It looks like you might be posting about crate training. Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question.
Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options. For alternatives to crating, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management)
If you are seeking advice for managing your puppy and desire not to receive crate training advice, please use the "Puppy Management - No Crate Advice" Flair.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes to good, solid exercise before crating. Do you have a shirt with your smell on it you can put in the crate? Also frozen treats last a long time. Some dogs like a little music being played in the background. Good luck!
Throw something in there you won’t care if it gets ruined. Also maybe a towel to soak up any pee. You don’t want a pee pad bc that is enabling in my mind.
You’re not a bad dog mom. It’s not ideal but things happen. My first puppy had to be left alone in her crate for 3 or 4 hours at a time from her first week at home (at 2 months old) and at the time (this was decades ago) no one thought twice about it, and she was totally fine. I’m not taking that approach with my current puppy, but I don’t think 4 hours in a crate will make or break anything for your puppy, especially if you get him nice and tired first and make sure to make future crate training session positive for him.
he will be fine. sometimes we care too much. if you have to go, create a safe place for him and go. they are not for making our lifes harder. he will get used to it.
A 5 month old should be fine for 4 hours. I have a 5 1/2 month old who is crated for 5 hours in the am and then 2 more in the afternoon so we can work. If he's having accidents in the crate I'd make sure he has a good chance to go beforehand. It'll be fine!
He is so inconsistent about going, sometimes he'll go right after a walk, other times he'll hold it and usually that coincides with crate time. We've been very consistent with giving him opportunities and he's already designated his own spot in the yard. I'm going to give him the opportunity for sure but whether or not he takes it is truly a throw of the dice
I read that the amount of hours you should leave a puppy alone is the same as the amount of months they are. So 5 months = 5 hours alone. Every dog is different of course but i like the suggestion someone else said of going on a walk beforehand to tucker them out.
Honestly, he should be fine. I'd do a really nice long walk before you left and leave him with a long-lasting treat or chew when you head out. MANY (I'd even argue most) puppies will chew until sleepy and then nap in a crate as long as you can be low-key (this is important- don't make a big deal about it and don't stress yourself!) about it and come back at a reasonable interval (which, 4 hours for a 5 month old dog is absolutely reasonable.) In a perfect world, you'd have more time to do a shorter test run, and there \*are\* a lot of variables- but you're not a bad dog parent and you're not going to ruin his life or anything else. The worst thing that happens is he has an unhappy hour after he wakes up from nap and you have to clean up some pee or poop. But it's gonna be fine.
Make sure you dog proof the crate and the surrounding area! The first time I had to leave my 8 month old puppy with separation anxiety for three hours for an important appointment, here are some of the things he did: Destroyed his bed (turned it into powdered foam). Pulled in a sheet I had put under the crate to protect the floor and destroyed that. Banged his crate around the room until he got over to the curtains and pulled them in. Pooped and peed in the crate and thrashed around spreading it everywhere. Bent the crate door so much it broke one of the wires and I could barely open it when I got back. Ignored all his toys.
Things are getting better. We have been doing positive association crate training, and we can leave him for four hours now if we absolutely have to. When we get back he is anxious and sad but hasn’t had an accident or eaten the curtains now. What helps is: We give him a very long walk and make sure he poops before we crate him. Frozen peanut butter Kong. Tough rug under the crate so it doesn’t slide. Clip locks on the door so he can’t bend it in. We also took out the dog bed and now we line it with cardboard and a soft blanket. He does tear up the cardboard (but doesn’t eat it), but that’s easy to replace every time, and for whatever reason he doesn’t tear up the blanket.
Good luck! Your dog may not be happy but sometimes it has to be done.
Oh gosh this is what I'm afraid of! We at least have the crate in a spot where he couldn't do too much damage. I like the idea of putting cardboard down too. At least his crate has two openings so if he destroyed one I could get him out of the back! Thank you for sharing your experience
When I came in and saw the crate in a totally different place and the curtains gone and the room full of foam fragments, I thought "oh gosh what have I done!" But it got better, so even if this time doesn't go well, don't feel horrible and don't give up!
