How long can my 8 week old GD be crated?

[Sherry Woods]

Hi all! I will be bringing home my goldendoodle this weekend and I am SO excited. I am booking my mid-day dog walking company and am not sure how many visits I need each day. I will be gone from 7:30am-4:30pm each day, and had planned on getting someone to come over at 12:00 but am beginning to think that is too long for a new baby. I have the option of a 10:30 and 1:30 visit, but that would be over $125 a week rather than $70....

Do you think he can hold it 4.5 hours or do I need to schedule two visits for the first couple months?

Thanks in advance.

[Shoney & Ruby]

Personally, I think that is a long time for a sweet baby doodle. We spent a lot of time with Ruby [and still do] and feel that her bond with us grew so strong because of the time. She also potty-trained herself because she could let us know when she needed to go out. Ideally there would be someone nearby who she could stay with during the day....they are so social and lovable...I know that is hard for some people to have, but there might be someone nearby who would be delighted to spend most of the day with a doodle puppy. Good luck.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I agree that this a long time for a baby doodle, recently separated frm his siblings to be left alone. I do hope that you will have some time to bond with your puppy and put in the very valuable early socialization opportunities as well as manage the potty training. I'm sure there are others here who will have some valuable insights and perhaps a cross posting to the puppy madness group would be a good idea. Personally my puppies needed to go out every 30-40 minutes during the day in those early weeks.

[Jessica, Loki and Moose]

I have been told the General rule of thumb is the number of months old the puppy is (in your case 2) +1= the hours a puppy can hold it. So 3 hours average for an 8 weeks old puppy.

[Christy&Riley]

We got Riley at 9 weeks. I left around 8, came home around 10:30, 1:30 and 5:30 for the first two weeks I think. Then I just came home at lunch after that and she was fine. She never potties in her crate so after a couple months we bought a huge one. That gave her space to stand, move around, etc. It was like a studio apt. One end for her banket and the other end for toys. Have fun with your new baby!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

2 visits per day, at least for the first couple weeks, would be more appropriate for an 8 wk old. I would imagine asking someone like a close friend or relative to watch your puppy during the day would be almost too much to ask, as its exhausting work. Those first weeks are the hardest! Ideally, it would be best to take some time off from work, at least that first week home, but I understand that isn't always possible. How long would the person you hired be there with your puppy? Long enough to feed a mid day meal, take him/her for potty and spend some time playing? Walking wouldn't be something your puppy should do at such a young age, not until its had all its shots, so maybe they could stay a while and interact with your puppy.  Please make sure the dog walking company is aware of the puppy's age and knows what a puppy needs (like to go directly out for potty when coming out of its crate, and after eating and before leaving). I wish you luck.