The puppy bonding post below made me remember a question i've had for quite a while. Thank your for any feed back you can offer.

When I got my last puppy, someone was pretty much home all day or at least every couple of hours. If she was left for a day, we didn't crate her, we confined her to a small sun room with a dog door that she learned to use very early on. The dog door led to a small fenced in yard, so she's had freedom and she is a very mentally healthy dog.

My girls' now a little wobbly and sometime too damn soon the day will come. When that sadness is gone, I'm sure I will want another dog. So i'm trying to learn what I need to do to get the best out of my new pup.

We had the dog door for my last pup and mostly constant companionship when she was a pup. Now that i'm out on my own it's just me though. I plan to take a week off when I get my new puppy, but i'm wondering about what I should do during the day after that week runs out. I can go home at lunch for 20 minutes or so, but otherwise the pup will be confined for 4 hour stretches. Is this mentally healthy for a dog or does it do damage?

Ed, i've read some of your e-books that you crate a new puppy and control it's movements with crates and leashing it in the house. I plan to do that when i'm home. Your training methods seem logical, sound and easy to understand even for the novice.

What I didn't see addressed however is, how long is it healthy to leave a dog in a crate and does is it better for the pup than allowing it to run in and out in a fenced in yard all day like I did with my last one. I'm also willing to consider that maybe I should adopt a decently socialized adult instead of leaving a pup by itself most of the day. I just don't have the expreience to know if it's ok for a pup to do this.

Please be kind, while my current dog turned out very good, i'm ignorant when it comes to dog training and more importantly dog behavior. I'm just looking for the best for my next one.

I appreciate any feedback y'all can offer.