Ah, I think I may have read the original post wrong sorry. I thought it was just for short periods of time, training him if you like, to get used to being alone, in which case I wouldn't consider it cruel to ignore him. However, if it is indeed longer periods of time, what everyone else said

I wouldn't be going out in the day and leaving an 8 week old pup for any longer than an hour or so. If you knew you had to work you should have considered an older dog that is ok to be left, or arranged time off work. Sorry to sound harsh but it's the reality of the situation. The questions you are asking now you should have been asking before you got him.

Would you leave an 8 week old baby alone for 4 hours?

It's far too long.......

I have to say that I agree with the others after hearing the amount of time the pup is left.

If it just 4 hours or 4 hours and a break with another 4 hours that he is left? as in, a full working day?

Some good advice here. Don't feel too bad about it all, you're learning and it's very hard at those early stages.

You'll find a way to make it work. Just remember he's a little baby and needs the closeness he had with his litter mates.

Good luck with it all ;o)

In the real world, many people have no choice but to leave their dog by itself all day. Depending on our schedules, my wife and have left many 7 week old puppies all day with me stopping in at lunch to give it a break.

Crates do help. At night, I have never had much luck with the old clock or radio tricks. What I do is lay down by the crate like I was going to sleep there. Usually a puppy may fuss a little, but then settle down and go to sleep. Once it is asleep, you can get up and go to bed. That may work when leaving in the day time too.

Perhaps, but it is generally frowned upon in this country. Most people have no qualms about leaving an adult dog during the day but an 8 week old puppy? I wouldn't get a puppy if I had to crate it 16 hours a day.

Neither would I! If you know you are going to be working a full day and the puppy will only get a short break during the 8 hours then, basically, you shouldn't be getting a puppy (imo). Sorry, but I believe it's selfish to get a puppy and leave it to its own devices for long periods. Fine, if you can take several weeks off work to settle it in and make some arrangements to ensure the puppy isn't left alone for most of the day but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

As we ALL live in the real world, and all it entails, the fact is it is still to long to leave a young puppy on its own for that lenght of time.

An adult older dog is different, but as we are not talking about an adult dog but a 8 wk old puppy, you will find the majority of members here will frown on it.



Crates........I am a big fan of them... but not to be used as you suggest.

Whats the difference in leaving an 8 wk old, alone, be it in a crate or not!!

You are still leaving it alone for most of the day.

4hrs at a time it to long to leave a puppy at that age, even with a potty break in the middle.

Is there a way round this for the OP?
Perhaps consider leaving the pup with a dog-sitter, or taking it to work during the day or even working from home. It does sound a bit from the post as if not enough research has gone on before perhaps?

If not, as others suggest maybe this is not an ideal home environment for such a vulnerable pup?