is it ok to leave a 10 week old puppy alone in the house for 6 hours a day?

I have to do that every day too. I leave the tv on low make sure he has plenty water, all the toys are within reach and everything i want him to stay away from is out of the way or the door is closed. I take him for a long walk before i go to work and first thing when i come back. We had some issues at first because he couldn't hold his pee for so long but it's getting better and he doesn't do it anymore. I'm lucky that he's not a barker hope your dog isn't either because that might cause trouble with your neighbors.

I saw that some of the other answers were really negative but my puppy seems to be handling it just fine. Of course he's excited when i come home but not more than he always is when he see's me. He's not turned into an unsociable crazy destroyer either but it must say that i do devote every minute when i'm at home to him to make up for his day. It might help that i have an english bulldog who loves to take nappies even when i'm at home. Good luck.

How do you plan on house training the dog?

6 hours is a LONG time for a 10 week old puppy. If you already have the dog you should have thought about all of this beforehand. If you don't have the dog already DO NOT get one until you can arrange for someone to be at home with it for the majority of the day until it's a bit older.

You can hire a puppy sitter to come and stay with the dog for an hour to break up the 6 you will be leaving it for. Bear in mind it may not be 6 hours. Things happen. You need to consider what will happen if you're coming home late.

A 10 week old puppy is still a baby and cannot be expected to amuse itself for 6 hours. It it also physically impossible for them not to need ot go to the toilet in that time. If there is nobody there to let him/her out he/she will not learn that it is expected to go to the toilet in a certain place.

Poor lonely puppy. She left her mother and her siblings and thought that you cared. If you work six hours a day, that is not the length of time that she will be left alone. You need to shop, go to the dentists and get your hair trimmed. Will you forgo your social life to ensure that your puppy has company and how will you be able to train and socialise him or her.

Perhaps you have not yet bought a puppy and you are worried about doing so. All puppies can be a pain in the bum and if they are left alone they will become anti social hooligan's. Yes six hours +++ is too long to leave them, however if you can afford to pay for puppy walkers it will help.

Yes there are selfish people who are on this forum who will say that they leave their dogs all day. Nevertheless their dogs will suffer.Dogs are dumped every day because people expect them to cope with a life of solitude.

If you do this at a frequent basis you put your pup's health at risk!

Your puppy is still very young, he is a baby. He needs toys, food, water, room to play and stretch, which is almost not possible in a crate.

If you decide to put him in a crate chances are he will not pee/poop because dogs don't (normally) eliminate themselves where they sleep.

But exactly this may bite you later on...

The result of leaving such young fellow alone for more than 4hours at a time could be not only psychological but more seriously, kidney stones.

Dogs are social animals, leaving your puppy for such a long time alone may minimize your chance of bonding with him and serious urinary infections...

I hope you make the right choice for you 10 week old baby:

-- leaving him not longer than 4 hours confined

-- whenever you come home, give him plenty of play, training, and cuddle time

Not really, that is too long for such a young pup. If you get a pup you need to make sure someone can be around it for most of the day. I wouldn't really want to leave a pup this young alone for more than 2-3 hours, at least not for their first week in their new home.

Lots of contact and socialisation is very important for pups especially before 16 weeks of age.

Chalice

Honestly, an untrained dog can be a real pain - a risk to himself, his owner and to other people and animals. Owning an undisciplined dog may result to:

- Destruction to your home

- Social isolation

- Accidents

- Injuries

- Legal claims against you

- Stress to all concerned

- The dog being unwanted

Canines that always get their own way will believe that life revolves around them and for that reason they must be important. Since dogs are looking for controlling different resources than humans, their bid for power usually goes undetected until it’s too late. Obedience and house training your dog and ensuring he’s not raised to a top position inside the home will keep your relationship with him well-balanced in your favor, as it must be for satisfaction all round.

If you want a free copy of my dog training ebook "how to housetrain any dog" just send me an email at dogtraining@goodtips.info

I'll send you immediately the ebook (100% free) and some tips on how to live better with your dog.

No way! that's the way to make a psychotic dog. After a year you can start leaving them for over an hour or so but really 6 hours is always a bit too long

Absolutely no. I would wait until my life-style can include a dog. It might be okay (but not ideal) with an older dog, but it's hardly the sort of life I'd want to give any dog, never mind a puppy. Sorry.

Not really, no. In that time the puppy should be let outside to pee/poo at least 12 times and be fed at least once. As well as given plenty of mental and physical stimulation.

First, any puppy needs "boundaries" and a "safe place" if left alone. I used a huge crate (cage) and put all of my puppy's play stuff in there. I would take him out to the bathroom, and when I got home from work I'd take him out immediately again. Even now at 11 months, I don't use the crate anymore when we leave him home alone... but he loves the darn thing! It's like his little bedroom... hope that helps you!