How Long is it Fair to Leave a Dog Alone?

[BaconAndAvocado]

Considering getting a dog but unsure of above question.

Does it depend on the breed/temperament?

About an hour or two in my opinion.

Longer is just mean. They're pack creatures naturally and even a well behaved dog will be sad if it's left alone for too long.

We only got our dog when we were certain that someone would be home in the day at all times.

I go out shopping and leave him for two hours. If we want a day out then he comes...or if he can't, our neighbour comes round to our house with her dog and we return the favour when she wants to go somewhere all day.

For holidays we book pet friendly or my FIL comes and stays.

A lot depends on age, breed and where you leave them.

My oldest (8) would be quite happy being left on the sofa for 4 hours, he'd just sleep and can get a drink when needed but i wouldn't leave him in his crate for that long.

The youngest can't be left on the sofa (he's only 2 and would eat it!) but could be left in his crate for a couple of hours at a push.

What Mrs said. 4 hours is the absolute maximum I would leave our dog, but I don't like doing it. On the rare occasion it's happened, I've always come home to him cuddling one of our slippers or socks.

Depends on the dog imo.
My first dog I could've left for about 2.5-3hrs, 4 or 5 at a big push.
However my last dog would just about cope with me popping to the shops 10min away

4 hours, 5 at the maximum, I'm a dog groomer, boarder and walker and wouldn't leave my dog more than 4/5 hours alone a day.
Some of the dogs I walk are left 7-7 five days a week, and only see me for an hours walk during the day. It's really sad, personally if people work full time and there's nobody home during the week I don't advise getting a dog.
It's my job to walk them but an hour a day is very little contact for pack animals.

Easily 4-5 hours after she's had a good walk. My greyhound cross spends most of the day sleeping!

I got my dog from the rspca and they advised 4 hours max

It depends on the dog I think. Mine is left now up to 3 hours before he goes to daycare. He has gone to daycare since he was a puppy and without that I think I would have to pay for at least two long dog walks to break the day up for him whilst I was working.

Definitely depends on the dog. My old JRT sleeps about 20 of every 24 hrs now so probably wouldn't notice. That said, because of his age I don't like to leave him too long now anyway so 4-5hrs max.

We got our rescue staffy when he was 6 or 7. He's now 13/14. To start with we used to leave him for 2/3 hours max, he was always quite happy when we got home, we'd leave him plenty of toys like kongs to keep him entertained and the tv on for some background noise.

Now he's older we can leave him for a bit longer but 4.5 hours is the maximum. To be honest I think he'd be quite happy to be left all day and get some peace from 19 month old dd who adores him. I came in the other day, he was asleep upstairs, it took him 2 hours to wake up and realise people were at home. I'd even been up to find him, still didn't wake.

I think it can depend on the individual dog. My Nan can't leave her dog for even ten minutes, he gets so stressed out, luckily her neighbour is around a lot to dog sit when needed. But he's a similar age to mine.

It depends on the dog and it's age. A general guide is:
Up to 6 months - rarely, popping to shops etc
6-12 months - an hour max
1-2 years - 1-2 hours
2-4 years - 2-3 hours
4 years up - max 4 hours.
That's how a lot of rescue centres will guide it. However it does depend on the dog and as others have said they're pack animals who need company. I have a 4 year old bulldog, a breed thought of as lazy and he sleeps lots but only in worst cases will he get left up to 4 hours and that's not a regular thing (once every 2-3 months). It's not fair on dogs to be left alone endlessly.

We leave ours a max of 4 hours.
It's usually much less but sometimes it is unavoidable especially when you have young children.

Mine cope really well. We give them kongs and leave the radio on. They are usually asleep when we get back!

1 to 2 hours in my case. Although we did once leave her for 4 hours, but that was in the evening, so out at 8, back at midnight. She'd pretty much be sleeping anyway if we were home, so I doubt she missed us that much. Whenever I've left her, which isn't often, she looks as though she's gone into a really deep sleep and struggles to wake, even if it's only half an hour!

