Leaving a puppy alone

dizzy

Well-Known Member
I'll be getting my new puppy in less than 2 weeks now! And, while I plan on having her w/me as much as possible, there are times when I can't, like when I'm caring for my horses and chickens. I doubt very much that she's crate trained already, and I will be doing that. I don't want to just throw her in a crate when I'm not around until she's be introduced to it and is comfortable w/it. Nor do I want her to have the run of the house when no one is home.

So, until she's crate trained, what can I do w/her when I HAVE to leave her alone? I'm already thinking of cancelling my riding lesson for that week, or having it in the evening so I can leave her w/my hubby. While I will normally be able to take her to the Bible study I go to at a friend's house, she has 5 dogs. I'm thinking it would be better to wait a least a week since she'll need her booster shots once I get her home. Plus, I work 3 mornings a week, weather permitting. I can take her to work-I work at a horse farm, and can probably leave her in an empty stall w/no problem. Would that be OK, or what?
 
Your plan sounds good to me. You could keep her in a xpen or a puppy proofed room for now. I'm not familiar with horse farms. Could you secure her somewhere livestock doesn't have access to?
 
I think an Xpen would be the safest then her crate once you have her crate trained. I know that Nancy kept Marley in an xpen a lot when he was a puppy. He was Pye's blind brother. You can have toys in it and pee pads and he will feel safe in it.
 
I had to look up what an xpen was. I have something similar. If I make it into a square, it's 4x4x3. As an added safety precaution, I'm going to put chicken wire all along the inside of it, and fasten it w/zip ties on the outside. This way, she won't be able to bite the bars, and get her mouth stuck. I actually have 2 of them, so I can have one at the farm, and the other at home. If I'm leaving her at the farm, I can set it in my feed stall when I leave her there. And if I'm working outside, I can set it up by wherever I'm working until I know that she's safe w/the horses.

I can set the one up at home in the kitchen. I can't block off my kitchen-the opening into it is just too wide. So, this should hopefully work. And, I plan on putting the carte in the middle of it so she gets used to it being there. I'll have either a piece of blanket, or an old towel in there for her to sleep on, as well as a couple of treats leading to the back so she'll get used to going inside.

What are some puppy safe toys I can have in there w/her?
 
unless you're planning on paper training her, I would NOT use an xpen. too much chance on having accidents. better to put a stuffed kong in the crate and call it good. Play with puppy first, take her out for a potty break and she should be good for 2-3h. puppies sleep alot. she'll be fine.

Its not good to leave a puppy in a crate for long stretches of time constantly, but 2h here and there (or even regularily) isnt a problem. DONT leave a towel in there until you have a sense of whether she eats stuff or not. first, a towel is a nice place to pee, 2nd you dont want her to eat a chunk of towel/bedding.
 
I have had puppies manage to climb out of those play pens - use the sides like ladders. A crate and a dog walker in the middle of the day is the way to go
 
A dog walker would work-if I lived in an area other than where I do and if I was going to be gone all day. This is just for keeping her safe while I'm caring for my animals and at work, and even at night. And w/putting the chicken wire on the inside of the pen, I don't think she'll be able to climb out. I know they'll climb. My brother had a dog in a pen when I got Ebony. I tried putting her in it one day. She started climbing out of it!
 
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