How long can you leave a dog in a room?

Q: Is it okay to leave my dog in a room?

It could make them feel distressed. Heres why... Dogs feel most unsettled when left home alone in the bedroom, with new research discovering it increases their heart rate by a whopping 47.2%.

Q: Can you leave a dog in a room overnight?

Whether youre working night shifts or just dont want your pet in your bedroom, it shouldnt be a problem to leave your pooch alone during the night. Dogs are not nocturnal animals, and theyll sleep through the night.

Leaving Your Dog Home Alone: (8,12, or 24-hours)

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Table of Contents Show

Leaving Your Dog Home Alone: (8,12, or 24-hours)
How long is too long when leaving a dog home alone?
What to consider when leaving your dog home alone
What can happen when your dog is left home alone?
Dogs that can be left alone
2 things to do before leaving your dog alone
1) Tire out your dog
2) Avoid giving your dog free rein
Step-by-step guide on training your dog when home alone
Top tricks if your dog is not used to being left alone
How you should behave once you’re back
Looking for more tips?
Is it okay to leave my dog in a room?
Can I leave my dog in a room for 8 hours?
Can you leave a dog in a room overnight?
Can dogs be left alone for 2 days?

If you're looking for a quality online training program, we recommend Brain Training For Dogs, as it's based on force-free training techniques that rely on positive reinforcement. Plus the trainer is CPDT-KA certified - which can't be said for all!

Marie started HoundGames with her husband, Geoff. She is a life long dog lover and always wanted to start a business around dogs, and she's finally living out her dream. They hope to launch more products in the future!

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Leaving your dog home alone? It can be challenging. Dogs see us as members of their pack, but it’s not always possible (sadly) to spend all of our time with our furry pals. It’s best to teach our dogs while they’re still puppies that being home alone is not a big deal, otherwise they can develop separation anxiety.

So how to keep your pup happy and safe when you’re not around? How long is too long to leave your dog home alone? And what do you need to keep in mind when doing so? We’ve put together the facts and recommendations from the leading dog experts for you. Plus, discover the best way to keep track of your dog when you’re not home.

How long is too long when leaving a dog home alone?

Try to keep the time that your dog is left home alone to a minimum. Even the most well-adjusted dogs may become distressed¹ if they are left home alone for too long. Here are some general recommendations for how long you can leave your dog home alone, based on age:

Age of the dog	Time spent alone	Reason
Puppies	2 hours a day is the limit.	They are not used to being home alone. They need to pee more and can develop separation anxiety.
Adult dogs (over 18 months)	Can be left alone 4 – 6 hours a day.	These dogs are used to being home alone. They have learned to sleep when you are not home.
Elderly dog	Can be left alone 2 – 6 hours.	It depends. Does your elderly dog experience health issues? For example, do they need to pee more frequently?

Since puppies are not used to being home alone, they are more likely to develop separation anxiety. Additionally, it is recommended to take them out to go to the bathroom every 2 hours. Adult dogs who are using to being home alone can be left longer – as they’ve probably learned to sleep while you are away. For older dogs, the time you can leave them alone safely depends on factors such as their health conditions – older dogs may need to urinate more frequently.

What to consider when leaving your dog home alone

Consider the following factors when leaving your dog home alone:

Age
Health condition and issues
Separation anxiety
Training and behavior
Potty breaks
Feeding times
Exercise and activity
Socialization
Other animals in the house

For example, your dog might not suffer from anxiety when being left alone, but what about potty breaks? Will they have enough food for the duration they are left alone? Or perhaps become restless or bored, and use your most valuable items as chew toys? Take everything you know about your dog into consideration when determining how long you can leave your dog home alone.

What can happen when your dog is left home alone?

For some dogs, being left home alone might be no big deal. For others, it may lead to one or more of the following distressing behaviors, which might indicate that your dog is bored, anxious or stressed out by being home alone.

Scratching
Biting
Chewing on furniture and clothes
Binge eating
Getting lost
Whining, howling, and barking
Urination
Running away

Furniture and clothes can be replaced, but if your dog gets lost there is much more at stake! A good way to feel safer when your dog is alone is to get your dog a GPS tracker and be alerted in real-time if they run off or leave your house or property.

