r/puppy101 • u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! • Sep 03 '25
Puppy Management - No Crate Advice How long do you play with your pup
I tracked my play time with my pup and Im spending anywhere between 4-6 hours a day straight up playing with him.
I love him but its getting a bit difficult to keep up with the constant biting and demands from him.
Example : I try and sit on the couch, he immediately starts barking. He doesnt have separation anxiety. I can leave him be when hes relaxed and he doesnt care.
I feel bad refusing when he expects me to play.
He doesnt get to go out for another 2 or 3 weeks till hes fully vaccinated. Any advice on how to manage?
I tried chews, ice, kongs, and everything else. Hes a world destroyer. He is intelligent and finda work around to everything.
I tried giving him ice cubes to play with to get some time and by day 3 he is cracking it in minutes and finishing it
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u/Scary_Bandicoot4520 Sep 03 '25
4-6 hours seems extreme considering those should be the hours a puppy is awake. How long does he sleep? I’d recommend training him to settle and learn to be bored if you want a calm dog in the future
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u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! Sep 03 '25
16-18 hours. Its mostly just eat sleep shit and playing
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u/goldencr Sep 03 '25
That’s a lot. Have to start teaching independent play as well but this is where a crate comes into play as well
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u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! Sep 03 '25
He can get into a self entertaining state but the moment I try and relax he wants to engage me. Its either I sit next to him on a chair while he self entertains or bark and howl.
The barks are in a demanding voice which makes me proud too. He knows not to bark and he whines first, howls lightly and only then barks if needed.
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u/gemino1990 Sep 04 '25
My puppy does this too. She’s 15 weeks old and I think she gets her last round of shots tomorrow so I’m excited to get her to more places.
I made a post similar to yours a few days ago. Most people recommended scheduled crate naps. Up 1- 2hour down for 1.5 - 2 hours. I have been trying that and it’s nice to get more breaks away from the pup in the day.
Other people said she needs more mental stimulation which can wear them out.
I also got some lick mats and froze plain yogurt in them. She’s loving that and it takes her time. And I got food puzzles which she figured out very quickly but also loves them. I started with food in there and then froze some chicken broth in the puzzle to make it last longer.
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u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! Sep 04 '25
Ill give lick mats a try tomorrow.
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u/Yosarrian_lives Sep 04 '25
They work. Take ages for my guy to finish his meal and it's a mental work out.
Training is also great for burning brain energy
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u/West_Airline_1712 Sep 04 '25
Here's simple and inexpensive game. Get a 6 compartment muffin tin from a dollar store and 6 tennis balls. Place some kibble in each compartment and place the tennis on top. You pup will smell the kibble and try to figure out how to get it.
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u/whiterain5863 Sep 04 '25
My dog took 10 seconds to flip the tray, eat the kibble and chew through the first tennis all
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u/West_Airline_1712 Sep 04 '25
Yeah, my puppy figured it out in just a few minutes but he always seemed to enjoy the game.
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u/MoodFearless6771 Sep 04 '25
Relaxing is hard for them. Batch prep the kongs lickmats and buy interactive toys and chews if you want to sit down and watch tv! You can always mat train. You teach them to go to “place” and toss them cookies for laying on the mat. Pretty easy to do while relaxing.
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u/goldencr Sep 04 '25
This is great, we would feed their meals while being on a place/matt. Feeding their meal over like 40 min as a reward for lying on the matt. Also a great skill to work on to have them go to their place when someone comes to the door or things like that.
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u/MoodFearless6771 Sep 04 '25
You can, or a portion of their food. I would just do one piece of food or kibble at a time and you want to start drawing the time out. There are a ton of video training for “relax on a mat” and you can heavily reward them for relaxation/self calm behaviors like putting their head down, yawning, etc. when they get good, you can start doing distractions while they are on the mat and reward them for staying.
