How long do you leave your dog for?

[MaMoosie]

We’ve been considering getting a dog, but there are two days a week where the dog would be alone for 2 hours in between my husband leaving by for work and me coming back. I’ve seen quite conflicting advice on what is ok for a dog to be left alone. I am wondering what others do with theirs?

If your dog’s been walked, 2 hours is fine

We often leave our dog for around 4 hours. If we are all out all day our dog walker comes to take her out around midday.

2 hours is perfectly fine. Start short and build up. ..I use cameras to keep an eye on her. It just reassures me she is ok...

7hrs when I’m in the office. But we built up the time gradually and he doesn’t have any separation anxiety.

It all depends on the individual dog, but most would be able to do 2hrs easily.

Between 4 and 5 hours, but I have 2 dogs to keep each other company.

As a puppy that wouldn’t work. It’s like having a baby. My dog is now older and doesn’t get left much since I work from home but is completely fine for two hours. She just sleeps.

Max I would leave her would be four hours.

Our greyhound is fine for 2 hours and sometimes we do up to 2 and a half but try to avoid that long.

Bear in mind you can't just do that from the get go though. We started at just ten mins and built up very gradually over the course of about 3 months! It really does take dedication. Also they get up in the night to wee, I do wish someone had told me that 🤣

4-4.5hrs max here.

If you can't leave a dog alone for a few.m hours, you're creating a very anxious animal. And the restrictions it puts on you are unacceptable.

Sometimes life requires no dogs in attendance - supermarket, theatre, GP, or even just a bit of space! Dogs can't be safely left in the boot of a car in all weathers either.

Agreed and that would be infrequently.

Two hours twice a week is fine as long as they've been suitably prepared for it and you know they don't bark their heads off for the whole time. I definitely recommend a video camera for reassurance for the first few times you leave them.

Max 4 hours but have built that over a long time. He was very very clingy as a puppy

Ours is left 3 hours, 3 times a week. On the very odd occasion its been 5 hours but usually 3 or less. We have a camera on him and he just sleeps.
As long as they've had a walk, especially a sniffy walk they should be fine.
Start small with 15/30 mins and build up.
When ours was a puppy we left him with a licky mat.

If they aren't used to being left I would build up to that. But I had to leave mine for five hours yesterday, very, very unusual, and they were fine.

Two hours is absolutely fine if the dog has been exercised beforehand. Doubt they'd even notice! We leave ours 3.5 hours/4 max.

There's always usually someone in the house but a few hours is fine. We have 2 so they aren't lonely. They are forever cuddled up together

Generally we don’t leave them for more than 4 hours (although we’ve found older dogs can be left for much longer - our 17 year old terrier didn’t even bother greeting us when we came home and would sigh in disgust when asked to go out for a wee!)

2 hours is fine but if you plan on getting a puppy you need to be there all the time. You gradually build up the time you leave them alone, until they can be left for a reasonable amount of time once walked and fed. My old lab would be ok all day if he'd had his breakie and a bit of a walk. Would he have been like this up to about 3 ? Noooooooo. It took a loong time of gradual separation and training to get here.

Would a puppy be ok with a dog walker for those 2 hours do you think?

2 hours is perfectly fine.

That assumes a dog walker has space for you at the exactly right time... That's not easy.

We've had dogs 20+ years and past 4 hours we arrange someone to let them out.

7 hours seems like a lot.

Max 3/ 4 hours. 4 hours is rare though. He's never on his own for over 2 hours, preferably.

6 hours max but very very rarely have we done this. Our dog is 7 years old and an absolute slob! Generally we work from home - and he has his own work day routine. Up at 8am for a wee and treats, slopes off to the spare room bed around 9am when the laptop comes out - and some days he only reppears at 3pm because the kids arrive back from school! He gets at least an hours walk at some point during the day/early evening. We gradually built up to him being left for longer periods probably over a few years ( I've forgotten now). We did have a crate for the first year.

We leave ours for 3-4 hours, but not daily....only if we going out for an evening or to the supermarket. She's 6 and we've had her since puppy. She seems OK, pleased to see us but there doesn't appear any noise, destruction or other signs of separation anxiety.