since you never know what emergencies can come up in life. But it is also very amazing sometimes how adaptable they can be. Whenever we have a planned absence we have always arranged to have someone stay at our house. If you do have to leave your boy at a kennel it is great you are trying to prepare him for it. Good Luck!


----------



## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

An 8 month old pup is not too young to go to a kennel, but maybe this isn't a great kennel. And I think spending lots of time with your puppy is a good thing, but you also need to get him used to being by himself, either in a crate, or confined in a safe place. 

I started taking Halo to daycare as soon as she met the age requirements, which was at 15 weeks old. She goes twice a week, and the place I take her is also a boarding kennel, so when we go out of town, the dogs will stay there. She LOVES it, so much so that when we get there I hand the leash over and she runs through the door into the back with whoever, without a backwards glance at me, lol! She can't wait to go have some fun. 

They have several supervised play sessions a day with dogs grouped by age, size, and activity level, so she gets interaction with other people and other dogs in a safe way. The playgroups are small, and afterwards each dog goes back to their own private room. So in addition to the socialization aspect, she's in a secure place getting some time alone away from us and from Keefer, and creating positive associations with the kennel where she'll be spending a week every year or two. 

If you don't have a really good kennel nearby, or you don't feel like it's a good environment for your dog due to his personality, a pet sitter is a good option. But either way, you should get him used to spending some time alone.


----------



## duenorth (Apr 25, 2003)

Which part of Ontario are you in? I've been taking my dogs to the same kennel for years (their first visit is usually around 5 months of age) and it's excellent. If it's not too far away for you, then I'd be happy to recommend it.


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 8, 2009)

I live about 45 mins south of Ottawa. I really like the kennel we took him to. My sister and niece both take their dogs there and can't say enough good about it. I was happy with the cleanliness and the big outdoor area and the individual kennels were big. I only met the two women working there that day but my niece calls the owner "the dog whisperer" because he's so good with dogs. He also trains dogs and owns two GSD's himself. He wasn't there when we were that morning but he usually is. My niece takes her dog there every day while she's at work and knows all the people there quite well. So I'm very comfortable with the kennel itself, I just know Rogan didn't like it much. 

Wendy


----------



## meisha98 (Aug 27, 2008)

I had a bad experience with a kennel shortly before Vegas became ill and died. (Stress could have set off his lymphoma) I kenneled him for two nights and the woman told me he was outdoors until ten PM both night. He barked in his cage and was obviously unhappy being kenneled. This dog never spent any time outside-strict house dog. Sorry, off topic- I refuse to go anywhere now unless I bring my dog or have a trust worthy person take care of them in my home. Some kennels have no common sense and it isn't worth risking your dog's life.


----------



## Rhena (Jan 30, 2009)

I'm in a really similar situation. My pup is with me all day and she has pretty bad separation anxiety when either of us leaves much less if both of us leave. It's slowly getting better as she's starting to realize that we'll always come back for her -- and as she's realizing that we're not punishing her when we leave her alone.

We're doing a very similar routine to get her ready for the week we'll be gone this summer. It sounds like you really like the kennel and really trust that your dog will be well taken care of. That was our first step too -- to find a kennel that we liked. We read a lot of on-line reviews, met a lot of the staff, -- they have web cams so you can check in on your pup, they have every dog go through an orientation day so they can make sure they're not aggressive, they have lots of vet techs on staff (who actually play and interact with the dogs), etc....

We've taken her for daycare there twice now to get her acclimated. Even though we have a separation anxiety prone dog, we also are lucky to have a dog that LOVES other dogs and is very good socially with others (I think it's 'cause she was with her litter for over ten weeks and then she was in a foster home with lots of dogs). So the kennel where we take her has all monitored playtime all the time (with options for nap times, snack times, etc...). On her first visit she was a little overwhelmed and nervous but she loosened up eventually and by the second visit she ran right in without looking back!

We are going to do one or two overnights before we have to be gone for the entire week but we're very confident that this facility will be great for her. She has a hard time sleeping in strange places -- but this place has the dogs sleep together and even has a human (vet tech) stay with them. It'll be the second best thing to sleeping next to us. 

I think that dogs are much more adaptable than we humans are and that your pup will handle it pretty well -- I certainly think that (assuming you have her in a good facility that you feel entirely comfortable with) she's resilient enough that nothing so terrible is going to happen in the course of a weekend that she's never going to recover! At the very least, if she isn't entirely happy with the situation, she is learning that you will always come back for her. 

Take a weekend away!


----------



## artest7 (Apr 24, 2015)

So….What's the answer to "Can you spend too much time with your dog" then??


----------



## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

No way, no how....unless you are less than engaging,


SuperG


----------



## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I think pups should learn to be alone so separation anxiety doesn't develop. Sometimes people get a pup when they are on vacation and never allow the pup to learn that alone time is ok...so when they go back to work, the routine is not what it was and the puppy can't adjust. 

Even better when the breeder separates the pups for short periods and gets them use to crate, alone time after a meal. The transition to the new owner is much easier on the pup if they've learned this early on.


----------

