Evening class dilema - 8 week old puppy!

[mom2daisypie]

Hi,
After separating from my husband of 18 years 2 months ago Ive been suffering anxiety and depression. Ive never been single or lived alone. Several kind folk on here recommended a dog for company so this week I bought home an 8 weeks old shihtzu, Bailey who Ill be crate training (in my bedroom at night currently). Hes already bought me joy and focus.

My issue is Ive been desperate to join a Tuesday evening art class for ages but couldnt find one. Now one has started close to me but Im obviously worried about leaving the pup. The class is 7-9.30pm. Allowing for travel it would be 3.5 hours max once a week (I work from home the rest of the time). Id make sure Tuesdays were big play days so hes tired by early evening and he would be safe in his crate with toys etc.

Would this be ok or be too distressing for him?

Dogs aren't ok alone really until they are well into adulthood. I can't see the problem with asking parents. My inlaws have looked after our dogs and loved it as they get the fun bits with none of the cost or commitment (they used to have dogs but don't now).

The thing is, OP, it's not about distressing him. It's about the risk to him when it comes to leaving him alone. I know of puppies that have gotten their jaws trapped in-between the bars of the crate and done serious - life-changing - damage to themselves in the process because they've panicked. I also know of puppies that have been left with toys 'so he's not lonely or distressed' and destroyed it, eaten the stuffing and ended up in out of hours vets.

Puppies are not safe in their crates unattended and you absolutely cannot guarantee that your puppy will be asleep that whole time. In your bedroom or in the house, whilst you're there? Fine. Whilst you're out for an extended period? Absolutely not.

We got our pup at 8 weeks , there was one day a week where one of us couldn't be home with him and we would need a dog sitter, we would be out 930-4. I took annual leave for two weeks then dh took annual leave for two weeks. In a month he was house trained and we could leave him 3 hours. Then we arranged for a dog walker to sit with him for an hour in the middle of the day which turned into a walk as he got older.