Puppy crated for 5 hours?

[cathyinlosfeliz]

Hello,

I am going rafting next Sunday morning by the Sequoia Park. The rafting takes place from 9h00 until 13h30, and our Basenji puppy (4 months and a half) will have to be crated at the hotel while we're gone : ( We will leave Saturday morning and spend the whole week-end there, coming back Sunday night or Monday afternoon so the only time our pup will be alone will be when we are rafting.

I was planning on walking him in the early morning so he sleeps when we are away. He is crate-trained and doesn't mind staying in it, but the thing is: I have never left him for such a long time in it….except at night of course.

What do you experienced people think? Should I not go rafting and stay with my pup? Or you think it should be okay for him to stay crated 4hours and a half?

The other solution is to leave him with my friend in town but it would have been so fun to go hiking with him...

Let me know, I need advice...

Cathy

[Vanessa]

Cathy,
I understand your concern. Every Basenji owner approaches this issue at some point in there life.
Puppies don't have a big bladder and can't hold it for too long. I am still trying to figure out how a puppy can hold it throughout the night (7hrs) but while awake can't hold it for 3. :p

Kiya is 5 1/2 mts old and she can be left in her pen for no more than 5 hrs tops. Not a second longer or else we will come home to a surprise :eek:
There have been times where one of us couldn't make it home in 5 hrs due to work/school issues and had to clean up a mess…She was ok though...she just needed a good cleaning and a lot of special attention from us because we felt awful for not being able to get to her in time.

I think (and again, this is my opinion) that 4 1/2 hrs will be ok.
You said that you will be staying in a hotel...have you considered the noises your pup will be making??? Kiya gets vocal at times and man oah man...she makes sure the whole world can hear her.
Take him for a long walk/run and that will help a ton. He will sleep most of the time while crated.

[cathyinlosfeliz]

Ok, thank you so much! He seem to be ok holding it for 5 hours but I just felt awful to keep him crated for such a long time…I take him with me to work everyday so he is never really alone, except in the evenings if I go out. I will make sure to wear him out before we go rafting!!!

[Duke]

Another thought for you - bring a radio. That way you could turn it on and drown-out outside noises. Your pup will be in a place unfamiliar to him and may be scared by outside noise. We stayed in a hotel once with our previous dog who was always loyal and patient to wait for us. When we returned to our room just 3 - 4 hours later, the management let us know how unacceptable it was for us to leave him. He was barking up a storm while we were gone. :o So, you might want to let the hotel mgmt know that if your pup does make noise, he is crated so they don't worry about destruction.

Just my experience - on a 1 week long vacation 2 years ago when Duke was 8 months old. We went camping - perfect place for kids & dogs. But we found ourselves kind of trapped by him. We could not leave him at the campsite alone - so restaurants and sight-seeing were out. The most we could do was hike. On one day - desperate to see the sights, we took him to a local kennel for the day. Luckily, we brought Duke's veterinary immunization record with us. Because they do need to ensure all their tennants are up to date.

[dash]

You may want to warn the hotel that if they hear screaming like a child is being beaten that it is only your dog.

[Quercus]

I agree about talking to the people at the desk. Just let them know you are a phone call away (hopefully you will be reachable by cell). SOME hotels have a policy of no dogs left alone in room…period...regardless if they are in a crate. So you might want to check into that before you travel.

A few years ago we stayed in a hotel that was threatening to confiscate dogs that were left in crates in the room; and was calling animal control if the dogs were making any noise. Ugh...

But, yeah, he will probably cry because it is a new place, and he is a baby. Definitely leave the TV on if he is used to that sound. And definitely make him REALLY tired before you leave. Good luck! Have fun :)

[hdolbow]

mia is 5 months old today.. and i have classes from 8am-145pm without a break long enough to come home. plus an hour total of travel time. shes fine in her crate for 7 hours. and shes done that since we first got her when she was 8 weeks old. granted its only 2x a week. we've started leaving her out if we go to dinner or something like that.. and she doesnt potty in the house then either. she can hold it for quite awhile. but i guess every dog is different