Leaving a 14-week-old puppy alone in the living room for the first time is usually a terrible idea on paper, especially if you love your furniture. But Sydney (@syd.hummert on TikTok) recently decided to take that leap, leaving her Golden Retriever puppy out of the crate to see what would happen. Instead of destruction, the indoor cam captured a surprisingly wholesome solo party. Much to everyone’s surprise, Hank mostly just moves his entire toy collection to the center of the rug. Watching a puppy navigate a quiet house is both hilarious and weirdly impressive, especially when they realize nobody is watching.
Cam footage shows what a Golden Retriever puppy does after he is left out of his crate for the first time
The indoor cam footage kicks off at 12:53 pm with Hank locked in a serious battle with a plushie. He shakes it with everything he’s got, eventually pinning it down for a thorough nibble. It becomes obvious he has a “mouth-first” philosophy, which is pretty standard for this breed. By 1:07 pm, he discovers the camera itself. He walks right up to the lens, tilting his head with a look of pure, adorable confusion.
Around 12:58 pm, he has a full-blown disagreement with his toy basket. He lunges at it, grabs a toy, and then immediately changes his mind. Too many toys, no guidance, and suddenly he doesn’t know what he wants anymore.
Sydney mentions in the caption that Hank basically emptied the entire basket but remained a “good boy” throughout the ordeal. Other commenters weren’t so lucky — one mentioned a very expensive couch — but Hank keeps things shockingly tame.
One viewer even joked that their black Labrador would have been in the kitchen making a sandwich by then, but Hank is far more focused on his toys. Eventually, though, the novelty of freedom wears off. He gets so bored with his toys that he decides his paw is an exciting chew toy. The real victory for his crate-training parent is that nothing in the room gets destroyed. Sometimes, all a dog needs is a little trust and a very full toy basket to stay out of trouble.
