I have an 11 week old German Shepherd pup. The longest he is ever left in the crate is 3-4 hours. He is pretty good at holding, sleeps through the night. I work 8 hours now and then. Is it okay to leave him in the crate that long every once in a while...I usually ask the neighbour or family to come feed him his luch and let him out....but when these resources are not available?
2007-01-14 14:37:11 · 18 answers · asked by Ruby 2 in Pets ➔ Dogs
No rude answers....serious ones only
2007-01-14 14:38:18 · update #1
It's not ideal to leave him crated for that long, but we don't live in an ideal world. If you have to do it you have to do it, but be sure that he is taken outside immediately before crating him and immediately when you get home. Don't leave food in with him (he should always have water). And of course don't punish him if he does have an accident; eight hours is a long time to hold it for a puppy.
But obviously, if you can avoid leaving him that long by having friends and neighbors help you, that would be better.
2007-01-14 14:45:59 · answer #1 · answered by PennyPoodle 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you leave him in the crate for 8 hours without a break you might start going backwards, instead of forwards, in training. He will not be able to hold his bladder which is the main focus. Dogs will not poop where they sleep. Ever. When he being forced to do so it will make his crate no longer seem like his home, and he might start having problems being in it after awhile.
Two suggestions: continue to get the neighbour to look after the dog, or, if you can afford it and one is near, try doggie day care. Not only will your pet be well taken care of, but he will also be socialized.
2007-01-14 14:49:34 · answer #2 · answered by bpbjess 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As you can see the answers are going to vary on this one. I say yes...only because I did it with mine....had no other choice...I work. But I also work swing shift it didn't seem to bother my training of my pup. The thing to remember here is make the crate as big as the dog....to big of sleeping room then turns into play room and a BATHROOM place. Put a cradboard divider inside to shorten up crate or a board ues plastic wire ties to hold it inplace as dog gets bigger move it father back...until it can be removed completly. Just keep working on a potty rutine with him everything will be fine.
2007-01-14 17:21:48 · answer #3 · answered by Emmett H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a tough one. As a person whose puppy destroyed her apartment while I was at work, I would have to say - yes, it is okay to keep him in his crate on those occasions that you have to be at work longer than normal. I would just make sure that you give him plenty of "good boys" when you get home. He needs to understand that this is not a punishment. I tried to use baby gates while I was gone, to pin my puppy in the kitchen, in case he had an accident. Well, he ended up chewing a hole in the wall...and then he actually climbed over the gate, and presceded to rip up my carpet. If I had to do it over again I would definately use a crate. Good luck with your baby!
2007-01-14 14:46:55 · answer #4 · answered by Jen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have crated small and large dogs, from puppy to adult years.
( they come to like the area as their den. their private safe space )
I believe 11 wks may be too young to think about leaving him in for more than couple of hours at a time. You must consider he is growing fast and needs lots of exercise and training to be sure to be house broken and learn a routine.
If he does not show any distress other than typical puppy whining, your schedule may be a good match. Please learn how to communicate with your pet. Tune into his temperament. One extended day here & there may be fine it depends on how well other trainings are going.
Some signs of distress may involve, not drinking or eating, whinning or barking, distructive behaviors, etc.
Please be sure to have a backup plan. Congratulations, Shepards are a great breed and should bring you lots of happiness. Train him Train him for a HAPPY HOME.
2007-01-14 15:24:27 · answer #5 · answered by Joy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
no 8 hours is too long for a puppy to be left alone in the crate someone will need to check up on him or her and let him or her out and feed
2007-01-14 14:45:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is not ideal to leave a puppy in a kennel for a long time, but as long as you give the puppy time out of the kennel when you are home it should be fine. I recently trained our new puppy while attending day classes. We fed her breakfast and dinner and she stayed in her kennel while we were on campus. On days when we didn't have classes she was out of her kennel, that way she learned to let us know when she had to go out. She also sleeps in our room at night with no problems. We let her out in the morning and as soon as we come home and she does perfectly well I her kennel all day. Hope this helps.
2007-01-14 16:07:47 · answer #7 · answered by superexotica1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, it's not. Get your neighbor to help and find backup - your pup will surely make mistakes and set you back for months with house training. A pup that starts to eliminate in his crate is very, very difficult to re-train!
2007-01-14 14:42:33 · answer #8 · answered by Misa M 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
he should be....i wouldn't feed him lunch though...try to give him two meals a day...and then he'll be able to stay in his crate without having to go to the bathroom...my dog stayed in the crate for about 7 to 8 hours every day and she was fine after a nice walk and some play time.
2007-01-14 15:04:28 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
PS: I AM NOT YELLING-I TYPE IN ALL CAPS SO I CAN SEE IT BETTER.
NO-8 HRS IS TOO LONG-THE LONGEST AMOUNT OF TIME ANY DOG SHOULD SPEND IN HIS/HER CRATE IS 6 HRS MAX ACCORDING TO THE EXPERTS-YOU WILL NEED TO FIND A BACK UP FOR WHEN THE NEIGHBOR IS NOT AVAILABLE UNTIL YOUR PUP IS FULLY HOUSE TRAINED.
2007-01-14 15:48:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