Leaving a new puppy at home without supervision is a calculated risk. Many times, puppies need more attention, more frequent feedings, and more hands-on care than older dogs. If your puppy isn’t housebroken or hasn’t had enough training yet, you’re probably going to have a lot of clean-up work to do when you get home. Having someone come by to check on your pup is an invaluable tool if you can’t take off work or bring your puppy with you. Even for the first few years, hiring a pet sitter to take care of your dog during the day may be a necessity. If you are looking for a dog sitter in the Atlanta area, consider calling Critter Sitters today for a free consultation.
How Long Can Puppies Be Left Alone?
Many owners would love to never leave their puppy home alone. Others may be going crazy taking care of a new dog and would love a break. Either way, work, school, and other obligations may take you away from the house and force you to leave your furry friend home alone.
When puppies are left alone, there are plenty of risks to their safety and health. First is one of the obvious risks: they’re probably going to make a mess. Puppies typically don’t have a good sense of where it’s okay to go to the bathroom and have little to no ability to wait or hold it until they’re outside. This often means a high number of daily accidents until they are properly housebroken or trained. Even when you leave them alone in a crate or cage, they may make a mess of the cage (and themselves). If they are partly trained, they may end up holding it in for too long. This can be painful, irritating, and even cause potential bladder and urinary tract infections.
Dogs are also coprophagic – meaning they eat their own feces. Puppies may also enjoy getting into your cat’s litterbox. Leaving your new puppy alone may mean dealing with an upset stomach later – or at least bad breath. This usually isn’t harmful for pups, but it is still a gross habit in the eyes of humans.
Leaving a young dog alone may also mean they get into other things to eat. Garbage, clothes, shoes, and even furniture can all become an unhealthy snack for a puppy who doesn’t know better. If they eat something that isn’t good for them or is undigestible, they could become extremely sick. They may even need surgery to have objects removed if they can’t pass or digest the item.
Puppies also get very lonely and bored. They’re still at a stage of development where they need attention. This helps them grow into well-adjusted dogs, and of course helps your bond with them grow. Leaving them alone too long may lead to more behavioral issues later.
As a rule of thumb, some people suggest a rule of leaving a puppy alone for up to 1 hour per month of age. That means a 4-month old pup could be left for 4 hours, and so on. Especially young puppies should still not be left alone for more than 1 hour (maybe 2), even up to around 3 months of age.
Pet Sitting for Puppies in Atlanta
If you have a puppy, it can be difficult to get out of the house to run errands and so forth. If you need a few hours away from the house or you need someone to help take care of your pup while you’re at work, contact an experienced pet sitter. The Atlanta dog sitters and dog walkers at Critter Sitters have plenty of experience dealing with puppies, both in their personal lives and as part of their job. Our Critter Sitters do their best to care for your pets just as you would.
We don’t mind the extra care it for puppies and special needs dogs. Our pet sitters can help with the extra work of caring for a puppy, such as special attention to your training techniques, cleaning up after accidents, and monitoring your pet to make sure they don’t eat anything they shouldn’t.
Having a pet sitter is an excellent option to get your puppy out of their cage, get them out for a walk, and help them cope with the loneliness while you’re at work or out of town. Even if you have multiple dogs, our services can still help with puppy care.
Atlanta Dog Sitters and Walkers
At Critter Sitters, we take pride in providing our clients with pet sitting and dog walking services. If you’ve got a puppy that needs extra care and attention during the day, call our offices to set up pet sitting today. Consider becoming a Key Client and leaving a copy of your house key with your sitter so they can stop by for emergency or short-notice visits. To set up a consultation with our Atlanta pet sitters or to schedule pet sitting today, call us at 404-793-6178.
