Hi

We have a boxer pup who is 9 weeks old. He has settled into his crate very well and sleeps in it all the time (with the door open & all night). He has the run of the kitchen over night, so he does not feel confined to one place & there is nothing he can destroy. My question is, how long is an acceptable time to leave a young puppy? We are lucky at the moment because my daughter has finished uni and will not restart until September, but if she has to go out for any reason???

you have to do it very gradually. its good that your pup likes his crate! start off by leaving the house for five minutes then ten, then 15 etc.. when we leave we always give our pup a biscuit so its not 'all bad'. you can even use a reassuring word like 'back soon' when you leave so that your pup knows whats happening. i wwould not leave my dog for longer than three hours. but as you pup is only 9 weeks i wouldnt want to leave him any longer!
goodluck

And don't make a big fuss of the puppy when you come back, rather just walk in and more or less ignore him (or at least don't go straight up to him before you do anything else) -so he doesn't think it's been a big deal. :)

Marianne