Can I Leave My 8-Week Old Puppy Home Alone

Can I Leave My 8-Week Old Puppy Home Alone?

You are bringing home a new puppy, and it calls for a grand celebration indeed. As excited as you may be getting a new puppy, you have to change your work and life schedule by a considerable margin. Living a “puppy-centered life” should be the first change on your everyday list. Considering how much puppy-proofing your house must go on after you bring one home, the joy outweighs the trouble. So, can I leave my 8-week old puppy home alone? 

You can leave an 8-week old puppy home alone. However, leaving an 8-week old puppy home alone for more than an hour without proper training is not wise, and can easily end in disaster. Luckily there are some precautions you can make to better be able to leave your 8-week old puppy home alone.

An 8-week old puppy will surely pee a lot. Even with proper training, a puppy at this age and that small will find it hard to keep it in. If you’re working long hours, we suggest you find a trusted puppy sitter or make the sacrifice of being there for your puppy in between breaks.

Can I Leave My 8-Week Old Puppy Home Alone?

How Long Is Too Long to Leave an 8-Week Old Puppy Alone

A decent amount of separation is good for you and your puppy since it helps break the separation anxiety that a puppy can face. But leaving it for more than an hour alone at that age will undoubtedly lead to a bed wetter than your towels.

An 8-week old puppy needs to use the loo quite often, and managing your breaks can be hard on you. However, with a bit of patience, time, and effort, you can ensure a happy, calm, and confident puppy that waits for you to come back from work.

How Long Is Too Long to Leave an 8-Week Old Puppy Alone?

Dogs are social animals, so if you’re not ready for that commitment or aren’t available, you shouldn’t get one. Considering that your puppy is trained well, it will grow up to be okay and confident in being alone, and hence, the 8-hour separation mark is perfected.

However, even older dogs do not deserve to be left alone for that long. It needs proper exercise, food, and a visit to the loo ever quite so often. So you should visit your pet after every 4 hours and attempt to be regular.

An 8-week old puppy needs constant attention and care. Even an hour can be too long for a puppy that small. So if you have a considerate boss, maybe try visiting it every 30-mins or an hour to check up on it. If not, asking for help may be the only possible solution for you.

As the puppy grows older and checks out on all training, you can fit whatever schedule works for you and your dog. However, it is best to hire a pet sitter or someone you trust to watch over your puppy for the first few months. 

The Importance of Crate Training

Most dogs consider small enclosed spaces as safe and protected. As guilty as you may feel enclosing your pet in a crate, puppies will eventually feel safer inside, and you’ll thank yourself for training it. Even though at 8-weeks, learning “How to Discipline a Puppy” may not go as well as you may hope for, if you’re looking to go to work without any issues, it is undoubtedly the right time to start crate training. It is better to crate train a dog than never.

Crate training helps the puppy potty train on the side as well. Dogs usually do not like to dirty their safe space, so in time, you’ll be happily returning to a clean crate. With some time into training, your puppy will most likely hold it in, given the fact that you don’t leave it alone for too long.

Crates create a safe space for your puppy to go to when it is stressed and alone. Starting small, once the safe space is created without force, your puppy will be confident enough to stay home alone. However, even though your puppy gets crate trained, you should never leave it in there for the whole day.

 Puppies need love, attention, care, food, and a good amount of exercise. Also, leaving it in there for the whole day will cause a lot of stress and, worst-case scenario, lead to separation anxiety. It is also essential to understand that a puppy will mess up everything during training the first week or two.

To better prepare yourself and create a stress-free environment while in training, you should consider reading books on how to raise a puppy. That way, you can anticipate the worst-case scenarios before it happens. Crate training for your puppy is the first step to ensuring your dog is okay with some alone time.

Once your puppy grows older, you can look forward to coming home to a clean house, even if you lend your little munchkin the entire house space. 

Steps you can take for successful crate training:

  • You are forming positive associations inside the crate. Introducing your puppy to something it loves inside the crate can be a start to making it believe that there’s happiness inside. It could be food or your puppy’s favorite toy. You can close the crate while your puppy munches away or play with its toy while leaving your puppy alone for a few minutes. You can start slow and then gradually leave it alone for more duration, depending on when your puppy starts being comfortable inside.
  • Ensuring there’s always something for your puppy to do inside the crate while in training should make life easier for you. Ensure that there are enough treats for him to munch on or enough toys to play with.
  • A puppy that has had a chance to potty and play around before being sent inside the crate is a happy puppy that will most likely not cause any trouble. Clearing him off from some troubles or needs will pique his interest in the toy carefully placed inside the crate or the food.
  • You should ensure that you do not leave your puppy inside the crate for more than 3 hours even though it is appropriately trained. Keeping them inside a crate for long periods of time while being a pup, could lead to a possible potty mess inside the crate. Moreover, it can give your puppy separation anxiety.
  • Giving them treats while inside the crate is another good step to ensure a successful crate training session, and it creates progress where your puppy thinks it is rewarding to be inside the crate.

Asking for Help Is Important

Juggling work and taking care of your puppy might be too overwhelming for you, or you can’t take the time to train your puppy. In this case, hiring a professional pet sitter to assist your puppy in his alone-time training might be the best-case scenario for you and your little pup.

A professional pet sitter will ensure safety for your dog and train him along the way. Rest assured, you will come home to a happy puppy that is confident enough to be alone. You can also ask help from a friend, a trusted neighbor, or someone from your family to keep an eye out on your little munchkin while you’re away—only your puppy life matters.

To leave any dog for more than 8 hours should be considered a crime. Dogs being social animals need love, care, and attention. If you’re too busy to attend to its needs, one of the best options for you is hiring a dog walker, and scheduling walks for your puppy during the middle of the day while you’re away.

This choice ensures excellent health for your puppy, making sure that his potty time is met and would be ready for the night to be tugged away peacefully.

Opting for a puppy daycare center is also another good choice for you to take if you need assistance taking care of your pet. This choice is also a great way to ensure your puppy grows up all socialized to other animals and humans alike. Puppy daycare centers train your pups to be well-mannered and overall helps in their growth. 

Can I Leave My 8-Week Old Puppy Home Alone

Bottom Line

Keeping everything in consideration, a well-behaved puppy will ensure a happy you. After a successful alone-time training session, the immense joy you reap from having the opportunity to help your puppy grow is indeed priceless. While dealing with complications surrounding a puppy before it is trained may seem overwhelming, the joy a puppy brings is immaculate.

Make sure you have the time to properly train it and assist it to be a well-mannered companion who loves you unconditionally. 

The sacrifices you have to make for your puppy might not be what you’re looking for, so in case you’re not sure, refrain from owning one. Other than that, you’re looking at a well-behaved munchkin who likes his alone-time and has no problem waiting for its best friend.

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