How long is too long leaving a puppy

What do you think is the longest time a cav puppy should be left on its own for ? Obviously I know this breed do not like been on their own at any stage in life and my own maximum even for my 2 now is 5 hours at the most extreme times but how does this differ for a young puppy?

Opinions will differ probably, but when I have pups I dont leave them any longer then 3-4 hours and only when I absolutely have to.

Really, you CANT leave them any longer then that as baby pups are on 4 to 5 feeds a day and you need to be around to feed them.

I have never left mine longer then that without someone looking after them while Im gone.

Having said that, its also a good thing for your pup to get used to you coming and going to prevent seperation anxiety.

If you can practise going out for just a few minutes, them coming back in and giving pup a big cuddle itll make it easier for them. If they are used to it, they know that mummy isnt abandoning them, but rather the doors WILL open again and mum will come home.

Kyla

How long

I have never left alfie,he is lucky because i cant work ,my daughter has health problems so i am unable to work.But wednesday this week we were invited to a kids party i had to leave him for 3 hrs ,i felt awful.When we were out all i could think about was him.It was ashame because the people we went to arnt keen on dogs ,normally the people i mix with will let me take him to their houses.When we got home he was so pleased.

There was just a good thread on this. Hope this helps.

http://www.cavaliertalk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=5765&sid=e13db8e75e9a146fedc2e75a3b69d191

I work 40 hours a week, and I am a single gal and I live alone. I got Bentley when he was 4 months old, but I also had my 6 year old toy Poodle too, so when I was at work Bentley had (and still has) company. It's worked out real well for me. They have full run of my place, and I have toys and stuff for them, and leave the radio on. I also still leave the puppy piddle pads down because I know they can't always hold it that long. It was my only option, and I was lucky it has worked out for me. But, if I didn't have Bailey to keep Bentley company I would have been more worried about it, and no doubt would've probably gotten another dog for company, and plus I just love having 2 dogs!

The rule of thumb is one hour for every month of age. Hopefully, without an accident. We don't leave Libby that often. A few hours for one of the kids activities. When I work, she goes to Grandmas!

I rarely leave mine for more than 5 hours top! I love that they have each other for company and when I come home they are almost always perched on the arm of the couch together. Now, when I'm home they rarely sit together so I think it's nice they enjoy each other's company when I'm not home.

I work at home so am able to arrange my schedule around the dogs. Lots of people who worked outside of the home arrange for someone to come in midday and give them a potty break and a little play. I do this when I'm out of town and hubby has to work. We have a sitter who come in for an hour around noon everyday.

Wesley has only been left alone for just maybe over 2 hours. Possibly 2 1/2 I think. He's been amazing though and has never had an accident in his crate.

Are you asking about puppies specifically or 'pups' as in dogs? I think you are asking about puppies specifically. The hour for each month of age is a general guideline but I think it is very hard for puppies to be left alone for long stretches for many reasons. They do need several feeds daily and cannot hold themselves and can be made extremel;y uncomfortable trying... so best to work this around those structured activities. Until Jaspar was 6 months I never left him over 4 hours and just curtailed my work and social life til then.

I've never left Amber for longer than four hours. Any longer, and I arrange for half time cover. The only exception was the other evening when I was out for drinks with people from uni, but I'd been in all day and kept them busy, so frankly I think they were glad to see me go out for the evening and leave them in peace! I do feel that they *must* be left for longer stretches of time, the evening is better (especially if they've had a busy day) since they naturally want to sleep then anyway. Back to the question however, Amber has only very rarely been left totally alone for more than two hours- she nearly always has Holly, and lately they share the crate when I'm out and at night. As a young pup Holly was rarely left for longer than 3 hours, and I felt guilty even then.

Thanks guys for your replies :flwr: (oh that rimes :lol: )

Yes Karlin I was/am talking about puppies in particular. It was a question my mum asked me regarding Toby (her pup) and I could not really answer it only to say that I personally would not leave him anymore than 2 hours at max. However my mum thinks I am way over the top and usually does not listen to me so I wanted to get some more info from the team !
Toby is not crated he has the laundry and access to the loo, safe and secure while she is out and by his choice/interest he is only fed 3 times a day, so those sort of things are addressed.

Much appreciated to you all.