Dogs that can be left alone

Some types of dogs are better suited to being left alone than others. These may include:

Yorkshire Terrier
Basset Hound
French & English Bulldogs
Chihuahua
Chow-Chow
Shar Pei
Greyhound
Maltese
Great Pyrenees
Cairn Terrier
Shiba Inu
Akita
Beagle
Whippet²

Since working dog breeds are prone to restlessness and boredom, they are not dogs that can be left alone easily.

2 things to do before leaving your dog alone

When you leave the house for work or leisure without your dog, you should first do the following:

1) Tire out your dog

The best thing you can do before you leave your dog home alone is make sure your dog gets some exercise beforehand. Start with learning how to walk your dog so that it’s beneficial for both you and your dog. When you take your dog for a morning walk or exercise, it’s likely that your dog will pass out asleep right afterwards! This gives you the chance to leave the house without trouble.

2) Avoid giving your dog free rein

Especially in the beginning, try to leave your dog in an area where they feel comfortable. Once your buddy gets more used to being left alone at home, they can then be on their own without any restriction.

While you’re away, you can keep tabs on your dog in the Tractive GPS mobile or web app – simply attach the Tractive GPS tracker to your dog’s collar and voilà! You can track and monitor them wherever they are. Plus, you can even see how active your furry friend has been, how much they sleep, and where they go exactly.

Discover Tractive GPS

Step-by-step guide on training your dog when home alone

Proper training is essential when teaching your dog to be home alone. Therefore, from the moment you get a dog, start practicing the “Leave & Return” scenario.

Teach your pup that being home alone is absolutely OK and that you will eventually return.

Here’s how:

Put your shoes on and go to the door. If you notice your dog panicking, try to ignore it, so they get used to it. Repeat this action at least 3 times every day.
As soon as you come back home, avoid giving your dog a warm welcome immediately at the door. Doing this will send your puppy the signal that coming home is just a normal, business-as-usual thing. Not an event worth celebrating (though deep down in your heart, you know it is!)
After arriving home, command your dog to their bed. After they follow your command and settle down, welcome them calmly and let them feel your affection.

When leaving home, if I say goodbye to my dogs, they want to come with me. So I just leave without saying anything and they are OK with it.

Marina S. – Dog Trainer

Top tricks if your dog is not used to being left alone

Make sure your dog has fun ways to occupy their time.

Two good ways to keep your dog busy when alone are:

to use food-dispensing toys instead of the classic food bowl. Some of these toys offer variable difficulty levels so you can make it a long-lasting project and keep your dog active and engaged during the time you’re away.
leaving your dog small tasks and fun toys to play with when you’re not around, you can avoid unwanted boredom behavior (like biting and peeing in inappropriate places). However, never leave your dog alone with a toy that could be chewed apart and swallowed.

How you should behave once you’re back

Dedicate some time to your pup and don’t hold back with the love and attention. How? Here’re just a few suggestions:

Take your dog out for a walk
Play fetch in the garden (don’t forget to take your GPS dog tracker)
Plan a visit to a dog spa (yes, they exist)

And remember: Letting your dog stretch their legs after a day spent indoors is a great way to help them burn off some energy. On the other hand, don’t get them too used to getting treats as you walk in. Your dog should know that “Leave & Return” means that there are moments during the day when they might be left alone.

Looking for more tips?

Check out the video below for more tips and insights on leaving your dog home alone.

Is it okay to leave my dog in a room?

It could make them feel distressed. Here's why... Dogs feel most unsettled when left home alone in the bedroom, with new research discovering it increases their heart rate by a whopping 47.2%.

Can I leave my dog in a room for 8 hours?

Some households have an easier time if there is another person in the home who has a slightly different schedule. It would appear that many dogs can adapt to being alone for 8-9 hours at a time provided they have a means to potty and have adequate room to move.

Can you leave a dog in a room overnight?

Whether you're working night shifts or just don't want your pet in your bedroom, it shouldn't be a problem to leave your pooch alone during the night. Dogs are not nocturnal animals, and they'll sleep through the night.

Can dogs be left alone for 2 days?

Your dog will likely be just fine staying in your home while you're gone, so depending on how much of the two days you will spend away from home, you can always ask a friend, neighbor or family member to stay over or stop by a few times to spend time with, feed, and check on your dog.