Anonymous
02/15/2026 18:31
Subject: Wwyd? I had to be out of the house for about 6 hours today. It looks like this might be the case for the next month o
Depends on your dog. I can leave my 4 yr old Lab gated in the kitchen for a few hours as long as she has had a good walk and I leave a bone or yak chew. I couldn’t do this before age 2 or so.
Anonymous
02/14/2026 13:21
Subject: Re:Wwyd? I had to be out of the house for about 6 hours today. It looks like this might be the case for the next month o
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:What does your emergency vet budget look like?
Unless you have a totally empty, completely puppy-proofed room, I'd crate the dog. 6 hours isn't too long for a dog that's old enough that you're contemplating leaving them out, and you definitely shouldn't leave a puppy to roam the house unattended for 6 hours. Make sure anything you leave in the crate is either something your dog can't destroy (Kong, depending on the breed/tenacity of dog), or something you're fine with the dog shredding (old towels). Worst case scenario: your dog is bored and kinda lonely.
Worst case scenario leaving your dog unattended isn't just a big mess and chewed shoes (though that's a possibility). It's a vet bill for whatever you didn't think they'd ever do when it turns out they did it. Not worth the worry, IMO. Just crate your dog.
This seems stupid.
Your comment does seem stupid, yes. Smart people crate train their animals, and avoid trouble and unnecessary vet bills by making sure their dogs don't get into trouble when unsupervised.
You're free to do it differently, but PP's approach is the smart way.
Anonymous
02/13/2026 16:36
Subject: Re:Wwyd? I had to be out of the house for about 6 hours today. It looks like this might be the case for the next month o
Anonymous wrote:What does your emergency vet budget look like?
Unless you have a totally empty, completely puppy-proofed room, I'd crate the dog. 6 hours isn't too long for a dog that's old enough that you're contemplating leaving them out, and you definitely shouldn't leave a puppy to roam the house unattended for 6 hours. Make sure anything you leave in the crate is either something your dog can't destroy (Kong, depending on the breed/tenacity of dog), or something you're fine with the dog shredding (old towels). Worst case scenario: your dog is bored and kinda lonely.
Worst case scenario leaving your dog unattended isn't just a big mess and chewed shoes (though that's a possibility). It's a vet bill for whatever you didn't think they'd ever do when it turns out they did it. Not worth the worry, IMO. Just crate your dog.
This seems stupid.
Anonymous
02/12/2026 16:27
Subject: Wwyd? I had to be out of the house for about 6 hours today. It looks like this might be the case for the next month o
We let our dogs free roam in the house after they are about 8 months old. We can leave them for up to 10-11 hours, though that obviously very rarely occurs. They are usually alone for about 7 hours per day.
Anonymous
02/12/2026 12:50
Subject: Re:Wwyd? I had to be out of the house for about 6 hours today. It looks like this might be the case for the next month o
What does your emergency vet budget look like?
Unless you have a totally empty, completely puppy-proofed room, I'd crate the dog. 6 hours isn't too long for a dog that's old enough that you're contemplating leaving them out, and you definitely shouldn't leave a puppy to roam the house unattended for 6 hours. Make sure anything you leave in the crate is either something your dog can't destroy (Kong, depending on the breed/tenacity of dog), or something you're fine with the dog shredding (old towels). Worst case scenario: your dog is bored and kinda lonely.
Worst case scenario leaving your dog unattended isn't just a big mess and chewed shoes (though that's a possibility). It's a vet bill for whatever you didn't think they'd ever do when it turns out they did it. Not worth the worry, IMO. Just crate your dog.
Unless you have a totally empty, completely puppy-proofed room, I'd crate the dog. 6 hours isn't too long for a dog that's old enough that you're contemplating leaving them out, and you definitely shouldn't leave a puppy to roam the house unattended for 6 hours. Make sure anything you leave in the crate is either something your dog can't destroy (Kong, depending on the breed/tenacity of dog), or something you're fine with the dog shredding (old towels). Worst case scenario: your dog is bored and kinda lonely.
Worst case scenario leaving your dog unattended isn't just a big mess and chewed shoes (though that's a possibility). It's a vet bill for whatever you didn't think they'd ever do when it turns out they did it. Not worth the worry, IMO. Just crate your dog.
Anonymous
02/12/2026 09:40
Subject: Wwyd? I had to be out of the house for about 6 hours today. It looks like this might be the case for the next month o
Most older dogs will just sleep while you’re gone. A puppy is better to crate. 6 hours is doable if they have the bladder control and a good walk/exercise beforehand. Especially if it is just once in a while.