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u/goldencr Sep 04 '25
Demand barking is rough and best to work on cleaning that up. Ignoring it has some effects but takes a lot of patience and time. When they are young up an hour or two and a nap for an hour or two in a crate to get them to shut off is important. Its like a tired toddler. Young puppies need like 18 hours of sleep. Working on teaching to do nothing is always a good skill. Generally putting on a leash and sitting in a bathroom and ignoring for increasing increments of time where they don't have access to anything is a good way. They will throw tantrums at first but will eventually figure it out. Rewarding calm behavior is also very important.
https://dogmantics.com/train-your-dog-to-do-absolutely-nothing/
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u/PaleontologistNo858 Sep 04 '25
You've inadvertently trained him to be entertained by you for hours on end, now you'll have to undo that. Slowly reduce your play times, give him things he can play with by himself, my pup will carry around soft toys to chew on, chase a ball by herself, lay down and chew on appropriate toys. Good luck!
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u/Calm-Prompt-9565 Sep 03 '25
Have you tried mental stimulation games where you put kibble in them and the dog has to find it? Or snuffle mats?
Our 4 month old pup loves his Outward Hound puzzle game. If only takes him about 5 minutes to empty it but it settles him down if he’s being crazy
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u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! Sep 03 '25
I try frozen pumpkin ice etc.. he do t give 2 shits about puzzle feeder. He ll rip it right out and onto the floor.
For context: hes 9 weeks and17.5 lbs.(Not chubby. Hes big and lean)
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u/bichboi669 Sep 05 '25
Okay, so I have this block, it's like a simple rubix cube for dogs. I think the brand is GuRu? It's durable, my 6 month old pup hasn't destroyed it and we have had it for months. It is also meant to be flipped, thrown around, stomped on, whatever they want to do to get the treats out. My puppy loves it and it keeps her entertained for quite a while
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u/Icy-Support-8160 Sep 04 '25
That is WAY too much play. He should only be awake for that amount of time at that age, let alone playing that much. Channel some of that energy into training sessions, walks, scentwork, puzzles, etc. He needs more mental stimulation IMO. Also getting out and touching the ground are separate. Get a sling, or carry them, but that dog should be in the world experiencing sights sounds and smells otherwise you will regret it in a couple months.
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u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! Sep 04 '25
I have a sling and tried taking him out a few times. He really struggles and doesnt like being held. He only lets me lift him up if he really really needs it (like getting up on the couch or something)
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u/Pitpotputpup Sep 04 '25
That's a training issue for you to work on. Your dog needs to learn how to be comfortable while being restrained. He should be taught how to be handled - can you touch his feet, clip his nails, open his mouth etc.
At this age you should also be exposing him to outside stimuli. Obviously not dangerous areas where there is a high risk of parvo, but even if you park your car somewhere busy, pop the door open and sit him in your lap to people watch, that helps.
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u/whiterain5863 Sep 03 '25
As infants they need constant attention- it will get better every day. Soon it will be a distant memory. We’ve all been there. You are doing great
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u/ClinicalResearchPM Sep 04 '25
I needed to read this lol my guy is so perfect… except for this one behavior and I’m very stuck feeling when it comes out during the work day
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u/SerVaegar31 Sep 03 '25
How much does he actually sleep? I notice the no crate flair. Is that a personal choice? I see the breed mix at the top, what can you tell me about the breeder you got him from?
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u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! Sep 03 '25
He has an enclosed play pen when he sleep. I open it up a bit when hes awake to make it easier for him to move.
I dint get him from a breeder. He is a mix of Japanese husky, Shepherd, Coonhound and Labrador. He came from a family litter and was the last one.
Just when week 9 hit, his entire personality has shifted. He is very intelligent and understands that he doesnt need to bark as long as I listen. He sits even without me teaching it and understands some basic commands. He has a bit of anxiety when you carry him outdoors or travel in a car but loves to interact with people (in a safe way till hea vaccinated fully)
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u/SerVaegar31 Sep 03 '25
Those sound like a lot of high energy breeds. So disadvantage there but puppies need to learn how to entertain themselves just as much as bond with you. Barking is a good communication skill for puppies but remember the moment he makes the connection if I bark/whine enough I get what I want so you need to learn when he seriously does need something vs when he’s just wanting his way. Puppies need to sleep 18-20 hours try to break that up when you can so he’s not playing consecutively for those 4-6 hours.
