i am a little worried i have been reading the other thread about the amount of time dogs are being left in a crate, i am going away this morning just over night and am being picked up at about 10.30 the thing is my husband wont be back from work till around 2 so this means arin (6month gsd) will be crated 3/4 hours (he has tomorrow off work so thats fine) she is normally crated at night, is there anything i could leave her to help pass the time and stop her being bored
this is a one off as i dont work and spend all day with my dogs its just my sil and myself are having dress fittings today and she dosn't live local

I think your puppy will be fine, 3-4 hours is ok, there are not many of us who haven't left our dogs or pups for that length of time.

Could you not leave the crate open for her? like leave her in the kitchen with the crate open with some toys, fresh water and some nice chewy bones? Radio on for little background noise?
I sometimes crate my pup but if I go out I leave the crate open so he can come and go as he pleases and confine him to the kitchen with his toys, bones etc
Just a thought xx

Just make sure that you give her a run and plenty of mental exercise before you go, and may a stuffed Kong, and I'm sure that she'll be fine bek.  It's the regular 6+ hours every working day that isn't good for any dogs' wellbeing. :)

i cant really leave the crate open as i have 3 other gsds and am worried as they play quite rough at times also i have no frontroom door or kitchen door and as i have all woden floor all cables are exposed. she has had a walk and is sleeping at the moment but i will make sure i play with them all and tire little one out again lol.
adults are fine with being left and have run of down stairs

is sleeping at the moment

Wake her up bek!  You want her to sleep while you are out. ;) :)

As long as the dog gets exercise before and after being left she will just chill out. She will be fine. End of the day we do have lives to live and I can't think of anyone outside a small few on this board who would think crating a pup for 3/4 hours in the day to keep them safe is harmful. As long as she is trained to be relaxed when she is crated and have no collar or choke hazards and have fresh drinking water, and can stand up easily and move around change possition and sprawl out and stretch.. When she is older she will be fine to be loose in a room or the house and the more you get right  when she is young the more easy it will be to leave her loose later on.  Even loose in the house anything over 7/9 hours would be demanding for a dog to be left with no toilet area and then they can't be blamed for  any accidents .   With the crates it is the dogs who spend their whole lives shut in crates that most people worry about. But here some people are very anti crate and  3/4 hours is seen as cruel and night use is seen as cruel...it is the point at which  useful becomes lazy or abusive people have different opinions.

My house is old and open plan and of the doors we do have none of them actually shut so crates are very practical and essential bits of equipment in my home for pups and now for my dogs at night ( which some people here think is torturing them.)  and they are good for the car and for shows, to take on holiday   etc.. I think they are very very useful .