# Home Alone: Recipe for disaster?



## PoodlePaws (May 28, 2013)

My company lets me work from home. That is the ONLY reason I got 2 puppies at once. Luckily, if I was in the office, my husband is home all day, so he could've dealt with them. If it wouldn't of been for those 2 things, I wouldn't have gotten animals. Thankfully I didn't have this issue


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## PoodlePaws (May 28, 2013)

My reasoning is because I just don't think it's fair to them to be crated for 10 hrs, then out for 2-3 hrs, then crated again for another 10 hrs At night. That's basically all day in a crate.


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## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

*Great thread!!*

Great thread! It's definitely situation dependent and personality dependent. I am a student finishing up my clinical rotations right now and my schedule changes every 5 weeks. First 5 weeks I had Naira was a great time to have a pup. The hospital I was at was very close and was able to give her breaks for 2 hours during the day. 2nd 5 weeks I had her, at times it would be great (I would work night shifts and while she was sleeping at home uncrated/sometimes crated I would be at work at night shift) but then other times I would work long day shifts and feel bad. I mentioned in another thread that there were 2 days she was crated for 12 hrs. 

Maybe "energy dependent" is a better word. If I exercise Naira in the morning, she will sleep the entireeeeeeeee day. a 30 minute FAST walk is sufficient. I have filmed her when I was gone and she can sleep the entire day in her crate only getting up to nibble on a toy and go back to sleep. I have food and water in there as well. *I could definitely leave her home alone for 8-10 hours a day, every day and she would be fine*. (of course I wouldn't though!) She wouldn't soil her crate or try to escape from her crate. Naira is 4.5 months old. Even filming her uncrated she mostly sleeps. She has never pooped or peed in her crate, or anywhere in the house. _Her crate is a mesh/soft crate that folds up and down, so if she wanted to get out of it she certainly could...but she is very relaxed in there and doesn't mind it_

Now, flash back to to my toy poodle I had years ago...and *this WOULD NOT HAVE WORKED AT ALL.* Leaving her alone for any length of time would cause her to pee and poop in her crate, roll around in it, fling her poop every where...flip her crate over, escape from her crate, escape from her pen and destroy everything in her sight. She was very high energy, very needy and VERY smart...she needed games, tricks and someone with her at home to give her breaks every 2 hours. 

Flash back to the future, if your dog is sleeping when you're gone...I wouldn't get hung up on the fact that they are sleeping "crated". When I get home we play fetch, we play outside, we cuddle, we train and she sleeps in bed with me. I would argue that most americans work and maintain dog ownership...and those dogs that are owned by people who work are in most cases living better lives than dogs in shelters (as long as the dog is given attention when the owner comes home). I definitely include Naira in all of my weekend activities...take her to all my friends' houses..take her on walks/park/play dates etc

So it's definitely possible to raise a happy and healthy puppy with a well balanced temperament while working for lengthy periods of time. It just depends on that particular puppy.


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## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

If I had to give advice:
1. Don't do it. lol. An older dog would probably do better. Let's be real, most puppies will not do well crated for lengthy periods every day.

2. A tired puppy = happy owner. Make your puppy DOG tired. (Don't exercise them to the point that it hurts them) but make them physically and mentally tired through playing, walking and training. 

3. Enlist the help of dog walkers, MAKE FRIENDS that wouldn't mind letting your cute puppy out during the day. Look for trustworthy neighborhood kids, elderly retired people that are willing to help etc. I got 10X more sociable when I got a puppy.

4. Include your puppy with you on the weekends when you're not working. Pretty much right now, if Naira can't go somewhere with me on the weekend (that would require me to leave her for a long time) I'm not going...


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

Naira I agree with you. for the past 50 years I have had poodles and I worked 7 days a week and long hours. My dogs understood, "Mommy got to to to work". I never crated them I put them in the kitchen or a large play pen, with food water and a potty area, they never potty. Now when I came home outside before anything. Then we ate and played and cuddled and they would sleep with me. When I was off I never went anywhere I could not take them. I would go to outside restaurants and take them to dinner with me, for drinks etc. I think it is all what they get used to and none of mine were, wild, high stung they were a delight.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

I handle puppies only at the breeder's. Dandle them on my knee, play with them a bit... then walk away and adopt an adult!


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## ItzaClip (Dec 1, 2010)

My fur kids are spoiled enough to come to my grooming salon with me every day but all my clients that work regular jobs I strongly strongly suggest either changing your schedule temporarily or having someone come to the home during day to potty and exercise puppy. I also often put new puppy clients together for playtimes and encourage them to trade puppy sitting.


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

When we made Chanter a part of our busy family, we quickly realized that we had to find time for him and decided on the following: Chanter is walked at 6am; a walk with DS and DH to school; I go home to walk/play/hang out with him over lunch and bow out of work luncheons. DS walks him after school, I walk/run with him after dinner and then one more quick walk just before bedtime.
Chanter used to be crated in the morning before I got home for him at lunch and back in the crate until DS came home at 3pm and he was crated at night (he liked his crate at night). We stopped crating him completely when he was about 2 yrs. Not sure we did everything correctly, but he has turned out to be a great first dog. The walks are both on and off leash. On weekends we gets really long morning walks and he plays with lots of time to play with all his dog-friends.


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## Alex2592 (Jan 10, 2015)

I


Naira said:


> Great thread! It's definitely situation dependent and personality dependent. I am a student finishing up my clinical rotations right now and my schedule changes every 5 weeks. First 5 weeks I had Naira was a great time to have a pup. The hospital I was at was very close and was able to give her breaks for 2 hours during the day. 2nd 5 weeks I had her, at times it would be great (I would work night shifts and while she was sleeping at home uncrated/sometimes crated I would be at work at night shift) but then other times I would work long day shifts and feel bad. I mentioned in another thread that there were 2 days she was crated for 12 hrs.
> 
> Maybe "energy dependent" is a better word. If I exercise Naira in the morning, she will sleep the entireeeeeeeee day. a 30 minute FAST walk is sufficient. I have filmed her when I was gone and she can sleep the entire day in her crate only getting up to nibble on a toy and go back to sleep. I have food and water in there as well. *I could definitely leave her home alone for 8-10 hours a day, every day and she would be fine*. (of course I wouldn't though!) She wouldn't soil her crate or try to escape from her crate. Naira is 4.5 months old. Even filming her uncrated she mostly sleeps. She has never pooped or peed in her crate, or anywhere in the house. _Her crate is a mesh/soft crate that folds up and down, so if she wanted to get out of it she certainly could...but she is very relaxed in there and doesn't mind it_
> 
> ...


If would love to take care of Naira for you. If only you were closer though. I'm sure her and Éva would have a blast. Luckily I work with a very flexible schedule. I'm home most of the time. Honestly I feel terrible when I leave Éva alone for more than 3 hours. She's always on my mind.


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## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

Alex2592 said:


> I
> 
> If would love to take care of Naira for you. If only you were closer though. I'm sure her and Éva would have a blast. Luckily I work with a very flexible schedule. I'm home most of the time. Honestly I feel terrible when I leave Éva alone for more than 3 hours. She's always on my mind.



I would love for Naira and Eva to play together!


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