# how long can you leave your puppy alone uncrated?



## newgolden (Jul 2, 2010)

Another crating ? When could you leave your puppy alone for short periods (not crated) without him/her getting himself into trouble/danger? Just wondering as our Sawyer is 12 weeks today and I've noticed he has been really quite good about not misbehaving when we don't directly have an eye on him. 

Believe me, I wouldn't leave him for long as he's learning and exploring and you never know what can happen but there have been times in the last week or so that I've noticed if I'm out of a room for a few minutes he's quite content to chew on an appropriate toy or lay down. So tonight I took my littlest guy up to bed (took about 10-15 minutes) and kept an ear out downstairs to make sure I couldn't hear him getting into anything (the house is puppy proofed) and he was great! 

Do you think this is a good sign that he is learning how to behave on his own or am I just kidding myself?


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## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

Because of our cat and our cat food being down and Joey's obsession with eating it, he is rarely unsupervised. The odd time if i need to change or use the washroom, it will only be for 5/10mins max, and he has so far been great everytime! Im interesed to see what other people have to say.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

My pups are never allowed to be alone until well over a year of age. They can be the BEST pup in the world but it takes only once for them to get into something they should not and then there is a major problem. It is not worth it in my opinion.


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## Abbydabbydo (Jan 31, 2007)

AmbikaGR said:


> My pups are never allowed to be alone until well over a year of age. They can be the BEST pup in the world but it takes only once for them to get into something they should not and then there is a major problem. It is not worth it in my opinion.


Actually more like a year and a half here. DH works from home, though, so they were out alot. Little pups, no way.


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## GoldenJona (Apr 3, 2010)

I've also left Jona unsupervised while I go downstairs to do laundry or I go out and take the trash out etc all which last me like a min or two. Usually (99% of the time) I will come back and find him on the couch either digging, biting, or humping a cushion. That's his thing now, any chance he gets he will jump up on the couch. Indoors I have his leash on at all times so sometimes I'll be able to stop him half way there but it's a pretty big issue around here. One morning I was getting his breakfast ready and I found him on top of the couch, he climped up on the arm rest and jumped off and I have found him higher up on the couch like the back part of it...I dont see me leaving him alone atleast until he's like 1.5 years old if not later


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## samjam (Jan 14, 2010)

I've left Sophie for 5-10 minutes here and there on our main floor while jumping into the bath/shower or sticking a load in the laundry. Its not the best, but saves all the drama of the crate and I have a small house where you can hear everything.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

the longest flip has ever been unsupervised in the house...how fast can I pee??


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## SophieP (May 7, 2010)

newgolden said:


> Do you think this is a good sign that he is learning how to behave on his own or am I just kidding myself?


Yes, I think it is for sure. We leave Abby unattended outside the crate once on a while for short periods of time but have done it up to one hour with no issues (fingers crossed!:crossfing) We probably started her around the same age as Sawyer (12 wks) mainly when she'd fall asleep on the floor after a long play period outside and we had things to do outside (ie: gardening, kids swimming at neighbours, mowing lawn, running to corner store, etc) and when we come back she's always still asleep in the same spot or has moved to her crate which is great! :banana:She's also good unattended in the house while we're there which is what made us more comfortable. I think all puppies are different so go with your gut but of course if you do leave him alone, make sure the house is puppy-proofed and things are put away out of his reach.

Cheers,
Sophie


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## Solas Goldens (Nov 10, 2007)

Finn is an atypical pup at almost 6 months he very rarely gets into anything, but he is never left out of the crate when we leave the house or go to bed.OUr hosue is small so during the day I keep the bedroom doors shut and he is in the main area with me. Not to much he can do with me on top of him.


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## OrdinaryEllen (Jun 20, 2010)

*About fifteen minutes*

The longest I've left Piper in the house uncrated and totally unattended is probably fifteen minutes or maybe a pinch longer.

Even then, I'm around if only outside or on the front porch, etc.


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I'm so jealous of those of you saying your pups don't get into stuff! Flip is over a year and he's still constantly into stuff, even with me right there. He's not crazy hyper or anything in the house, he does have an "off switch" in that regards, but he's just ALWAYS finding something new to chew on. I can't tell you how many hours a day I spend shoving appropriate chew items at him.


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## Florabora22 (Nov 30, 2008)

I think we were leaving Flora alone in the house for an hour or so when she was around... 7 months or so, but we also kept her confined to one room that was tile floor and had little for her to destroy. She never got into anything except for the odd houseplant or kleenex, but we were still careful.


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## Honey (Jan 20, 2010)

Honey spends a few hours alone daily but she has proved she wont get into to much trouble


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I think you've been lucky so far, but I suspect he'll turn into a "normal puppy" with tendencies to get into trouble quite soon. I don't leave mine unsupervised until after adolescence. I figure, why risk it?


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving a pup alone for any length of time, even a few minutes unattended. They are basically toddlers and though they can be angels one minute, their curiosity will take them places we wouldn't even think to look for danger. 

I am a stay at home who's become an empty nester, so I am here all day and can keep a constant eye on the dogs. My bridge boy Sam never did get into anything and never caused me gray hairs. Ike, on the other hand, did find things to amuse himself and I had to watch him very closely. When he was six months old and I thought he'd grown up enough to be out of my sight for a few minutes, he decided to eat my wall. He'd not done this before and hasn't done it since...just the one time I decided to trust him.