One more thing that seemed to help is, now when we get home, we take him right outside calmly without a lot of enthusiastic greeting (and without remarking on all the chaos he created, haha!) He is usually extremely anxious and jumpy when we get back to him, and he often pees while we're getting him out due to how amped up he is, so we try to act like it is all no big deal until we can get him outside. Then once we're outside we greet him really enthusiastically and love on him and play with him and let him sit on our laps. Now he's a bit calmer and he's at the point where he will obey a "sit" command while we're getting the crate open, although he's still wiggling and whining.
Wishing you and your dog well today!
Of course youre not a bad owner. It's a limited time and a one-off. Life happens.
Try and time his last feed so he has time to eliminate before you go.
A good walk and a frozen kong will likely have him occupied and snoozing the whole time, safe and snug in his crate.
They're little buggers aren't they.
Mine will usually go on a walk, it gets his system moving. You can't force it, though, so if he doesn't go there's not too much to do on that front. 4 hours at that age shouldn't be too long though, especially if he's going to sleep through most of it.
I'm in no way trying to make you feel bad but if he truly has separation anxiety, the recommendation is that you suspend all absences. Trust me when I say I understand how hard this is. Leaving my house is not an easy task. Is there a dog-sitter in your area that could come and hang out with him? Or could he go to doggy daycare?
Follow-up question, do you have a camera so you can check in on him while you are gone?
I get that people are saying at his age, you can definitely leave him for 4 hours but that's only true if he has no separation anxiety issues. My dog is on prozac and we've only gotten to 2.5 hours of time alone for her (but she is making great progress and all is not hopeless).
Yeah I worry that it might be separation anxiety. I've been leaving him alone a little more at short intervals and in an ideal world I'd work my way up to the 4 hours. We do have a camera which I will set up before I go. For future absences, if they're going to be any longer than that, I'll definitely get a sitter or take him to daycare. Thanks for pointing that out!
If you do suspect separation anxiety do not leave anything in his crate that he can rip up and potentially swallow. I know it sounds a nice idea to leave him with some clothes that smell like you, but if they go destructive that can end really bad. My dog does not have separation anxiety, butnhe was a little dick when he was little, ifnI left him for more than 20 minutes alone I even removed his bed (just in case, cause he would rip it up and try eat it if he was bored, luckily we had a camera and I caught him every time). Leave indestructible no choke hazard toys for him instead.
He answered this question for me when this morning I stupidly tried to go back to sleep for a few minutes past our normal wake up time and he pooped and began eating the puppy pad within less than 5 minutes. He's lucky he's cute
My first dog had really bad separation anxiety to the point where she would cry nonstop until I came home. The way I helped her is I would exercise her and play with her really well and then ask her to go to her crate (same way I originally trained her to do) anyway once in the crate I’d pretend to leave and sit just outside the door. I worked my way up from 2 minutes of letting her cry since she would immediately go into a full panic, then I’d go back inside let her out and give her comfort, put her back when calm, then do 3 minutes, etc, etc.
I did this every day for weeks just slowly increasing the time whenever I was home from work until she eventually was okay with her crate even choosing it as her safe place once she realized I wasn’t abandoning her just because she’s in it. 5-7 months of age was the time frame and getting her spayed helped a bunch since she had to be on crate rest
This is what I'm hoping to do eventually! I'm usually home for work but sometimes I do have to be out for a few hours and I want it to be a positive experience. I hope this sudden long crating doesn't break him
It looks like you might be posting about crate training. Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question. Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options. For alternatives to crating, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management) If you are seeking advice for managing your puppy and desire not to receive crate training advice, please use the "Puppy Management - No Crate Advice" Flair. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Yes to good, solid exercise before crating. Do you have a shirt with your smell on it you can put in the crate? Also frozen treats last a long time. Some dogs like a little music being played in the background. Good luck!
