Is confining a high drive pup to a crate or ex pen while at work. For five or six hours. For the first 18-20 weeks.. Before his vaccinations are complete, asking too much of a good pup?
What should be done with pup before vaccinations are up? He can't be up and about around other dogsthat arent my own or close friends, before vaccinations are done? Correct?

I think you should ask your ever so informed 'club' members. They seem to have all the answers from what you have posted here & told us.

 Quote: Anne Jones

I think you should ask your ever so informed 'club' members. They seem to have all the answers from what you have posted here & told us.

'Nuff Said, IMHO

I too resent being told what we have been told about this board by the O.P.


But I hope that for the pup's sake, we can post some help for him, because 5+6 hours a day alone in an ex-pen or crate is, IMHO, completely inappropriate (if continuous).

JMHO.

I don't know the history of the OP, but I will go ahead and answer, whether it holds value or not, the OP can decide.

It totally depends on the puppy, IMO.

My female is VERY high drive and extremely high energy, with no genetic off switch. I had to condition it over 2 years to get her to "turn off". Even then she doesn't sleep.

When she was a puppy I spent about 5 hours a day with her, exercise, obedience, manners etc. I got up early, used my lunch hour, and after work. I brought her to work with me, she was crated in the truck and taken out every 3 hours for a potty break.

IT WAS A LOT OF WORK.

For my male, he has EXTREMELY high drives but only med/high energy, but a genetic off switch. He was already sleeping through the night (8 hours) at 4 months old.
He could have easily lasted 5-6 hours. I still brought him to work though and worked him just like I did my female.

My current male (son of my two other Shepherds) needs A LOT of brain work, high drive, med/high energy, but has a genetic off switch. He has eaten the side out of a crate in 2 hours before, literally, it was only 3 sided when I returned. I don't trust him to be contained LOL

I would NEVER leave a dog unattended in an x-pen, too much can happen. (My puppy, at 7 weeks, completely tore a 4 ft pen down and got out). Hard sided crate ONLY.

I have already asked them, and breeders. My club says its doable, the say they leave dogs in crates when not home. Just figured I ask as many people as possible. As i try to be a responsible owner. But if all my future posts of needing advice are going to be answered with resentment. I will guess i am not welcomed here by leerburg, then I won't return?
Yes or no?

My question is, if your brining a pup to work with you, but still leaving in crate... Isnt that still a pup in crate? Even if the pup is left in car getting bathrom breaks every three hours, isn't the pup then left back in crate?
My pup will also be left either in xpen in 100 percent secluded area at work, or at home in crate, pen. Other than bathroom breaks.
Either way a crate or pen is still a crate or pen for the duration of work? If your working five or six hours, then its inappropriate to own a pup?

I'm getting all mixed responses. The breeders I contact are saying they all crate dogs. And then i get online responses saying high drive pups can't be contained. Everything seems to be wissh washy.. I just need to be sure I know best and do best for pup. That's my only concern. Thank you.
And thank you smith.

The vaccination at 16 weeks is the one that pretty much guarantees the vaccination actually created a long term immunity. So at 17 weeks he should be fully immunized to the strains in the vax.

Ex -pen unsupervised? No way! Even if you meant he would be supervised it's still a long stretch of confinement.

5 or 6 hours with a break in the middle would be okay if it has to be done. 5 hours straight in a crate is too much for a young puppy.

For newer posters and visitors: There have been repeated issues with the OP on a lot of stuff but specifically about crating practices. It's VERY VERY rare that nobody wants to answer someone's question. Please don't take this thread as an example of how the board normally communicates with someone who has a question.

If you live in a reasonable climate, not too hot, and you can take your pup to work in its crate, and take it out every few hours for a little walk and play, I think that would be ideal.
I have raised a lot of pups and I think most of them likely ended up having at least 5 hrs of crate time. They are in crates 8 hours overnight and we don't think that is "cruelty".
The more time the pup spends resting in a crate, the more time you are going to have to spend with it tiring it out and engaging it, though, after you get home. It's going to be work.

But it is certainly do-able, and I don't think it's cruel.

I have never raised a Mal, but I've raised 2 ACDs and a whole lot of other dogs and all of them have been raised with tons of crate time. You do the best you can, but folks have to work, raise children, etc.

Pups are remarkably resilient, as long as you do spend time with them, to train and to exercise, every single day. They can become used to most anything, as long as they know they are number 1 in your heart and plently of play and engagement is coming soon.

 Quote: Brianah Maloney

I will guess i am not welcomed here by leerburg, then I won't return?
Yes or no?

My question is, if your brining a pup to work with you, but still leaving in crate... Isnt that still a pup in crate? Even if the pup is left in car getting bathrom breaks every three hours, isn't the pup then left back in crate?

I see no point in asking those questions other than to be argumentative and ask for drama.

What? I have only 2 or so posts about crating... And if you read them they aren't bad at all. Mostly about why size crate I should be buying, and little concerns about pens.

One place where I work, we have many dogs left in xpens. Another place I work primary uses it for puppies. They are unattended.
But unattended simply means we are not around staring a puppy.
They are simply checked every now and then to make sure all us well.
Naoimi brought up a scary but great point. Nothing is one hundred percent safe for any dog.
Even a cavalier king carles mix managed to chew a great portion of a hard crate within the matter of less than hour,and was caught wiggligng her face through the hole.

Anyways, this break is for what I assume a potty break? Not a training break, not an hour with the puppy?

Obviously my main concern is having a high drive puppy lack mental stimulation while I am at work. This is what I worry about. Can a high drive puppy be "isolated" for 5-6hours a day? Or is this lack of mental stimulation inappropriate for high drive pup?

Of course the rest of day I am all his.

I'm getting very mixed responses. Online seems to be "no, the puppy needs to be socialized and cannot be contained." Offline and over phone from breeders, i get "what do you think I do with my malinois? Let them run free all day?"
And thanks for the help. After all advice is helping puppy, and we all love dogs.