I never left my crated baby outside of my sight either but I never had a puppy that young except when my dogs had puppies. Mothers dog train their babies at all ages so I take my lead from them. Even if she has only one as my Pekingese did, she leaves him alone in his bed while she's away eating, playing, etc. They cry and cry but eventually learn to quieten themselves.
My Doberman mom died when her 5 pups were three days old. With an okay from my vet, I was teaching those babies to stay in their crate alone, one at time, at 5 weeks as well as taking them outside by 8 weeks. They had the idea of housebreaking very early but physically couldn't hold it long so you had to watch them and take them out frequently but they were almost fully housebroken at 4 months. |