am i being ridiculous?

[Sally]

Duncan is 7 1/2 months old. I usually work from home and we've progressed to going out for potty breaks every 3-4 hours or so (when he's free in the house). He is usually only crated for 2-3 hours during the day if i run out to do some errands or if I go to the gym. And he hates the crate and also has some anxiety issues being alone.

That being said I took a freelance job for this week and have arranged two 35 minute walks for him. So he goes out at 8:30am with me for a half hour and then gets a walk at noon and at 4pm and I get home at 6:30 to feed him dinner and take him for another walk (or play fetch etc)
This means that he's in the crate for periods of no longer than 3 1/2 hours at a time. But Thursday I have to stay later and won't be home until 8:15. Aside from the fact that he'll have to eat his dinner a little later am I being ridiculous for feeling bad that he will be in the crate an extra hour and 45 minutes longer? I am a first time doggie mom if you can't tell :)

[Adina P]

He should be fine...able to hold his potty and probably no worse for wear than usual. By 7 months he could technically (potty wise) be crated a full 8 hr day...NOT that that is ideal, but I think with the extra exercise and the fact that none of the crate times are very long...he will be fine.

[Sally]

Thanks for your objective reply. I sometimes have a hard time separating my emotional side with my practical side. He's actually getting more exercise this way (4 walks instead of 2 or 3) ...just less "velcro" attachment.

[Tammy & Gracie]

Also, you would be surprised, he will likely sleep the whole time and not know the difference!

[Kelly Gallagher]

I get like this when I feel like we have to leave Maddy longer than we normally do in the crate or when she has to eat later. My husband constantly reminds me that many dog owners work all day and their dogs are home a lot by themselves. I'm fortunate enough to be a stay at home Mom so I guess because Maddy gets to be crate free so often I feel badly when it's for longer periods of time. I can tell you this much..she is no worse for the wear. By the way..I too am a first time puppy mommy.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

Peri stays crated while we are at work - 4 hours in morning, 4 hours in evening (nice walk in the middle of the day). Last week my husband and I both went to the gym on the same night. I felt horrible the whole time I was there because we came home an hour later than usual. Peri was fine...sound asleep...no barking when we came in (which means she is nice and relaxed). Don't worry too much. But I do know how you feel! For future reference, if late nights become a little more regular, you might want to check into doggy daycare....the places in Nashville do 1/2 days.

[Nina, Phil, Harlow & Lacey]

I use to feel guilty too leaving Harlow in her crate while we were at work. Then this week I teleworked a couple of days. The first day she stayed close to me in my office. The second day she looked at me like 'oh, you still here?', yawned and crawled in her open crate to take a long nap.