14 week Labrador in kennel

[Sjc]

My 14 week Labrador keeps pulling her bed into the run when I'm at work and crying, is this normal and how can I stop this? She is in the house when I get up before work for 1 1/2 hours then in kennel for 8-9 hours and back in the house for 5 hours. I don't mind her crying as I hope she is learning but are next door neighbours have a new born baby and I don't want her disturbing them to much!

[Bruneval3]

Sorry to be blunt but there is no way a pup of that age should be left for such a long period of time, would you abandon a baby for such a length of time?

[nigelb]

Maybe I'm soft, but at 14 weeks, 8-9 hours does seem a very long time for a pup to be left. We have never kenneled a dog, but ours were never left for anything more than an hour in their crate. Is she totally alone ? if so she will be tearing her hair out with anxiety.

[Wendy M]

Pulling her bed out is normal behaviour - shes just occupying her time. Make sure you leave her with lots of stuff to keep her busy, stuffed kongs, maybe a radio left on etc. just so that her environment is not so sterile and boring.

While not an ideal situation - people need to work, and at times it is just not possible to come back home through the day I understand that. She will get used to it in time.

Wendy

[spannerman]

8 to 9 hours!!! I wouldnt dream of it.. Even with other dogs for company, What do you do when you bring the dog in the house?? Do you mentally stimulate ?? Or just think its got company so it will be ok!! Sorry but that just isnt acceptable!!!

[coco]

Does someone come to see her at lunch to feed her? I used to work full time and used to come home at lunch time, ( costly and exhausting, but necessary until they are older). If you can't , what about a neighbour or even paying one of those dog walkers/ sitters?

There are lots if people who do have to be away all day, but there are ways round it until they are olderand it's easier to leave for longer.

[Allyson]

Can you not take your dog to work with you? Even if you cannot take her in, you could keep her in the car and go out and potty the dog every couple of hours, that is what I did when my current dog was 7 weeks........

[Helmsdale]

Can you not take your dog to work with you? Even if you cannot take her in, you could keep her in the car and go out and potty the dog every couple of hours, that is what I did when my current dog was 7 weeks........

Cripes, what's worse, the kennel with a run or the car?

When I last had a new 12 week pup, I used a dog creche while I was at work. It's worth thinking about for a few months, if you can afford it. The dog creche business I used is registered, licensed and properly insured - check that out if you decide to use one.

As an aside, now there's a business for would-be entrepreneurs with dog handling skills! Especially active retired people,I reckon. Just do the sums: it cost me £26 a day - £28 now, I think - and the dog owner has to supply the dog's food (my grandkids loved the idea of my pup going off to the creche every day with his lunchbox!)

The creche I used was in residential accommodation, albeit with a reasonably sized, paved garden and kept very clean. The proprietor had turned the whole of her downstairs area over to the dog care business, and she lived upstairs. Officially she was licensed to take 8 dogs a day from 8 am to 6 pm, Mon-Fri, but there were times when I know she had 10 dogs, and often took dogs on Saturday too - I'm not sure how much the tax man knew;) Also, she took my pup for overnight stays when business called me away, and that obviously cost more. She's got a purpose-converted, temperature controlled Transit-sized van with travelling dog cages built in, and as part of the deal she walks the dogs every day. One benefit for my puppy was socialising with other dogs. Also, I had a lot of confidence in the proprietor, and felt completely at ease leaving my dog there.

The last time I asked her to look after a dog for a day, she said she was fully booked and had a long waiting list, and was only interested in taking long-term daily boarders. So there you go, an in-demand business with at least £62.5k+ p.a. turnover and low overheads, just doing what you're probably going to do anyway... look after dogs. I'd do it myself, if I didn't have to work!

[Nonehpets]

I too wouldn't be leaving a pup 8-9 hours at 14 weeks because they still need 4 meals a day BUT If she has to be out in the kennel that length of time could you put a crate in the kennel so she does not have full free access to the run? Like a pup left uncrated in the house the more space you give her to get up to mischief in the more space she will get up to mischief in.

Cathy

[Judy]

Can you not take your dog to work with you? Even if you cannot take her in, you could keep her in the car and go out and potty the dog every couple of hours, that is what I did when my current dog was 7 weeks........

Cripes, what's worse, the kennel with a run or the car?

Assuming you can do as Allyson says and let the pup out every couple of hours for a short break then the car has to be better than leaving a puppy completely on its own for 8 or 9 hours a day.

Can somebody visit the pup a couple of times a day to give it a break and feed it a midday meal, 8 hours is quite a while for a pup to go without food never mind company.