My Barnaby is 4 months old now, and I had exactly the same concerns. I set up a room with a fence, left him a nice secure crate to get into when he wanted, a pee pad, and toys, and he has done wonderfully well. I recently expanded his area of freedom to both part of my bedroom and the hall, gating off rooms in which I am not yet comfortable letting him roam freely. And he seems to love it.
I walk him and play with him for an hour before leaving for work, and then we have a lot of playing and at least one walk after I get home. I have been vitisting him at lunch as my summer work schedules is pretty loose, so he's enjoyed that.
Also, I have a petcam set up, so I know for a fact he sleeps almost all day long, and then perks up when I get home!
He seems pretty happy, thank goodness! So I would imagine a set up like this might work for you. |