Anxious pup left home alone

[cornflakesandtea]

We're having to leave our pup home alone tomorrow. She's 8 months old and quite anxious. The longest she's been left is 2 hours and she's been really good during that time (a little cry at first but mostly nothing after 10/15 mins), but this is going to be 3 hours, someone is gonna pop in on her for a walk, then another 3 hours. We have been looking at doggy daycare but she's currently on heat so no one will take her.
We've been using calming tablets, adaptil plug in and calming spray, plus giving her a good walk before we leave. We put the radio on for her and have recorded our voice speaking. We leave treats down in a toy and give her a chew, plus leave plenty of toys for her to play with.
Does anyone have any other tips on how to keep her calm for such a long time? Honestly, I think I'm more anxious than she is. I tend to watch her non-stop on the camera because I just desperately want her to settle.

You won’t keep her calm. You’ll just have to deal with it. That’s a very big ask for a very young pup IME. Do you have anyone who could take her, friend, family member?

I think you need to accept that she probably won't be calm, to be brutally honest.

She's way too young to be left for that length of time. I know that's not what you want to hear but it's the truth. She won't "just settle", she'll get increasingly anxious as time goes on.

Can the person coming in to walk her not sit with her as well?

My labrador puppy tried to dig through the plasterboard Shawshank-style, when he was left for an hour the first time. Second time, he ate the kitchen lino. He happily goes into the crate now when we go out and is much calmer. We have a camera on him that we can check at any time.

We've asked literally everyone we know. My friend that is having her might be able to have her for the afternoon, so maybe 3 hours alone and then with someone. She's been doing so well while we've been leaving her alone. It's just a one off, we should have someone the rest of the time. It's not something I was hoping to do. I'm heartbroken we have to leave her for so long.

If she’s fine with 2 I think she’d be fine with 3, but if you can get someone to entertain her for the second half you’ll probably all feel a lot better. Unless it’s a very long walk/run halfway through and she’s likely to just spend the time sleeping?

Unless it's a life or death situation I wouldn't leave her. It will seem endless to her, poor thing.

The thing is, all it takes is one bad experience alone and you could set her back for months. If she's been managing two hours I'd be incredibly reluctant to push it to six.

Yes, she may settle and she may be okay but it's a huge risk to take with an anxious puppy who's not used to being left for long periods.

Ask your friend to sit with her.

Crisis averted! FILs plans have changed and he will have her. This will give us more time to get her used to being alone for longer periods. Thanks for the advice!

If she’s anxious it’s imperative that you don’t leave her for longer than she’s happy being left. Look at Dog Training Advice and Support on FB for advice.

Phew! That's excellent news.