Hi everyone! I have a golden retriever puppy who will be 10 weeks old on Saturday, and this Sunday will be her first time being home alone. I work from home, so I’m with her pretty much constantly.
Our current setup: – She has a playpen where I can monitor and sit with her while I’m working. If I’m outside the playpen and she can see me, she goes a little crazy trying to get out/can’t settle though. Side note: any advice on this would great (we currently ignore her if she’s barking/jumping and give her a treat if she’s playing/lying down be herself but that usually makes her get up.)
- She also has a crate within the playpen. We follow a routine of ~2 hours nap in the crate, then about ~1/1.5 hours in the playpen with me. She actually loves her crate — she goes in on her own when she’s tired and sleeps great in it (we don’t keep any toys in it so it’s really just for sleep.)
Here’s my issue: My husband and I will be gone for about 3 hours this Sunday (Thanksgiving dinner around 5 p.m.- which also happens to be her “witching hour”). Since it’s her first time being alone, I’m unsure if I should leave her in the crate or give her access to the playpen.
Potty-wise: – She can sleep in her crate all night (8 p.m. to 5 a.m.) with no accidents or even a peep.
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But during the day, when she’s awake and in the playpen, she usually needs to go out every 30 minutes to an hour. So if I leave her in the playpen, there’s a good chance she’ll pee. I also have never left her alone in the playpen for more than maybe 10 minutes.
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If I leave her in the crate, I’m worried it might make her dislike the crate afterward or be too long for her at this age.
I have about a week to prepare, and long-term she might need to be alone for a couple of hours once a week for work errands.
What would you recommend for a puppy this young? Crate for the 2–3 hours? Playpen and accept the possible accident/escape attempts? Any advice or prep tips would be amazing. Thank you!
submitted by /u/QuarterSufficient358
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