How long can a puppy be left alone?

The answer is you should not be leaving your 8-week-old puppy alone for an extended period. This is the part of their life where they have just been weaned and need regular feedings and potty breaks. It is recommended to wait at least until they are 3 months old before they are being left alone. Start small, go out by yourself and take a walk around the neighborhood and gradually increase the length of your outings. The best way to help prevent separation anxiety is to introduce alone time slowly and gradually and to ensure that they are comfortable, well-exercised, and have something to play with if they become bored. Leave calmly, if you are calm your dog has a better chance of being calm, and return calmly, if you don't make a scene about coming home your dog will be more likely to be able to treat your coming and going as routine resulting in a calmer dog.

Young puppies under six months shouldn’t really be left alone for more than two hours. And it’s a good idea to build up the time they spend alone gradually to prevent separation anxiety from setting in. Ideally, you shouldn’t leave a puppy in their crate for more than a couple of hours at a time during the day, as too much time in the crate may cause them to become stressed. Around two to four hours is the time you can leave a senior dog alone. The time you can leave a senior dog alone will depend on if they have any health issues and how often they need to pee. The whole working day is much too long to leave your dog home alone, so you’ll need to make arrangements for your pup to be looked after or checked in on during this time.

Puppies of different ages have varied time limits in which they can and should be left alone. As dogs get older, they can be alone for longer. Under 10 weeks: 1 hour 10-12 weeks: 2 hours 3 months: 3 hours 4 months: 4 hours 5 months: 5 hours 6 months: 6 hours Over 6 months: Maximum 6-8 hours. Remember, dogs and especially puppies need to urinate often. As a guideline, new puppies up to 10 weeks old typically can’t hold their bladder for more than an hour. Dogs between 10 to 12 weeks old can usually hold it for around two hours. Once your dog reaches 3 months old, they can usually hold it for an hour for each month they’ve been alive. However, even adult dogs shouldn’t be home alone for much longer than six to eight hours without a chance for a bathroom break.