What should I do if I'm not home for 9 hours while I work?
 

I work monday to friday and normally my boyfriend takes care of her in the daytime. Unfortunately, he is going away for a few months to work so I'll have to figure something out in the meantime. I think leaving her in her crate all day is depriving her of her playtime. Should I keep her in one room and put peepads down. Also, my boyfriend is worried since we've only had Rosie for a few weeks that being gone for 2 months will affect his relationship with Rosie. What are your opinions on this?

I would get a x-pen something like this...

http://www.amazon.com/Precision-Pet-Ultimate-Exerc...

put pads down on one side and food & water, toys and bed on the other.

If she's already spent quality time within those weeks with your boyfriend, she won't forget the bond after only a few months. His scent will remind her very quickly.

Cheers!:animal-pa

I'd recommend getting a dog walker so she gets a little exercise and companionship during the day.

That is too long of a time for a puppy to be alone, especially in a crate. It is critical during the puppy stage when potty training as they need to be given the ability to use the bathroom quite frequently....especially if you want good results. Crating is a good method for training a puppy if it is done correctly...if it is not, crating can actually backfire. You don't want them to see the crate as "imprisonment".

If you are gone that long, I suggest gating her in the kitchen area or some are where you can lay some potty pads on one end and her bed, toys, a little food & water on the other.

Best of luck to you.

I work long hours too...usually 9-10 hours M-Th, and I usually keep my little guy in my master bath with a baby gate at the door. I keep pee pads on one side of the room, food, toys and bed at the other side. Try to be consistent with your routine in the morning, and eventually your baby will get used to you being away. My fiance' and I had a hard time being consistent with our routine since he works random hours (sometimes long, sometimes short, and sometimes he would have days at a time off), so our little guy has some seperation anxiety. He usually cries, and then barks a little when we are not in the room with him, and starts to pace and tries to jump over the baby gate. Hopefully you won't have this problem if you are consistent. Good luck!:animal36

Get an ex-pen or something a little bigger than a crate! And it may sound ridiculous, but have you thought about doggie daycare? Maybe not 5 days a week but 2 or 3 days. The place near me is $10 a day.

I am gone that long sometimes
and I do agree that IS too long to keep a puppy crated
That will only leave them open to peeing and pooping in the crate
and will lead to anxiety behaviors

They will need to be penned off somewhere more open

I'm a little upset that you want to leave a 9 1/2 week old puppy home alone for 9 hours a day? (Not including nighttime)

I'm not trying to be mean but.... Dogs are pack animals - they are not meant to be alone. They NEED interaction with other animals or people.

Your puppy is very young. She should have been with her Mom and littermates until she was 12 weeks old. She would have learned alot about biting, barking, potty training, and socialization if she had been with them longer. (all things you have been asking about)

Are you walking her after you get home? Playing with her? She needs to release some of that energy that she's built up after sleeping and being alone all day. Her play time should be spaced out - not all at once or she can get run down.

If you have to leave her alone please use a large xpen. Put her pee pads, bed, water bottle, small food dish, toys and something that smells like you in there. I'd leave the radio or tv on.

I'm sorry - I really don't mean to sound so harsh. I just don't understand leaving these little ones alone so much. Hubby and I rush home so that ours aren't alone too long. We even take turns on who does the errands.

You could get a second one so that she has a buddy :D

My boyfriend and I are gone for work 13 hours a day, 4 days a week. When considering a dog we decided on two or none due to our schedules. We got two yorkies, and...they've stayed at my parents EVERY work day so far:) My version of doggy day-care. And my mom loves to take care of her furry grandkids! Main thing is your puppy means a lot to you, so take care to give it the best daily life you're able to provide. I personally have have never left my two longer than 5 maybe 6 hours tops. And I agree with the others, no crate.

I understand what you are going through. My husband and I have a 3 month old puppy. Do you work far?

My puppy stays in an area that is puppy-proofed with a baby gate (kitchen to be exact). She has her pee pee pad in one corner (away from her bed and play area). She also sleeps there at night so she is used to the area as her home (I have learned early when my parents had a chihuahua that it's not good to sleep with your puppy. Higher chance of having an separation axiety). She never goes on the carpet so she has mastered the potty training as well.

If you can, I would come back during lunch or have a family member stop by. We try not to leave her for more than 5-6 hours. We spread her toys all over her area when we are gone. And when we are home, she plays with us and the toys are put away (that way when she sees the toy, she's busy with it for awhile). I don't really leave my puppy with a bone when I'm gone since I don't want her to chew unsupervised, puppies can accidentally choke on bones. My husband and I also walk her in the morning before leaving. This is our little schedule:

7AM-feed her (my husband and I get ready for work)
7:30AM-walk her around 2 blocks (she poops)
8AM-work
12PM-lunch (one of us or both come back)
6PM-we return and feed her, walk her.

Around 9-10PM we usually walk her again. If you leave your puppy home and she sleeps while you are gone, by the time you get home, the puppy is ready to play. So we walk her again. Our little one gets walks 2-3 times a day. And we brush her usually before going to bed.

It seems like a lot of work but trust me, if you get the routine down you will be fine. If you can't come back for lunch, definitely try to have someone come and check up on your puppy. I would evertually like to send my puppy to a day care but she's not done with all her shots and she needs to get spayed before going there. I work so I understand. When I'm at work, I'm on this forum trying to kill time and thinking about my baby.

Good luck :aimeeyork

One more thing... when you see your puppy after a long period of time, don't be super excited. Our trainer has advised us to remain calm and normal so there isn't a significant difference when we return. But it's hard... when my husband and I get back home during lunch or after work, we are SOOOO excited to see her!!