some reassurance please?(leaving a puppy for the first time)

Monty has been with us for around 5 days now and sleeps through the night without a sound and is well settled in the house and our company.

The OH thinks now would be a good time to start introducing him to alone time in the house whilst we go out for an hour or so - i personally think this is too long.

I'm fine when i leave him to sleep by himself at night because i am in the house so i know by the fact he's quiet that he's coping ok with it. But if we go out and leave him for a bit this evening then i've got no way of knowing if he barked a lot or how well he coped. We don't have a tape recorder or video camera or anything like that either.

We're thinking of settling him like we would for bedtime then going out and hoping he just thinks we've gone to bed and sleeps through til we get back but i have to admit the whole leaving him thing is stressing me out a bit or am i just being daft?!?

Any thoughts, tips, advice would be much appreciated - good or bad!!

I found it really hard to leave my puppy at first but needed to get her used to being alone for a bit as I had eventually to go back to work in the mornings.
I started by popping out to the local shops for about 20 minutes and then gradually increasing it. I would leave the radio on and make sure it was at a time when she had just been exercised and fed and therefore likely to simply go to sleep.
The test came when I had to go to the hospital unexpectedly and of course wait for ages. I was so worried about how she would be but when I got home she was fine.

I think Talassie has given you some great advice. It is always a bit of a worry when you have to leave your pup alone for the first time. I would do the same as already suggested - just pop out for ten or fifteen minutes initially, after you have exercised your pup and leave him something to play with (a stuffed kong is ideal). Gradually increase the time you leave him.

I am sure he will be absolutely fine

Thanks for the tips, i worry way too much i think!!

We've just had the Mother in Law offer to look after him for a couple of hours so i now have to decide whether to take her up on that offer or just stick to original plan!! More dilemmas!!

It is vital that you let your pup get used to being on his own...immediately! The longer you leave it the worse it will be for all concerned.
Leave pup at time when you knwo he will be sleepy, leave him with a stuffed kong, reserve this for when you go out, take it away when you come in,don't let him have it at any other point. The ONLY time he gets it is when you are heading out of the door.He will soon come to associate you leaving him with something amazing!
Good luck.

I think it is good to get him used to being on his own eventually to avoid separation anxiety but you might feel he is a bit young yet. I think if you do it very gradually it will be ok. You have obviously managed the sleeping alone on a night very well which is the first hurdle! I slept downstairs on the sofa for the first week to keep my girl company (even though the breeder told me to leave her to sleep alone). I think it's a very personal thing and only you know your puppy and how he will react.

The sooner the pup is left the better though or SA will become a real possibility. I'm not talking leaving the pup for hours, I mean starting with a half hour pop to the shops and build it from there, developing positive associations all the time.

I do understand what you are saying Ramble and my post was not a reply to yours but posted at the same time.
I can't quite remember but I don't think I left my puppy alone for about a week or so. My first trip to the shops was a momentous experience! She is absolutely fine when she is on her own now but she was always a confident girl from the day I got her, happy to be with anyone and barely noticing when I left the room at first. Which is a good trait but can lead to other problems at times.

Absolutely agree - it is very important they get to accept that sometimes they are on their own and be happy about it. Otherwise you end up with a dog that gets stressed out as soon as you leave, resulting in separation anxiety.

You've been given some great advice already. nowt to add

I think 20 minutes is a good starting point - then increase by 10 minutes each time. As already mentioned, leaving him a stuffed kong (yummy) will make him associate you leaving with something he loves.

One other I would mention is don't make a huge fuss of him when you get back, no matter what you find, good or bad.

Try and be noncholant about it. It'll be really hard, but you need to make leaving and coming home a "normal" thing.

Good luck!