What workarounds did people try for "How to handle a young puppy alone during sudden schedule changes"?

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Community members documented 88 workarounds:
1. Leaving the puppy at parents' house in a crate for a couple of hours
2. Using a frozen kong to distract the puppy
3. Hiring a dog walker or pet sitter through services like Rover
4. Setting up a indoor playpen area
5. Using an automatic feeder
6. Installing Furbo and Ring cameras to watch and talk to the puppy
7. Laying out puppy pads or an indoor potty area
8. Using a Fresh Patch
9. Sending the puppy to daycare once a week
10. Taking 2 weeks off when the puppy first arrives
11. Hiring a dog walker or having someone stop by during the day
12. Coming home during the lunch break to let the puppy out and provide exercise and food.
13. Using a frozen kong and crate training to keep the puppy occupied while away.
14. Testing out short absences beforehand to help the puppy get used to being alone.
15. Having someone come by around noon to let the puppy out for an hour or two
16. Leaving the puppy in a playpen
17. Leaving the puppy in a crate
18. Attaching the crate to the playpen so the puppy can move between them freely
19. Using a crate for short periods
20. Leaving the puppy with a friend during longer shifts
21. Using a playpen configured with toys and mats
22. Fully puppy-proofing rooms
23. Leaving the puppy alone for short 30-minute intervals to run errands
24. Using a puppy camera to monitor the pet remotely while away
25. Bringing the dog along to dog-friendly places or drive-thru errands
26. Gradually building up the duration of time away during nap windows
27. leaving the dog in a crate for longer periods
28. using a dog walker
29. free-roaming
30. leaving the puppy crated at home
31. asking a friend to sit in the car or watch the dog
32. having one person stay outside with the dog while the other goes inside
33. Hiring a dog sitter to come midday for feeding, play, and toilet breaks
34. Using a crate for multi-hour intervals during work blocks
35. Confining the puppy in an exercise pen with a litter box
36. leaving for literally 10 seconds then coming back before any noise started, then 30 seconds, then a minute
37. work in very small increments, leaving for a minute or two and coming back before he starts worrying
38. Working remotely temporarily for the first two weeks
39. Going into the office for shorter 2-3 hour stretches
40. Dropping the puppy off at a mother-in-law's house
41. Having a friend call in midday
42. Hiring a dog walker once the puppy is bigger and allowed outside
43. Using pens and crates for puppy management
44. Leaving for very small increments of seconds through the front door
45. Putting the puppy in a crate for enforced naps and leaving while they are contained
46. Leaving quickly without making a fuss to run short errands
47. Putting the puppy in a designated room with a crate, blankets, toys, water, and food
48. Having a husband stop in during lunch breaks to let the puppy out
49. Walking the puppy in the mornings before work or after returning home
50. Considering hiring a dog walker or taking the dog to work or daycare if available
51. Using belly bands
52. Crate training
53. Hiring a dog walker or asking a friend/family member to check in during the day
54. Having a relative come by to play with the puppy halfway through the day
55. Using a crate or a playpen to restrict the puppy's movement when home alone
56. Having roommates feed the cat and scoop the litterbox
57. Trying to reassure oneself that everything will be fine
58. building up alone time gradually
59. consulting a pet trainer
60. using mental stimulation toys like puzzle games and snuffle mats
61. Waiting to pick up the puppy until after returning from the trip
62. Ignoring the crying puppies for the day
63. Limiting space to prevent failure in potty training
64. Hiring a dog trainer
65. Giving him a Kong or special treats when in his enclosed space
66. Leaving when he is drowsy
67. leaving the puppy inside either caged or in a large playpen
68. using a room with near nothing in it
69. building up trust and time gradually before allowing outdoor access
70. cleaning up indoor messes after returning home rather than leaving the dog outside
71. Leaving the puppy in a crate for several hours
72. Setting up an exercise pen attached to a crate with a fine mesh cover, pee pad, and safe toys
73. keeping the puppy in a small laundry room
74. using a bathroom with tile floors for easy accident cleanup
75. removing all cleaning supplies and detergents from the room
76. providing an old towel that the puppy can shred without guilt
77. crawling on hands and knees to find and remove potential chew hazards
78. Taking a sick day or using PTO to stay home
79. Having a family member come over midway through the day to play with them
80. Hiring a pet sitter from Rover or a midday dog walker
81. Enrolling the puppy in a local doggy daycare program
82. Setting up a puppy-proof space or playpen with food, water, and pee pads
83. Hiring a midday dog walker to break up the hours
84. Sending the puppy to a trusted pet sitter or daycare once a week
85. Working up to longer stretches of alone time gradually
86. Withholding water in the crate to prevent accidents while away
87. Attaching a playpen to the open crate to give the dog more roaming space
88. Doing intensive off-leash walks and training immediately before and after the workday

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