How long is too long to leave your dog at home alone?

Most dog owners would love to spend all day with their pets, but plenty of workplaces and establishments don’t allow them. So many owners have to leave their dogs at home alone if all the spots at an animal day care facility have been taken and there’s no other alternative.

Newsweek spoke with a veterinarian and a special adviser at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to find out how long is really too long to leave your dog at home by itself.

“An adult dog can typically wait six to eight hours between outside bathroom trips, and for puppies this time frame can be as short as one to two hours, and the interval gets longer as they grow older,” Jennifer Fryer, a veterinarian at Chewy, told Newsweek.

“However, leaving a dog alone at any age risks accidents in the house or urinary tract infections from holding urine in for too long,” she said. Energetic or anxious dogs can become destructive when left alone, because of separation anxiety or because they may be bored and need to let off some steam, she added.

Sometimes leaving dogs at home alone can’t be avoided, especially if an owner believes the house is safe for the dog to roam around unsupervised. Fryer said owners who have no better choice than leaving their dogs at home alone can figure out how long the pet can be safely left alone based on three factors.

“Dog owners should ask how long their dogs can hold their bladders, whether their dog is very energetic and in constant need of activity, and if their dog has separation anxiety or a related fear of being left home alone,” Fryer said.

She went on to say that owners should also take into consideration how old their dog is. If their pet is a senior dog that’s made it past 11 years, it will need to use an outdoor bathroom more frequently and can’t be left alone for longer than six hours.

Fryer could not give a specific time for how long dogs can be left at home alone, as it depends on various factors as well as the individual breed. But she said owners should not leave healthy adult dogs home alone for longer than six hours. Younger or older dogs, and dogs with special needs, should be left alone for less than that time.

Dogs With Health Conditions Need Vet Evaluation

Fryer advises owners of dogs with separation anxiety or other conditions to seek expert support to determine the extent of their dog’s independence.

Such dogs “will need a vet evaluation to rule out an underlying medical condition. These dogs typically need special training and possibly medication to stay home alone,” Fryer said.

Health problems can make it difficult to leave pets unattended for long periods, including diseases that increase water consumption and the need to urinate, like diabetes, hypothyroidism, kidney disease and Cushing’s disease.

For instance, if a dog has canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome, which can be similar to human dementia, they should not be left unattended for long periods because they can become confused, which can be dangerous.

There are alternative solutions, Fryer said, for owners who have no choice but to leave their dogs at home without a supervisor.

“You can absolutely keep your dog busy while they’re waiting at home for you or keep an eye on them in the process,” she said. “Try installing a treat-dispensing camera to watch your dog from outside of the home, and see how they react with Kong treats and puzzle games that can occupy their brains for a while.”

Factors to Take Into Consideration

Wendy Hauser, founder of Peak Veterinary Consulting and a special adviser to ASPCA Pet Health Insurance, agrees with Fryer that the simple answer to how long is too long is that it depends.

“The time a dog is left alone is often based on their need to use the bathroom, which is typically every six to eight hours. Factors that impact the length of time a dog can be left unattended include the age of the pet, the dog’s breed and the dog’s activity level,” Hauser told Newsweek.

She added that owners need to ensure that their dogs have access to toileting areas, which can come in the form of pee pads if they’re going to be alone for a long time.

“In terms of the breed, some working dogs like Belgian Malinois or border collies need jobs to do too. They crave intellectual and physical outlets and when left alone for long periods of time can become destructive. Other dogs, like basset hounds and mastiffs, are, however, usually content to chill and wait for their owners to come home,” Hauser said.

The breed is as important a factor as the dog’s age, as the former has a large impact on its character and capabilities.

Some breeds are more prone to separation anxiety than others, while others are more independent. A dog with an independent character, like a greyhound, will handle being left alone better than dogs that are very people-dependent.

Dogs like terriers or hounds, Hauser said, can usually be left alone for the usual six to eight hours.

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