When can the dog be home alone?
As a dog owner, it's a good idea to train your dog to be home alone from a puppy. Some dogs cope well with being alone, while others can express themselves with heartbreaking howls when you're at work. If you feel your dog getting separation anxiety when you have to leave the house, it's a pretty normal response. Of course, your dog would prefer to be with you! These four-legged furry friends are social pack animals, and a dog without a pack is very exposed to dangers. But what do you do when you have to go to work? If you have to commute a long way to work, you could risk leaving your dog home alone for 10 hours. Is that too long? In this article, we'll take a closer look at how long you can leave your dog alone, destructive behaviors that can occur when they feel anxious or lonely, and how you can deal with separation anxiety in your dog.
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How long can a dog be home alone?
In Norway, we don't have rules about how long a dog can be at home like in Sweden. But even though the dog seems to take to the house guard job with flying colors, it's not recommended to leave the dog alone for too long. According to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority's guidance on keeping dogs, most adult dogs can be trained to be alone at home for 6–8 hours a day. Outside of these hours, the dog should be allowed to be with the family. Puppies under 4 months old should not be left alone for more than a few minutes at first. Read more about when the puppy should be home alone.
5 tips on how to train your dog to be alone at home
Training your dog to be alone at home requires good routines and even better patience. Here are 5 tips that can help you on your way, whether you have a puppy or want to train an adult dog at home alone.
1. Teach the dog that you can be together separately
The first step to teaching your dog to be home alone is to practice being together separately. Just because you're both home doesn't mean your furry friend has to sit on your lap all the time. Start by putting a puppy pen or dog gate between you while you're cooking or drinking coffee, and don't make a big deal out of being apart. Over time, you can practice not having each other in sight all the time. For example, go to the bathroom while you make your dog stay in the living room.
2. Alone for short periods
Try being away for short periods of a few minutes and make sure your dog has a place in the house where he can feel safe while you are out. Again, don't make a sad farewell with exaggerated hugs, just go out as if everything is normal and listen through the door. If your dog whines a lot, you can wait until he has calmed down a bit before going in as usual and giving a small treat when he has calmed down. Then you can start to increase the period you are away. If you are away for a long time, it is completely normal for heartbreaking howling and barking to occur to the annoyance of the neighbors. This is just the dog's way of communicating its feelings. It may be a good idea to let the neighbors know in advance or get help to walk the dog if you are going to be away for several hours.
3. Physically and mentally tired before time alone
We recommend that you go for a long walk in the morning before you leave the house for the day. You can also throw out Fido's favorite candies so he has to use his head to find them during the ride. In this way, the dog is stimulated and gets an outlet for energy so that it feels like taking it easy and relaxing after the trip.
4. What should Fido do alone at home?
While you are away, keep your dog occupied with stimulating dog toys or a sniffing mat! Some dogs also like to have the TV or radio on in the background to feel less alone. Don't leave things out in front of your dog so that they can eat a lot of strange things with potential choking hazards.
5. When you get home
When your dog has been home alone for several hours, it's important to give them attention when you return. This means that other leisure activities or an afternoon nap on the couch must give way to spending time and activity with your dog. Go for a walk together, your best friend has been looking forward to this all day!
Separation anxiety in dogs
Some dogs can develop separation anxiety when you are away from them. It is therefore important to gradually train the dog to be alone from the time it is a puppy. A dog with separation anxiety is scared and stressed when left to its own devices. This can lead to destructive behavior that is demanding for both parties.
Thunderstorms and destruction - are dog cages the solution?
The puppy has eaten half of the stuffing off the sofa and all the cushions in every room are torn to shreds on the floor. It can be frustrating to come in the door and see that your dog is not behaving when you are alone at home. Many people believe that dog crates are the solution when you are away. But small crates such as transport crates are not a suitable place to stay while you are at work. Remember that when we buy a puppy we must be willing to accept the negative consequences as well. Being in a crate every time you go to work is not a natural part of a dog's life. Your four-legged friend must have enough space for natural movement such as stretching and choosing different surfaces to lie on to regulate their temperature. Therefore, your dog should be able to walk freely at home. Instead of having your dog at home alone in a crate, you can better define its area by closing some doors.
Separation anxiety and unwanted behavior when your dog is left alone at home can be difficult to deal with. If you are away for several hours each day, there are several things you can do to improve your dog's quality of life. Take your furry friend to work, get someone to walk you in the middle of the day, or let your dog go to doggy daycare! You can also contact a veterinarian for good support and advice if you see that your dog is not doing well.
