another post got me thinking about this one but its a new Q really ......

how long should i leave ruby in her crate, max? she's a 13 week cavalier. its a big crate - 1.5m x 3m, i reckon - she stays in it happily at night, has a 'loo' spot at one end, in case of need (she's v well toilet-trained in the day, just her body's letting her down through the night at hte mo as she's still so little :( )

she has her own basket and toys in it too - to be honest it was bought more in the spirit of a playpen (as per gwen bailey/perfect puppy) than a 'crate' as it is FAR bigger than ruby!

i've not really left her for more than an hour & a half so far (& usually while i'm here, albeit lying down, & she's sleepy) and obviously want to progress this.

what's the max time i should leave her in the crate? if i have to leave her for longer, what would you do - i guess restrict her to the kitchen (where her crate is), with crate door open and lots of toys around and hope she doesn't get into mischief! (Thing is she does sometimes chew things she shouldn't - cupboard doors etc so we are still trying to teach her not to. Is it better to leve her in her crate so she doesn't reinforce 'naughty' beahviours? Or should i take the getting-her-used-to-being-alone thing slower, so she can be left in the kitchen w/o doing undesired things?

for the record - its not that we're that bothered about a bit of chewing damage (kitchen's being done up in few months anyway!!), its just that i don't want her to learn how fun it is to chew furniture!

I have to go out in the day time so my pups and one or two adults have there own crates they get put in to them for about 3 hours in the morn while i am out working i am home for lunch so all dogs go out have titbits and if i have other bits to do in afternoon they are left for about 1/2 hours. and are asleep when i come home

As she is still very young & sleeps in her crate overnight If you do get delayed when you go out I wouldn't worry too much. I have a couple of guests at the moment-cavaliers & they actually take themselves off to bed in their crates on a night.

Leaving dogs for 4 hours on purpose I would say is about maximum but if there is a delay they will be still ok.

Give you a laugh-the guests where here on Saturday & on Saturday night I got their crates out & put one up & went to get the other when I turned round all four cavaliers were in the one crate lol Guess they knew it was bath time as we were going to a show the next day ! Little s*ds wouldn't come out either without a bribe of biccies :D

heee hee

that sounds v familiar! ruby tends to go to sleep @ 9.30/10pm (we do get her up though at 6.45, so not surprised!) and only way to get her out of her basket when we all finally bed down, for her last wee, is with serious treat-bribing - and it has to be right under her nose before she'll even get interested! little minxy....

i left her this morning to go for an appointment and was out for an hour & half - this was the first time she's been left home alone for over half an hour (of course she's been left on her own for up to 2 hours at times when i'm home, to get her used to it) and i was dead worried that she'd be screaching and bouncing around a messy crate, full of chewed up paper, eliminations etc - what i actually found was a puppy in her basket who just about deigned to open half an eyelid then come out & say hi after ooooh maybe 5 mins??!!?

so i am not worried about leaving her for the kind of lengths i was thinking about - as long as she's happy so am i!!

thanks :)