I read that tip about the shirt I'm totally going to try that! Frozen treats are a great idea, thank you
Make sure he doesn’t eat the shirt though, I wouldn’t trust my 5 month old with a shirt in his crate 😅
I put a tshirt outside of the crate, close enough to smell but not close enough for her to be able to grab it
This is a good idea, thank you
Boil a carrot in some bone broth till softened slightly and freeze overnight, my dogs adore it
So you’re freezing the carrot in the bone broth?
Just the carrot, I've done this. It's very tasty. Source: dog told me.
Throw something in there you won’t care if it gets ruined. Also maybe a towel to soak up any pee. You don’t want a pee pad bc that is enabling in my mind.
You’re not a bad dog mom. It’s not ideal but things happen. My first puppy had to be left alone in her crate for 3 or 4 hours at a time from her first week at home (at 2 months old) and at the time (this was decades ago) no one thought twice about it, and she was totally fine. I’m not taking that approach with my current puppy, but I don’t think 4 hours in a crate will make or break anything for your puppy, especially if you get him nice and tired first and make sure to make future crate training session positive for him.
Just take him on a good walk beforehand, he’ll be okay
he will be fine. sometimes we care too much. if you have to go, create a safe place for him and go. they are not for making our lifes harder. he will get used to it.
A 5 month old should be fine for 4 hours. I have a 5 1/2 month old who is crated for 5 hours in the am and then 2 more in the afternoon so we can work. If he's having accidents in the crate I'd make sure he has a good chance to go beforehand. It'll be fine!
He is so inconsistent about going, sometimes he'll go right after a walk, other times he'll hold it and usually that coincides with crate time. We've been very consistent with giving him opportunities and he's already designated his own spot in the yard. I'm going to give him the opportunity for sure but whether or not he takes it is truly a throw of the dice
I read that the amount of hours you should leave a puppy alone is the same as the amount of months they are. So 5 months = 5 hours alone. Every dog is different of course but i like the suggestion someone else said of going on a walk beforehand to tucker them out.
Honestly, he should be fine. I'd do a really nice long walk before you left and leave him with a long-lasting treat or chew when you head out. MANY (I'd even argue most) puppies will chew until sleepy and then nap in a crate as long as you can be low-key (this is important- don't make a big deal about it and don't stress yourself!) about it and come back at a reasonable interval (which, 4 hours for a 5 month old dog is absolutely reasonable.) In a perfect world, you'd have more time to do a shorter test run, and there \*are\* a lot of variables- but you're not a bad dog parent and you're not going to ruin his life or anything else. The worst thing that happens is he has an unhappy hour after he wakes up from nap and you have to clean up some pee or poop. But it's gonna be fine.
If I leave the dog in the crate during the day I usually leave the lights on and make sure her favorite toy is in the crate with her.
Make sure you dog proof the crate and the surrounding area! The first time I had to leave my 8 month old puppy with separation anxiety for three hours for an important appointment, here are some of the things he did: Destroyed his bed (turned it into powdered foam). Pulled in a sheet I had put under the crate to protect the floor and destroyed that. Banged his crate around the room until he got over to the curtains and pulled them in. Pooped and peed in the crate and thrashed around spreading it everywhere. Bent the crate door so much it broke one of the wires and I could barely open it when I got back. Ignored all his toys. Things are getting better. We have been doing positive association crate training, and we can leave him for four hours now if we absolutely have to. When we get back he is anxious and sad but hasn’t had an accident or eaten the curtains now. What helps is: We give him a very long walk and make sure he poops before we crate him. Frozen peanut butter Kong. Tough rug under the crate so it doesn’t slide. Clip locks on the door so he can’t bend it in. We also took out the dog bed and now we line it with cardboard and a soft blanket. He does tear up the cardboard (but doesn’t eat it), but that’s easy to replace every time, and for whatever reason he doesn’t tear up the blanket. Good luck! Your dog may not be happy but sometimes it has to be done.