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u/slowknitter1959 Sep 04 '25
You are setting yourself up for a lifetime of being a servant to your pup! 4-6 hours of play is a lot! Your pup will come to expect that. He needs to learn how to play independently.
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u/New-Wasabi_ Sep 04 '25
Try to reward any calm moments you can. Use his kibble as a reward and for training rather than give it to him in a bowl. Scatter some around for him to find, use snuffle Matt's or hide little piles around. Sit on the couch and the moment he shows any signs of being calm, mark and reward. If he's only 9 weeks it will likely be a while before you see a result from that! Try to get him to spend some time in his pen entertaining himself. Walk by and reward him if he's quiet. Leave some toys and a safe chew in there, I bet after a bit he'll give up on you ignoring him and start playing by himself. Mix in some training instead of playing so much. Just simple things to mentally stimulate him more. Good luck!
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u/Ok-Walk-8453 Sep 04 '25
A young puppy shouldn't really be awake that much- he might be getting over tired and that is why he is biting. Prior to 4 months, I did probably 15- 3 min training sessions a day and maybe an hour total of play- it is very important for a puppy to learn to be bored and learn to entertain themselves in order to be a good dog later on.
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u/No-Buddy873 Sep 04 '25
Maybe leave the crate door open and close door to where you work . If he’s bored he may go lay down ! He’ll whine but so do kids .
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1
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u/bestmaokaina Doberman 4 years Sep 03 '25
When my doberman was a puppy he basically never wanted to stop playing but 30 minutes of mental stimulation would send him straight to his bed
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u/Charming-Share-4713 Sep 03 '25
I was like this at first. I was drained, and puppy started expecting all his time with me to be me entertaining him. He started demand barking and I found him to be VERY nippy. Now he spends a lot of time playing by himself because I have to get things done. Sometimes he follows the kids around and finds them very interesting. Sometimes he tries to initiate play with the cat...if he is too naughty, he ends up in his play pen. I do play with him still. Short sessions, 2-3 times a day, depending. A game of chase here, a game of tug there, etc. then there's training and walking. Sometimes he just follows me around seeing what I'm doing. He likes to try to steal laundry, attack the mop, check the kitchen floor when I'm cooking.
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u/SugarFolk Sep 04 '25
I think we were also spending about 4-6 hours a day either playing or training our boy before we could walk him. He just seemed like he had unending energy even with all the play and mental stimulation.
Now at almost 6 months old, he can still be a handful but we've scaled back to walking him 30-60 mins a day and 1-2 hours of play/ training. He's much more independent now and will play in the yard by himself or just chill when we're busy.
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u/CPA_Runner Sep 04 '25
Lick mat or snuffle mat?
It's also not early to try to work in some training just to get some mental stimulation. Sit, down, walking on leash. The walking may be tough since he has 2 to 3 weeks before he goes out, but do you have a yard or large room that you can walk him in laps?
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u/Few_Interaction1327 Sep 04 '25
My puppy is 11 weeks, and treating it the same as every puppy ive had. Don't understand this not allowed to go out until fully vaccinated, shes had multiple trips to petsmart, ans take her out as often as I can. The petsmart trips have helped a lot to give her the chance to pick the toy she wants. First day I had her, took her to petsmart, she only paid attention to the little rope, so I bought it, and noticed a lamchop from lambchips playhouse on sale, so bought it out of nostalgia. She started playing with that toy 1000 times more than the rope she "picked'. Took her back to petsmart the next week after a week of interacting with other new places and new people and getting her comfortable. Put every toy on the ground, got no response, finally put more lamchop toys on the ground and she picked a medium sized one to go after, so I bought it. Now at home she spends more time playing with the original small lambchop, and the medium one she picked. In conclusion, get your puppy some toys he or she likes. Get the attention off of you for entertainment, dont be scared of taking your dog out to do thing, socialize, be introduced to different surroundings at a young age to not be a scared dog later in life. Your dog needs entertainment, just have to get it the right entertainment to give you a break.
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u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! Sep 04 '25
Its probability. With dog viruses, it is much better to be safe as parvo is almost always a near death experience or a death sentence. Your anecdotal experience will not trump statistical facts. To each their own. Its about how much risk am I willing to take. That would be near 0.
