Can I leave my teacup puppy alone at home ?

Question

My puppy is 6 months old and shes only 2.6 pounds. when i got her she was 3 months old.
for 3 months i have been taking her to work everyday with me. i take her everywhere i go.
This week iam training her to stay home alone while iam out to work. shes going to be home alone at least for 8 hours everyday (monday - friday). I leave her loose in the house with her bed, blanket, lots of toys and lots of food .
is there any problem me leaving her alone for so many hours ?

My puppy is 6 months old and shes only 2.6 pounds. she a maltese. when i got her she was 3 months old.
for 3 months i have been taking her to work everyday with me. i take her everywhere i go. shes potty training on the pad. This week iam training her to stay home alone while iam out to work. shes going to be home alone at least for 8 hours everyday (monday - friday). I leave her loose in the house with her bed, blanket, lots of toys and lots of food .
is there any problem me leaving her alone for so many hours ?

Answer 1

Well, going from taking her with you everywhere to leaving her alone for 8 hours is quite a big stretch. I suggest getting her used to smaller incriments first.

She is still young, and probably won't remember her housebreaking for that long. Use a crate instead of giving her full run of the house. She'll like the crate...it will be HER spot. And she'll like not getting yelled at when you come home to a mess.

But do everything you can to arrange for someone to come over and let her out while you're gone. If not a neighbor, then hire a dog walker.

Answer 2

The fact that your dogis a "teacup" and only 2.6 pounds is irrelevant. She is a DOG, she is not your baby. A dog can be left alone for 8 hours, however, with a 6 month old puppy, you will likely have puppy responses. These may include chewing stuff up and having accidents on the floor. I would recommend getting a crate or an exercise pen and leave the dog in that while you are gone. Limit the puppy's water during the day, so you won't come home to puddles on the floor. 8 hours is a long time to leave any 6 month old puppy alone every day.

Answer 3

I wouldn't give her the run of the house unless you're into cleaning up messes all over the house. Gate off the kitchen or bathroom for her or your bedroom. The smaller the area, the less likely she is to mess in her "area". A crate would be great to use.

Also with a small puppy you will have glucose level issues, make sure to leave her a little bit of food for the day so that she can keep up her bloodsugar.

Start with an hour at a time, then extend out the time you leave her alone. I would start on a Friday night, then gradually work on it over the weekend. Much easier on both her and you.

Answer 4

No offense lady, It's a dog it will be fine granted my experience is with large breed dogs why on earth would it matter, 8 hours are you kidding. Some times I leave my dog at home for 3-4 days by himself just make sure it has food and water it will be fine. granted your dog wheighs less than the last rabbit my dog killed I still don't see a problem. Dog day cares are a waste of money and anybody who uses one for something like this has a mental disorder and should contact a doctor

Answer 5

If she is a health, active puppy she should be fine. However, do not leave her loose in the house. Get a crate or an exercise pen and put all her toys, bed, blanket, water etc. Make this area her comfortable "den" so she views this as a her sanctuary and place to go. By keeping her contained, she cannot get herself stuck or into anything harmful. It's better for her safety and not cruel.

By the way, what breed is she?

Answer 6

Yes. There is a definitely a problem. Teacups are especialy needy and require a great deal of attention. Any responsible breeder would have thoroughly interviewed you and made you aware of the needs of these very special and very fragile dogs before letting you go home with one. Leaving a teacup alone for more than 4 hours is bordering on cruelty to that animal. The best thing to do is to look into taking your dog to day care rather than leaving he/she alone for more than 4 hours. Almost every town (big or small) has a pet or doggie daycare. Talk to your vet and they should be able to reccomend one for you.

Answer 7

Well, you can probably expect a messy house when you get home. She will not be able to hold her bladder that long, so you may want to invest in some puppy pads or soemthing of that sort. But, she should be fine as long as you have a doggy-proofed area for her. There are many dogs that are left home all day while owners are at work, and I have never heard of the rules being different for small dogs. Good luck!

Answer 8

That is ok. I leave my dog in his pen for 8 hours while I am at work. He is a mini dachshund and his pen is the biggest one you can buy. He has plenty of room and a fluffy bed to lay on. If I let him loose around the house he will go to the bathroom. He is a year and a half. I leave his food and water in his pen while I am gone. I leave a toy or two in there also, but I don't think that he plays with it. Your dog will be ok at home while you are at work.

Answer 9

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The first is simple; you must win your dogs mind. If you don’t achieve this first then you will be struggling the all the way. When I talk about winning your dogs mind what I really mean is that your dog looks to you for all the decisions. Before you do anything else watch one of the amazing video sites that show you the 5 Golden rules to establishing yourself as the pack leader. If you aren’t putting these in place then you are setting yourself up to fail. Just at the crucial point where you really want your dog to listen they will go and do their own thing. For sure your dog may play ball occasionally or even most of the time, you may even have a dog that is obedient 99% of the time, however if you want a dog who always listens to you and does as you ask then you need to win your dogs mind.

The second key to success is to motivate your dog. It is really important that you discover what it is that your dog enjoys both in terms of exercise and play but also in terms of a reward. If you can make the experience enjoyable then you will both achieve more and look forward to training.

Some dogs love to fetch, others love agility, and other dogs simply love obedience training, or swimming out into water and retrieve. At least to start with find out what your dogs love is and help them develop this, what I am saying is work with your dog. The other point to recognize is to make training enjoyable reward your dog.

Answer 10

It's perfectly safe for her to be alone for a while.....but I would get a crate for her.It's much safer than letting her run loose....plus some dogs feel more secure that way.