How long would you leave 9 week old puppy in crate ...

[poppysfriend]

We're picking our puppy up in a couple of weeks when it's 8 weeks old. We'll be crate training and the owners have started using a crate for all the puppies already to get them used to it. When the puppy will be 9 weeks old we have a big family lunch out at a local restaurant which we do every year for FIL's Birthday. I've said that I'll not go this year as I think to leave the puppy for around 3 hours will be too long. Half an hour to an hour I'd be ok with but we would only have had the puppy a week. Everyone thinks I'm being silly and that I'll miss out and the puppy will be fine. What do you think?

[littlewhitebag]

I wouldn't leave a 9 weeks puppy for as long as that. When we got our pup we left her for half an hour to hour at the most at that stage. I don't leave her for much longer than three hours now and she is 6 months!

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

I think you are right to say you aren't going at this stage. But I would also say see how pup is when it arrives.

For instance mine goes to sleep when I pop him in his crate for the school run in a morning. When I get in he staggers out to the nearest comfy looking thing and sleeps until mid day. Sometimes he just lifts his head but stays put as I open the door. So if I want to leave him for 2 - 3 hours I try to make it a morning.

If you find your puppy has a routine straight away (mine did) and it happens to fit a sleep with when you will be out then I would reconsider. Small puppies sleep alot. Or maybe mine is all or nothing!

[SpicyPear]

I think you are right not to go. A 9 week old is unlikely to be able to hold themselves for that long during the day and if they learn to mess in the crate housetraining will be that much harder. My pup is almost 16 weeks and he goes in for two hours max while I am out.

[Principality]

30min or so at 9 weeks..

[poppysfriend]

Thanks for the advice. I'm planning to leave the puppy in the crate for very short periods and gradually build it up to an hour or two when she's a little older. It just feels wrong to suddenly leave her for 3 hours when she will have been with us for only a week and still adjusting to her new home and settling with us. I think the whole family saying 'don't be silly, she'll be fine' made me doubt myself a little! To be honest I would not have enjoyed the lunch one bit thinking whether she was ok.

[LadyTurmoil]

Can you not get a friend or good neighbour to dogsit for the 3-4 hours so you can go out and enjoy yourself?

[GhostShip]

You are right not to go. I don't like crates full stop but I don't judge those who use them properly. 3 hours is too long.

People always say 'dont be silly' because to them it's only a dog, and they don't think about it properly.

[littlewhitebag]

My pup loves her crate! She is snoozing in it now even though the door is open and she could be in the sitting room with us! It saves my sanity cos when i go out i know exactly where she is and my kitchen isn't all chewed up.

[shoutymcshoutsmum]

My pup used to get very anxious/stressed in his crate if he got left for any real period. As always, I think it depends on the pup and it is kinder to err on the side of caution. Enjoy x

[poppysfriend]

Thanks everyone.

GhostShip - you're right, everyone is saying 'don't be silly' because it's not THEIR dog.

LadyTurmoil - lovely suggestion. I don't think I'd find a friend/neighbour to dogsit the Saturday before Christmas! Also I would feel more comfortable asking when she is a little older.

So looking forward to getting our puppy!!

[PurpleFrog]

I think 3 hours is also too long - especially at lunchtime, when no doubt it will be your pup's mealtime too. DP missed my mum's birthday meal for the same reason when our dog was nearly 4 months old.

It gets much easier to leave it over lunchtime when the pup is down to 2 meals a day and is reliably toilet trained.