Leaving dog alone for first time all day

[amter]

So we need to leave our wonderful puppy (12 months) alone all day tomorrow. From 7am - 5pm. Usually he hangs out with DH or I during the day while working, he has been left alone in his 'bedroom'/my office for max 4 hours before but only a handful of times and usually in the late afternoon/evening.

My Dad will call over mid morning and walk him for 30 mins. We will then take him for a walk when we get home.

My question is - should I leave him alone in our secure garden or should I lock him in the office/his bedroom.

He is fine overnight in his room, sleeps 9pm - 6:30am.

What do you think?

Unfortunately you can't guarantee the dog will be fine. Even if OP returns to no destruction or damage, that doesn't mean the dog was happy as you don't know whether the dog has been howling, crying or barking while you've been gone.

I also don't know why you keep saying the dog is being left for six hours - it's not - the dog is being left for ten hours. A short 30 minute walk mid-morning doesn't mean the dog is magically being left on its own for any less time.

The recommended about of time you leave a fully grown adult dog is four hours per day. Not four hours at a time with a break in the middle. While it's true that many adult dogs are fine being left for longer periods, this is a young pup who has only ever been left for four hours on very rare occasions, never an entire day. That's a big leap to expect him to make happily.

I'm sure I'll be told I'm being silly or precious though.

Coffee you’re not being silly. The OP is though.
Hoping the dog isn’t too distressed but also makes enough of a mess to dissuade them from doing this again.

Oof. I use to leave my dog from 9-4 whilst at work, but he was 2 years old when it started and we built up to it gradually.

I’m one of the people that thinks leaving a dog alone is fine (with proper preparation) but even I think that 10 hours with one break is too much for a dog that isn’t use to it. I would do at least 1 more break in the afternoon personally.

He might be fine but it might also trigger separation anxiety next time you try to leave, and undo all the work you’ve done up to this stage.

If you leave outside you must leave shade and plenty of water.

It’s too late now but that’s far too long to leave an older dog, let alone a puppy.
We leave ddog for no longer than 4 hours but I wouldn’t then pop in for 30 minutes then leave him again.
Even if nothing gets damaged etc the poor pup will be very fed up and lonely

It's not ideal, but as a one off it's not going to permanently harm a well adjusted 12 month old dog.
Our dog walker once forgot to take out rookiedog at lunch at about that age, and other than being a bit keen to be let out in the garden when I got home ( we didn't know until the evening) he seemed relatively unscathed.

Poor pup 😞

But in that scenario the dog is used to being left all day with a walk at lunchtime, whereas this dog has never been left for longer than four hours before.

Well, we have a pet cam with sound, so I know exactly what our dog is up to when we're out.

I do agree that it's mean to leave a dog alone all day though!

we usually never leave our dog alone for more than 2-3 hours, but it happened once that we had to unexpectedly leave him home alone for 10 hours. I felt awful, but he always has the run of the whole house and I left the back door to our garden open so he could get in and out of the garden. It's secured with high fencing and nice neighbours on both sides. He did sleep most of the day, but I wouldn't do it again if I can help it.

I agree it's not ideal.

I twice had to do the same. Once, when the puppy was 4 months old, and a friend needed taking to A+E. We were there over 8 hours. Once for a family emergency.

The first time I came back to puddles. The second, to sleepy content dogs.

Would I leave a dog for 8 or 10 hours routinely? Not in a million years of never. But as a one off? It's fine.

OP, I hope all went smoothly and you didn't come home to too many puddles.

OP, I hope all went smoothly and you didn't come home to too many puddles

Puddles? Let’s say it for what it is - that the poor dog was bursting to go to the toilet and ended up pissing itself. Leaving a dog for ten hours a a completely unacceptable, I can’t believe people are making excuses for it. Let alone a puppy that has never been left for more than four hours. It’s cruel.

Poor dog

I don't know why so many people are confidently saying it's fine as a one-off. Maybe to reassure the OP, I suppose.

It's true that SOME dogs would be fine, but many would be highly distressed at being left for such a long period of time and, sadly, it would continue to impact them for a long while afterwards.

Obviously emergencies happen and sometimes you have no choice but to leave them but I would highly recommend people have back-up care in place for their pets, the same as they would for their DC - be that a dog walker coming in, daycare or family/friends/neighbours.

I think because my own dog is one who would categorically NOT cope being left for ten hours, I worry when other owners who've never experienced separation anxiety (or anxiety in general) just pop on to these threads and tell everyone it's fine to leave dogs for that long.

@coffeecupsandfairylights sometimes- on very rare occasions- there is no choice.

It is true that most well adjusted dogs would not be traumatised by being left on their own for a day as a one off.Your dog has attachment issues so doesn't fall into that category.

Not the garden, please. Neighbours do this and the poor creature howls, all day.

I totally appreciate that emergencies happen and sometimes there is no other option.

I also understand my own dog is unusual in his anxiety, but I still maintain it's unfair to leave a puppy alone for ten hours (minus a tiny 30 minute break) - the fact that it won't be traumatised as a result doesn't mean it's in any way okay.

Yes I have 2 dogs & I am going to sound very judgmental here, but I'd never leave them for more than 4 hours & that's too long as far as I'm concerned.

Please don't leave outside unless you absolutely know he will not spend the whole day barking and crying and driving your neighbours insane!

When I'm in this situation I arrange day care for my dog or a family member to have him. Absolutely not fair to leave him that long and can't even believe you were going to leave him in the garden