How Long Can You Leave a Dog Alone?

You may love to spend all your time with your furry friend but there are certain responsibilities because of which you can’t be with your dog every second of the day. Your job, school, or family urgency may take you away from your dog for a while. In such situations, you may sometimes wonder how long can you leave a dog alone. The alone time you should provide a dog depends on its age, breed, lifestyle, and several other factors.

How Long Can Your Dog Remain Alone Without You?

It’s a fact that if you leave your dog alone for a prolonged period, your furry friend may face separation anxiety but the amount of time your dog can remain without you depends on many factors, one of the crucial factors is age. How long can a dog be left alone depends a lot on its age and maturity level as mentioned elaborately in the points below:

• Young puppies who are under 6 months of age should not be left alone for more than two or three hours because the risk of separation anxiety among them is very high. Their bladder control is also less than that of adult dogs, another reason to not leave them alone for a while.

• Adult dogs can generally be on their own for four to six hours a day. Accessories like dog toys san engage them for a prolonged period.

• If you have trained your dog well enough then it can be on its own for eight to nine hours. For that, you need to provide your dog enough space to move around comfortably so that it can adapt according to its surroundings.

What Will My Dog Do While I Am Away?

The reaction of different dogs to their owners being away for a long period is very different from one another. Here is what different types of dogs do when they are left alone:

• If your dog is very chilled out and has a laid-back personality, your absence may provide your furry friend with the opportunity to take a longer nap than usual or rest in the areas that are usually off-limits, like the sofa and carpet.

• If your dog is highly energetic and mischievous, they can utilize your absence as an opportunity to jump around and chew on a few items they are not allowed to.

• Keeping your dog alone for a longer period like 10 to 12 hours regularly can make it prone to separation anxiety. They might develop destructive habits like ruining furniture and breaking valuables. There is a limit on how long can dogs be left alone.

Best Dog Breeds to be Left Alone at Home

Here are some of the best dog breeds that can enjoy their own company if left alone for a considerable amount of time:

• French Bulldogs

• Chihuahua

• Pugs

• Basset Hound

These are the best dog breeds for apartments as well.

How Can I Leave My Dog Alone While at Work?

Dogs are naturally pack animals so they like companionship more than anything else. Some dog breeds can be okay to be left alone for some period but that doesn’t necessarily mean that their owners can leave them alone for any amount of time they want because even the most laid-back dogs can develop anxiety after a certain amount of time. Here are things that you can do if your dog is alone at home and you need to finish off some urgent work:

• Do dogs like music? It depends on the individual choice. Some dogs usually like soothing, calming music. If your dog is one of them then switch on the music before going out for work. Music can keep the anxiety down for long periods.

• Dog chews are another accessory that can keep your dog busy when you are out. Chews are known to be mentally stimulating as they satisfy the natural urge of dogs to chew on something.

• Make your dog exercise a lot before going out. A tired and sleepy dog will spend most of the time sleeping until you return.

• If a doggy daycare facility is available nearby, then you can leave your pup there for some hours. The facility will provide your pup with the care and companionship it needs to reduce their anxiety.