What do you do with your puppy when you can't give them your full attention?

I have an almost 5 month old collie pup. She's always on the go. I can't be available for her all day so use frozen kongs, find it games etc. Even so, I sometimes feel bad that maybe she's not getting enough attention. We are currently keeping her separate from our older dogs 90% of the time as she is (obviously) very hyper and causes one of the dogs to get quite stressed out. We don't want any of them getting hurt.

So, I wondered, what do other people do with their puppies when you either can't be at home, or if you work from home and they maybe can't be in the room with you?

I seem to do an hour or so at work, then go and do 5 mins of training and give her some fuss and attention, maybe a game depending on whether I want to take the risk of breaking her calm mood! Then back to work and repeat. It's tiring!

We have some baby gates up, she has the conservatory and garden to bimble around. If it's really hot, she has the kitchen instead, with the back door open. Crate time after each meal for a rest and she doesn't seem to have got the jist of going to sleep in random places yet!

Sometimes it feels like a battle to divide myself between puppy, older dogs, work, housework, food shopping etc. and I find myself feeling guilty that either the pup or the boys have to be apart from me, when I'd really just like them to be in one place!

Sorry, I should have put this in a different section

Where is eveybody?
i didnt reply as i havent had a puppy for a long time.

I really wouldnt feel bad about the time you have with your pup . It sounds ok to me. It is much more than many other pups get. It is good for pups to learn to cope on their own and to be able to rest and wind down. TBH I think it would be fine for her to be left for two hours at this age. She has the garden and toys to chew if she gets bored.

If she is learning and making progress with her training and not acting bored or distressed by barking etc then I wouldnt worry .

I work from home and follow a similar routine to what you describe when I'm fostering young, high-energy dogs. I go through a lot of Kongs and other chews!

I'm sure you're doing this, but I make sure to take the pup on a long walk in the morning (as long as age appropriate at least). That helps burn at least a tiny bit of energy and it helps me feel less guilty when I have to work.

Sometimes I have the pup's kennel/crate in my office with me or I have the pup on a leash and put the end of the leash under my chair or feet.

Overall, I wouldn't feel too guilty. Your puppy is lucky you have such a flexible schedule and many pups are alone for 4+ hours at a time every day.