Ours ate 5 and 6. We leave them just 2.5hrs max about twice a week and, on unavoidable occasions, 4 hrs absolute max.

Days out and holidays, they come too.

They're family.

Dogs trust, PDSA, RSPCA, etc say no more than 4hrs. Plus it is now being said that a dog walker in the middle of the day isn't enough (some people took the original 4hr advice to mean it was fine to leave a dog alone for 4hrs in morning then someone pop in briefly or a dog walker take dog out for an hour, then leave for another 4hrs).

Well, I live alone and work. My last dog (I rescued when Greek neighbour dumped her) was fine being left, with just the parrot and the radio for company, for 5 hours or so at a time - dogwalker would come in middle of the day and walk her for an hour, then another 4-5 hours before my return. I had no way round this and she was a philosophical Greek girl and used to amusing herself (it was better than being on a 3 ft chain for her whole life, being fed scraps occasionally by Greek farmer). My current dog (staffie cross) is another (UK) rescue and she has the parrot and his classic FM for company too. She also has a huge window to look out of at our busy cul-de-sac and passing people and their dogs/cats. I still have to work and dogwalker (different) gives her a full hour of company/walking middle of the day. She is the happiest dog I ever met and has become very fit and laidback now she is in a nice quiet home and kindly treated. She was very, very stressed while in kennels and this must seem like paradise now. When I was looking for a rescue dog, there were loads that were not suitable to be on their own for long or at all, so it certainly depends on the dog.

I leave mine 4 hours max (2 lurchers and a whippet)

Don't want to hijack the thread but is it different if you're leaving 2 dogs? We wanted to adopt a rescue dog but because two days a week I work 4 hrs plus 2 hrs travel the rescue said we couldn't but if I had 2 dogs then I could.

It might be better than her previous life mrsjoyful but then anything would be better than that. It's still not ideal and she must be very lonely. Could you have the dog walker come in twice a day?

Ms Adorabelle - I think she'd be exhausted if the dogwalker came twice a day (and it would cost me £120 a week instead of £60 and I can't afford it)! Honestly, she is fine - she spends the morning sleeping and the afternoon looking at the view (probably sleeps after her middle of the day hour's walk too). She has an hour's walk with me before I leave for work and about two hours' walk with me in the evening followed by round-the-block at bedtime. Previous dog was also fine - she was often in the garden for at least half a day on work days but was unstealable (resistant to thieves and could make herself an immovable object) and a big sunlover so that was safe enough - current one would definitely be stolen. Current dog is a very happy little bunny - she is FULL of the joys of life (as everyone else says who meets her too). Neighbour has 5 cats who come out and lounge around the front communal lawn just beneath our big window, so she is often riveted to the view. Might seem odd but both dogs enjoyed/enjoy parrot's company and previous one used to go and lie close to the parrot's cage if there was thunder/fireworks etc and I was out, for comfort. Current one hangs out by the parrot because she's discovered the parrot sometimes has biscuits and drops bits.

Up to 4 hours occsionally for our adult terrier and he's fine, oh you're home then, that's great. We once left him longer. He went bonkers with relief when we got home. I though he just slept when we went out. Obviously not.

Not working at the mo but if I were I would arrange something. The 4 hour rule is per day BTW. Not 4 hours, visit, leave again.

Also, I was quite honest about my working day arrangements with Battersea Dogs Home and they said, as long as I did have a dogwalker in the middle of the day(I told them this was my usual practice), they were happy for me to have the dog as they felt she'd be perfectly all right with that arrangement. They had spent 3 months with her and gone through some big issues of her anxieties (in kennels), health probs, etc , and knew her very well. If I come home early, she is often asleep and doesn't notice I'm back until she hears the door open (if it is usual time, she is up at the window, looking out for me, though sometimes distracted by previously mentioned cats!).

Mine never gets left for more than a couple of hours apart from one day a week when it is 4-5 depending on traffic. He is quite happy about it. It's the only day I can't get a dog walker

My dog gets left for 8 hours but only 3x a week and a dog walker comes and walks her for an hour at lunchtime.