I struggled with this but my dog suffers from major separation anxiety and so the crate was never a good idea in his situation, anyway. However, for his own safety and peace of mind, he is crated when I'm away but no longer than four hours.
It is difficult to say for sure what is best for your dog. If they are anxious, then a crate would probably be the wrong way to contain them during a work day. I would consider a x-pen or a room blocked by a gate or even a very large crate meant for extremely large breeds.
I made sure that I had a camera on at all times so that I could check on my dog from work by my cell phone. Ideally, though, if you are away for long hours, free run of the house would be ideal. This was what we were aiming for with Teddy, initially, but his separation anxiety meant that we couldn't allow him free run of the home since he is too insecure to deal with that much space on his own.
I am sort of rambling (sorry, distracted by the Teddy!) but, basically, you can try it but consider it short term and definitely monitor it with a camera, if possible. That is the only way you are going to know if your dog can handle any situation whilst you're away.
good luck! |