I've been having this discussion with my son. His pup is now about 8 months old and he thinks he should be able to leave him loose in the house while they're at work...he hates crating him, thinks it's mean. Thankfully, I've talked some sense into him and he's continuing to use the crate. We've worked out a schedule where I puppy sit Hunter 3 days a week and he goes to work with my son the other 2 days. 

Even the best pup can, and most likely will, have that odd moment where they do something completely unexpected...and hopefully this moment won't cause them harm...or worse.


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## newgolden (Jul 2, 2010)

thanks for all the responses! Sawyer continues to be "good" when left on his own for short periods (by that I mean a few minutes) and I'm not prepared to try it longer than that, of course. That said, I have noticed in the last few days a desire to scratch more (like the floor) so I'm thinking of course he's going to have his moments!! I have no problem crating him when we must be gone and don't want to rush into trying to leave him on his own for any reason. I've heard of (and seen) walls and baseboards that have become dog victims  

Just hoping that he is learning a bit that when the cat's away the mice CAN'T play!!


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## werblam (Apr 28, 2010)

My Bella is almost 5 months and we can let her out of the crate in the morning until the rest of the house wakes up (about 1 1/2 hours). My son gets her out of the crate when he wakes up, takes her out and lets her stay out of her crate. Of course, she is confined to the kitchen, family room area which she roams freely during the day. She also has been trained to not go upstairs. She watches us go upstairs but knows she cannot follow us.
When I get up, I find her sleeping on the couch. I get up shortly after my son, but head out to teach a class. I am back by 7:15 am and she is still a bit sleepy. LOL
She is really good, she is no longer nippy and chewy everything in sight. I have lots of toys and doggie bones for her to chew on. Plus, honestly I think the best advice the training class gave me was to tire her out. I social her with other dogs and people constantly. Today, we went to the softball park and a young boy was patting her and then asked if she could play (run) and I said sure. They were so cute running together. She was exhausted and slept for most of the day! LOL


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## jwemt81 (Aug 20, 2008)

AmbikaGR said:


> My pups are never allowed to be alone until well over a year of age. They can be the BEST pup in the world but it takes only once for them to get into something they should not and then there is a major problem. It is not worth it in my opinion.


I couldn't agree more! Tucker wasn't even allowed to sleep outside of his crate until he was a year old. We just didn't feel that we could 100% trust him until then. Even then, he was baby gated in the hallway. Tyson is just about to turn 8 months old and he is never left unsupervised. If we can't watch him, in the crate he goes. Tyson is much more of a chewer than Tucker ever was at that age, so we have to be especially careful with him. Just about a month ago, I turned my back on him for a quick couple of minutes to answer the phone and he desk surfed and got a hold of a brand new jar of Carmex lip balm and ate the whole thing. He was working on the jar by the time I got to him. :doh: It's just not worth it in my opinion. I would rather have them safe in the crate when we can't keep a watchful eye on them.


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## werblam (Apr 28, 2010)

My Bella is almost 5 months and we can let her out of the crate in the morning until the rest of the house wakes up (about 1 1/2 hours). My son gets her out of the crate when he wakes up, takes her out and lets her stay out of her crate. Of course, she is confined to the kitchen, family room area which she roams freely during the day. She also has been trained to not go upstairs. She watches us go upstairs but knows she cannot follow us.
When I get up, I find her sleeping on the couch. I get up shortly after my son, but head out to teach a class. I am back by 7:15 am and she is still a bit sleepy. LOL
She is really good, she is no longer nippy and chewy everything in sight. I have lots of toys and doggie bones for her to chew on. Plus, honestly I think the best advice the training class gave me was to tire her out. I social her with other dogs and people constantly. Today, we went to the softball park and a young boy was patting her and then asked if she could play (run) and I said sure. They were so cute running together. She was exhausted and slept for most of the day! LOL


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## crh131 (Jun 1, 2010)

I can only speak for my pup and I would say I don't leave him out alone much.
He is always gated into our kitchen area (his crate is in there as well with his water/food/toys.)
When he is dead asleep on his A/C vent (lol) after a long walk...I will leave him to go to the bathroom or throw a load of clothes in.. sometimes to even read on the porch for a few mins. But only when my 10 yr old is in the livingroom (open, but gated from the kitchen) so he can listen for the puppy.

I don't have any plans to leave him alone in the kitchen for quite awhile. 
And I don't have plans to start letting him into other rooms until late fall at the earliest. 

I do try to keep him out of the crate as much as I can though. He is in there long enough for bed (he lets us sleep in.)
So I have adapted my day to spending it with him in kitchen or outside..or taking him with me where I go on errands that are dog friendly.


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## Jax's Mom (Oct 16, 2009)

My pups were left alone in a confined space for a couple of hour at a time once they were potty trained...probably up to 4 hours. Now that they are both just about a year old, they are left in the same area for about 6-7 hours at a time. They do just fine.


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## Retrievers Rock (Apr 4, 2010)

Are we talking leaving them out of the crate when we're home, and left to wander the entire house? Molly does that daily. I work from home, and the majority of the time, they're both in my office with me. You should see my floor right now. It looks like their toy box exploded in here.

Now if you're talking about leaving the house, with them out of the crate, I usually start doing that for around ten minutes, and then increase it very, very slowly until I'm sure they're trust-worthy. There's really nothing for them to get into. The worst would be them destroying something, and Piper is beyond that, and Molly has never been a chewer, or a trouble-maker. 

At five months, I left Molly alone for about ten minutes, while I ran across the street to get gas in my car. She was sleeping in her usual spot when I came home. It will be at about a year before I leave her out all night, though.


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