Leave your dog alone – You may have to work 9 to 5 hours and have no one with your dog during this time. Perhaps leaving the dog alone is the only option you have. Now, this doesn’t mean your pet is enjoying it. Have you ever wondered what happens to your dog when he sees you driving away and leaving him alone at home?
In this article, we’ll briefly discuss how long it really is when leaving dogs alone and find some ways to help your friend overcome separation anxiety.
Leaving dog alone: Dogs can get lonely
Leaving your dog alone – Remember that dogs are social animals. Hence, it is in their genes to need company and social interactions throughout the day. Puppies younger than 14 months of age should not be left alone for long periods of time.
Puppies are in a crucial age to develop social skills that will help them throughout their life. Leaving them at home is a complete waste of this time. But adult dogs also get lonely when they are left alone for too much time.
Leaving dog alone can cause him stress
Leaving your dog alone – In general, the amount of time that dogs are left alone by their owners depends on this person’s or family’s lifestyle. In a regular nuclear family, kids are out in school for an average of 8 hours, almost the same as their working parents.
Considering the time they take in commute and running some errands after school or work, we are looking at an average of 10-12 hours per day of lone time for the dog. This is too much time.
Of course, some owners might say that this is how it has been for ages and their dogs seem fine. These dogs have merely adapted to a situation they really do not have control over.
But dogs who have difficulty adapting to this will suffer stress (dog compulsive disorder). They will manifest it through unwanted behaviors such as chewing or incessant barking.
What to do then?
There are several actions you can take to reduce the time he spends alone. Some of them are:
- Come home for lunch
- Plan to work at home one day if that is a possibility
- Bring your dog to work occasionally
- Arrange for someone to come home and walk your dog
- Get an interactive camera to talk to your dog from work
