Can I Leave My Young Puppy at Home?

Leaving a young puppy at home may seem like a scary thought. Will he chew up your house? Will she cry all day long without anyone to play with? While these are both legitimate concerns, there are steps you can take to ensure that your puppy is safe and happy at home. 

If you are full of dread at the prospect of leaving your puppy home alone for the first time, Daniel offers some words of comfort for new puppy owners. As he explains:

"The answer is: yes, you can leave your dog at home alone and you should teach your dog to exist - through crate training - on their own and to be comfortable being on their own and, you know, eliminate separation anxiety that'll grow over time if you don't do that.

If they've had exercise, if they've had food, water, they've gone and done their business. And, then they are already used to a certain environment - whether it be like a playpen, a kennel, a crate - somewhere where they are safe. Where they can't get hung up with a collar or tied down with something or they can't ingest something that could be really dangerous for them. If you can cover all those things, then you can most definitely leave your puppy alone for at least a couple of hours."

However, you should be mindful of things like having available water and food while you are away. And, you should make arrangements to have someone check on the puppy if your absence is going to be more than just a few hours. But, overall, there is no issue with leaving your puppy alone so long as all of his needs have been taken care of beforehand and he is contained in a very safe, secure spot.