When can I leave puppy at home?

Question
Hi Jill,

First of all, apologies for the long email however I have tried to include as much information as possible.

After months of contemplation we got a puppy recently at 7 weeks, he is a New Zealand huntaway (not a purebred, but a mix of lab, border collie and other dogs bred for farming sheep and cattle). We have a few weeks at home off work to spend time with him while he settles in, but are busy putting together a plan for when we eventually leave for work.

I have organised a friend for him to puppysit during the day for a while, however eventually we'll want him to settle in for 7 hours, Monday to Friday. He has a good, fenced area to run around in and will have a big kennel. He's got toys and two cats (who like to hang out with him) to keep him busy. We live in a moderate climate with fair weather. Presuming he is exercised a lot physically and mentally outside of this time, when is it ok to start leaving him at home alone and how should it be done?

Puppy has settled in well and doesn't exhibit any behavioural problems - he is a happy, good boy. He was the smallest in the litter, and very calm compared to his litter mates. He is visiting the vet for vaccinations and other treatments and starts puppy preschool (like obedience training) shortly.

Thank you in advance for your help, it will be very valued!

Answer
A neonate should never be left alone for hours at a time; a puppy at 7 weeks of age requires observation, much as does a human toddler.  Further, also involved is the risk that the puppy will learn all the wrong things and acquire behaviors that will be quite difficult to extinguish.  Also, bonding with non-human members of the family over humans will definitely take place.  Your puppy is about to embark on a fear phase which is natural to the domestic dog and occurs anywhere between 8 and 10 weeks of age (give or take); you must be vigilant regarding the things he is exposed to and how he reacts.  While a puppy can safely be left alone in a small area overnight when he should be following the natural sleep rhythms (a safe crate or a pen designed to hold a soft bed, a safe toy, and a bowl of water), during the day his energy level will be quite high and he may get into all sorts of trouble (some possibly life threatening).  Furthermore, this particular breed has a strong propensity for barking and, although this can be trained and managed, allowing such a young dog to do as he pleases will definitely involve this behavior and may become quite problematic.  No dog should be left alone for more than 7 or 8 hours a day, although many do become accustomed to it; but a puppy can, under no circumstances, be isolated in this manner.  You will end up with a shy, undersocialized adult dog who has at least one behavior problem acquired when he had no supervision (over barking, attempting to get out of confinement, digging, destruction of property), a high propensity for developing separation anxiety, and the possibility of fear related aggression.  You absolutely must find a reliable petsitter, licensed and/or bonded (and check references VERY carefully) who will interact with this puppy at least once a day for at least one hour.  This person must be instructed on how to interact with the puppy, what sort of training he is receiving, how to deal with any problems he develops (including house training issues) and must be a true professional and understand dog behavior.  This is like leaving a human infant in day care.  In fact, it would probably be ideal if you could actually FIND day care for this puppy, but be sure it is run by educated professionals in positive reinforcement training who do not allow older dogs to interact with young puppies.  DO NOT leave such a young puppy outdoors alone!! for ANY reason!