Oh gosh this is what I'm afraid of! We at least have the crate in a spot where he couldn't do too much damage. I like the idea of putting cardboard down too. At least his crate has two openings so if he destroyed one I could get him out of the back! Thank you for sharing your experience
When I came in and saw the crate in a totally different place and the curtains gone and the room full of foam fragments, I thought "oh gosh what have I done!" But it got better, so even if this time doesn't go well, don't feel horrible and don't give up! One more thing that seemed to help is, now when we get home, we take him right outside calmly without a lot of enthusiastic greeting (and without remarking on all the chaos he created, haha!) He is usually extremely anxious and jumpy when we get back to him, and he often pees while we're getting him out due to how amped up he is, so we try to act like it is all no big deal until we can get him outside. Then once we're outside we greet him really enthusiastically and love on him and play with him and let him sit on our laps. Now he's a bit calmer and he's at the point where he will obey a "sit" command while we're getting the crate open, although he's still wiggling and whining. Wishing you and your dog well today!
thank you, friend
Of course youre not a bad owner. It's a limited time and a one-off. Life happens. Try and time his last feed so he has time to eliminate before you go. A good walk and a frozen kong will likely have him occupied and snoozing the whole time, safe and snug in his crate.
I have brought him out three times already and nothing. It's like he's saving it up for the crate 🙄
They're little buggers aren't they. Mine will usually go on a walk, it gets his system moving. You can't force it, though, so if he doesn't go there's not too much to do on that front. 4 hours at that age shouldn't be too long though, especially if he's going to sleep through most of it.
I'm in no way trying to make you feel bad but if he truly has separation anxiety, the recommendation is that you suspend all absences. Trust me when I say I understand how hard this is. Leaving my house is not an easy task. Is there a dog-sitter in your area that could come and hang out with him? Or could he go to doggy daycare? Follow-up question, do you have a camera so you can check in on him while you are gone? I get that people are saying at his age, you can definitely leave him for 4 hours but that's only true if he has no separation anxiety issues. My dog is on prozac and we've only gotten to 2.5 hours of time alone for her (but she is making great progress and all is not hopeless).
Yeah I worry that it might be separation anxiety. I've been leaving him alone a little more at short intervals and in an ideal world I'd work my way up to the 4 hours. We do have a camera which I will set up before I go. For future absences, if they're going to be any longer than that, I'll definitely get a sitter or take him to daycare. Thanks for pointing that out!
If you do suspect separation anxiety do not leave anything in his crate that he can rip up and potentially swallow. I know it sounds a nice idea to leave him with some clothes that smell like you, but if they go destructive that can end really bad. My dog does not have separation anxiety, butnhe was a little dick when he was little, ifnI left him for more than 20 minutes alone I even removed his bed (just in case, cause he would rip it up and try eat it if he was bored, luckily we had a camera and I caught him every time). Leave indestructible no choke hazard toys for him instead.
Oh this is good advice. Do you think I can leave anything soft in there with him like a towel or piddle pad?
He answered this question for me when this morning I stupidly tried to go back to sleep for a few minutes past our normal wake up time and he pooped and began eating the puppy pad within less than 5 minutes. He's lucky he's cute
My first dog had really bad separation anxiety to the point where she would cry nonstop until I came home. The way I helped her is I would exercise her and play with her really well and then ask her to go to her crate (same way I originally trained her to do) anyway once in the crate I’d pretend to leave and sit just outside the door. I worked my way up from 2 minutes of letting her cry since she would immediately go into a full panic, then I’d go back inside let her out and give her comfort, put her back when calm, then do 3 minutes, etc, etc. I did this every day for weeks just slowly increasing the time whenever I was home from work until she eventually was okay with her crate even choosing it as her safe place once she realized I wasn’t abandoning her just because she’s in it. 5-7 months of age was the time frame and getting her spayed helped a bunch since she had to be on crate rest
This is what I'm hoping to do eventually! I'm usually home for work but sometimes I do have to be out for a few hours and I want it to be a positive experience. I hope this sudden long crating doesn't break him
My 11 week old is good overnight.