Dog Training Community

Hi all, my husband and I aquired a Vizsla puppy about three weeks ago (he is three months now) and he has been nothing but wonderful.  I've been around sporting breeds ever since I was 12 years old (I'm 23 now), and know pleanty about their high energy levels (I use to show/train Springer Spaniels). 

We have been crate training him ever since day one and he does really well and can stay home alone for about 5 hours max by himself with relatively no problem at all.  However, I just took a job that requires me to be gone for 9 hours a day (m-f) while my husband is gone during the day for physical therapy school.  I completely understand that this is not the idea situation for our little guy, but my husband and I are dedicated to make things work out for our dog.

We are planning on taking him to doggy daycare twice a week, and leaving him in his crate the other three days.   We have an exercize pen and were curious  to know if, as a young puppy, he should be in there during the day while we are gone, or if it is oik to keep him in the crate for eight hours.

I have been doing as much research as I can do to figure out the best situation for him, but am left feeling horrible and anxious to start my new job, leaving him in his crate alone for over 6 hours.  I start work Sept. 2nd, and am trying to get everything ready to make sure he is going to be ok.

I would appreciate no harsh, mean responses - my husband and I love dogs and are responsible and want nothing but the best for our dog - I know people have to leave their dogs during the day for long periods at a time - I would just like any suggestions and help to keep my puppy occupied during the day.

I appreciate any help, thanks!

-Katelyn

Hi Katelyn,

Don't worry, you don't deserve to be chastised for asking great questions and obviously trying to do the best for your dog. You and your husband are busy, but you can still make this work.

Your puppy is definitely too young to be in the crate for 9 hours. Generally speaking, puppies can hold their bladders for one hour per month of age during the day and often a bit longer at night. The most important strategy with crate training is to avoid an accident in the crate. That can be traumatic and make housetraining much more difficult.

I have a lot of clients that have long work days with puppies and make it work. Consider these strategies:

• Daycare is okay, just be careful of potential behavior problems. The anxiety of barking dogs and over-stimulation can cause problems. Two days a week is probably not bad, but also consider dog walks if you have them in your area.
  
• Ask a neighbor to give him a potty break during the day.
• Use a long term confinement area when he is going to be alone for an extended period of time. This can be a puppy-proofed bathroom or exercise pen. My Housetraining Video describes housetraining strategies and long term confinement areas.
  
• Give him a lot of training and physical stimulation in the evenings and weekends to ensure that he is tired during the day
• Leave stuffed Kong Toys  or the Kong Time for him when he is alone to keep him occupied.
  

Let me know if you have more questions.

Jeff,

Thank you for the wonderful advice - my husband and I really appreciate it.

Forte (our puppy) will be crated for no more than eight hours max (I am gone 9 hours, while my husband will be gone between 7 and 8 hours).

We live in a two bedroom apartment in Portland right now, and have a decent sized kitchen that we can put our exercize pen in (the floor is laminent, so messes arent a problem).  My only concern is that he could potentially find a way to get out of the ex-pen and either hurt himslef, or get into things that could hurt him (and our apartment).   We had been leaving him in the ex-pen when we were gone, and once found him on the ground outside the ex-pen with his paw stuck between the pannels yelping - this left me in a state of panic and I havent left him alone in their since then.   Vizslas are very smart dogs, and can be very good escape artists - how would I ensure his safety leaving him in the ex-pen for 8 hours (as this seems the best soulution for him at this age)?

Thank you again for all your help...this has made me rest easy knowing that people have to do this sort of thing all the time - I'd love to be able to stay home all day with him, but obviously that isn't something we can afford to do.

-Katelyn

Hi Katelyn,

You are welcome.

Unfortunately there is no way to ensure complete safety for a dog even if they are in a crate, which is generally more secure than an expen. The best way to increase the chances is to make sure the expen is tall enough and very secure so he can''t move it around or knock it down. Also increasing physical exercise, training and leaving safe food-filled toys such as Kongs are also strategic strategies to increase the chances that he is calmer when alone.

While it is true people do this all the time, it isn't a sure-fire way to have a dog that is receiving the proper stimulation. Especially Vislas, as you know, are very high energy and need a lot of activity. You will need to monitor him and possibly take other action if he is just not doing well with this set up.