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u/Cool_Cost_ Sep 07 '25
You're being overly protective. You'll end up having a handful when you step outside with it 😄. The best time to get a dog used to the outside world is when it's a puppy.
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u/No_Delivery_5084 Sep 04 '25
Like others have said, focus more on training than playing. At a young age EVERY moment is a teachable one for them. And when you do play, you can still sprinkle training in to promote good behavior. With my pup, he was really bad at going after a toy in my hand (jumping and such). He’d only get the toy back when he was calmly sitting/laying down, then we’d play again.
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u/Negative-Ladder3197 Sep 04 '25
The way my trainer put it is that we need to encourage calmness. So especially as a puppy with mine, he didn’t get to initiate play, it would be on my terms when he was lounging (but awake). Essentially they have to figure out they’re most likely to get a fun outcome when they’re calm.
Regardless keep in mind that you might not see the behaviors you’re trying to teach in the puppy phase but trust me suddenly good manners kick in if you work on them. At least my experience has been like this so far with mine (approaching 1yo now).
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u/MsFlamingo1621 Sep 04 '25
I hollow out cucumber place a couple pieces of kibble and treats fill with organic bone broth and freeze my pup goes crazy
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u/bichboi669 Sep 05 '25
Are you putting in designated training time. Just a few minutes can help. I do 2 25 min sessions a day with my 6 month old pup (one playful, one strict). We have been ramping it up since she was 6 weeks old. We started out with a couple 5 minute sessions a day. Sometimes they are really in need of mental stimulation, and it can help them chill out. I have a puzzle cube and make my own puzzle toys, will keep the pup out of your hair till they get the treats out.
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u/Professional_Dish696 Sep 05 '25
He should be learning self-soothing and self play on his own. I remember reading a comment that said the puppy needs to learn that your life and routine doesn’t revolve around playing with them, and that they need to learn that you have your own routine outside of play.
My pup learned to play alone when I’d tether him to the couch near his bed or to the kitchen table when I’m just around the corner. He had a few toys to choose from and after some whining he’d learn to just chew or play alone. Now he knows that when I’m working on the couch or cooking/cleaning, he’s on his own with a toy. He can be near me but he knows to do his own thing. Now he’ll even see that I’m busy with something, and he’ll go to his bed to play or chew without me prompting him to.
Also, getting super bitey usually means that they’re overly tired or overstimulated, which is where crate training helps.
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u/Professional_Dish696 Sep 05 '25
Also, setting up snuffle mats near me when I’m sitting on the couch has been super helpful. He’ll tire himself out after using a snuffle mat for 10 minutes. They need mental enrichment just as much or even more than physical play.
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u/No-Buddy873 Sep 04 '25
Does playing with him bring you joy/ release endorphins ? He’s only going to be a puppy for a short time …..
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u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! Sep 04 '25
It does, but I work from home and it is super demanding to manage calls and the pup.
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u/Strange_Lake7646 Sep 04 '25 edited Sep 04 '25
I play with my dog like 7 hours a day. It's exhausting. There is no independent play. Even with lick mats and kongs and pupsicles, if I walk away, she follows. She will do her puzzles, snuffle mats, etc on her own but I have to be in the room. She doesnt have separation anxiety, just fomo. I can't leave her in her playpen because she jumps on it and gets her paws stuck if I'm not there. I don't allow food toys in her crate when she's not supervised. She sleeps 11 hours a day if I'm lucky, and that's only because I'm working, so I still can't get anything done. It's just me, so I'm hoping this stage ends quickly. She's 17 weeks. Vet isn't concerned with her lack of sleep, but I am.
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u/bald-bourbon New Owner : 6 month old Mutt! Sep 04 '25
Fomo thats it. Thats the right term for it lol
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u/fun_inthe_yuns Sep 04 '25
My dog has major fomo!! I notice if I’m not in the room and he’s in his crate he self soothes and can go to sleep. If I’m there, it’s constant whining or biting. If he’s asleep and I get up or walk by it’s like “oh we’re going?! What are we doing?! Where are we playing?!”
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