[Ruger#1GSD]

Hey everyone. My question is about how long is too long to crate my GSD pup. Ruger is 20 weeks old and has the luxury of his mom and I working seperate shifts. My girlfriend is up at 5:45am for work. Ruger gets breakfast, potty time, and a little play time before being crated back up until 9:30-10:00am when I get up. With spring here in Northern Michigan, he spends most of the day "helping" with yard work, napping, a usually a nice walk. Lunch is around noon, and its back into the crate at 2:40pm when I leave for work. Mom gets home around 4:00 pm and they usually go for another walk and then relax most of the evening. Dinners at 7:00pm and he is crated at 9:30-10:00pm when she goes to bed. I get home around 11:45pm and we usually just cuddle up on the couch until 2:00am when I go to bed. He takes lots of naps throughout the day and is a great dog!
The problem is that my girlfriend is going to be gone for a week next month. Do you think 9 hours in the crate while I'm at work, plus the 6-7 hours while I sleep is too much? I can probably have my parents stop by the house in the evening to feed him dinner and go outside. Ruger has never had to endure long stretches in his crate, and has never put up much fuss about being in there. I'm just worried about my buddy. Any advice would be great! Thanks in advance.

 

[Rachell2313]

I think that will be fine especially since it is only for a week. If he is good in the crate already some extra time shouldn't hurt. You can even put a kong in his crate with peanut butter to keep him occupied, or a marrow bone always seems to keep my dog busy for a while. But I would definitely try to get your parents to let him out if they can.


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[vwitt]

I think 9 hours is too long. My puppy is 9 months old and I still feel uncomfortable leaving him in there for more than 6 hours. And I only do it when utterly necessary. I would have your parents come by after 4 hours.

 

[doggiedad]

find a dog sitter to come in and give your pup a break.
when my dog was a pup he was let out of his crate every
2 hours. he probably could have gone longer but i didn't
want to.

 

[readmeli]

I think he'd be fine, but the adjusted schedule might be an issue for him. Best to see if your parents could come let him out a bit! He'll be happier

 

[Shade]

I would definetely talk to your parents about giving him a break in the middle of the day. Otherwise he shouldn't have a issue as long as he's good and tired when he goes in