How many net (not consecutive) hours can you leave a puppy in a crate

myepst · 11-20-2009, 10:01 AM

I work from home and just got a puppy. Generally I play/walk with her for an hour in the morning, about half an hour at lunch, and usually another hour after dinner and another half an hour late in the evening. In between, I usually let her out for 5-10 minutes every few hours.

I live in a townhouse with no yard and cannot trust her around the house and really cannot keep an eye on her when I'm trying to work.

So while she gets a good deal of attention and is not confined in the crate for more than 2-3 hours consecutively, she's still in there for about 18-20 hours a day.

She is always eager to get out of the crate, and somewhat reluctant to get in; but she seems to be happy once she gets in there, and never whines.

She's 4 months old and has been at a shelter until now, so she's used to being in a crate.

Anyway, is this a problem?

Thanks

jesirose · 11-20-2009, 10:50 AM

That does seem like a little much. Why not give her more time in the evening? If you stop working around 5-6, you still have 4-5 hours you can devote to training, play, etc.

Labsnothers · 11-20-2009, 12:46 PM

Less time in the crate would be better. Still, your puppy may be getting more quality time with you than many. there are plenty of dogs left outside almost all day by themselves in a fenced yard.

Before setting up a new computer desk here next to the door, I used to keep my puppies on a short chain at the computer desk. They didn't have much more freedom than in a crate, but were right with me.

Ayanla · 11-20-2009, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myepst

I work from home and just got a puppy. Generally I play/walk with her for an hour in the morning, about half an hour at lunch, and usually another hour after dinner and another half an hour late in the evening. In between, I usually let her out for 5-10 minutes every few hours.

I live in a townhouse with no yard and cannot trust her around the house and really cannot keep an eye on her when I'm trying to work.

So while she gets a good deal of attention and is not confined in the crate for more than 2-3 hours consecutively, she's still in there for about 18-20 hours a day.

She is always eager to get out of the crate, and somewhat reluctant to get in; but she seems to be happy once she gets in there, and never whines.

She's 4 months old and has been at a shelter until now, so she's used to being in a crate.

Anyway, is this a problem?

Thanks

Do you have room in your work space for maybe a small xpen? Can you gate off a puppy-proofed area around your work space that she can explore?

IlliniJen · 11-20-2009, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by myepst

I work from home and just got a puppy. Generally I play/walk with her for an hour in the morning, about half an hour at lunch, and usually another hour after dinner and another half an hour late in the evening. In between, I usually let her out for 5-10 minutes every few hours.

I live in a townhouse with no yard and cannot trust her around the house and really cannot keep an eye on her when I'm trying to work.

So while she gets a good deal of attention and is not confined in the crate for more than 2-3 hours consecutively, she's still in there for about 18-20 hours a day.

She is always eager to get out of the crate, and somewhat reluctant to get in; but she seems to be happy once she gets in there, and never whines.

She's 4 months old and has been at a shelter until now, so she's used to being in a crate.

Anyway, is this a problem?

Thanks

I'm in the same situation. I have an xpen attached to Tater's crate and a bed in the xpen, in which he spends a fair amount of time sleeping in. Plus plenty of toys. He has no issue with staying in his crate and it's been a great help in some potty training.

Tater also spends a good amount of time next to me on the couch, which is my "office." I have a laptop, so it makes it possible to do my work from anywhere.

Also consider tethering her to you, if you'd like to spend more time with her but don't want her wandering out of eye/ear shot.

myepst · 11-22-2009, 08:31 PM

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm keeping her tethered to a table next to my desk. It's working pretty well. She is content to play with her toys and lie on her blanket and not bother me.

I still might want to get an X pen, but I'm wondering what size is good.

I have a 15 pound jack russell/beagle mix--and she's relatively calmer than you'd expect given her pedigree.

lizziedog1 · 11-29-2009, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Anyway, is this a problem?

No, not all. Dogs can be crated for indefinite time periods. What do you think these animals were bred and developed for, constant human companionship? Isolation is where its at.

Pai · 11-29-2009, 11:46 PM

Um, the lady works at home, so the dog isn't alone, it's just crated.

Once the puppy is completely housebroken, I'm assuming she will give it free reign of the house.