How long can you safely leave a dog alone at home?
Most dogs can be left alone for around five to six hours before they become restless and need attention. Pushing past this window causes anxiety and accidents, making longer stretches like a full workday unsustainable without someone checking in.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1leaving toys, snacks, water, and TV on
- 2keeping dogs that are not the destructive type
- 3Having neighbours or a pet-sitting service check in daily to feed and clean boxes
- 4Adopting a bonded pair or multiple cats to keep each other company
- 5Training the cat to travel as an adventure kitty
- 6Hiring a pet sitter to visit halfway through the day for play
- 7Waking up early for dedicated morning play time and exercise
- 8Using frozen kongs or slow feeders for mental stimulation
- 9Installing pet cameras to monitor the dog and interact remotely
- 10getting a second pet so they keep each other company
- 11Keeping the new cat and essentials in the bathroom for the first few days
- 12Moving the new cat to a closed-off room after he decompresses
- 13Dropping the dog off at dog daycare occasionally
- 14Hiring a dog walker or pet sitter through services like Rover
- 15Enlisting help from neighbors
- 16Paying a pet sitter
- 17Starting alone-time training over from 5 seconds
- 18finding a dog walker to come get him at 9am
- 19play his favourite game of find it
- 20Leave something that smells like you on his bed
- 21freeze clothes and it will retain your scent
- 22send your partner voice notes to play
- 23calming treats and sprays and plenty of lickmats and treats
- 24leaving worn unwashed clothing or blankets nearby
- 25considering adopting a companion animal
- 26asking neighbors or friends to pop in
- 27monitoring the pet via indoor cameras
- 28Keeping the puppy in a separate room
- 29Crating the puppy during naps and at night
- 30Sending the puppy to a nanny for the day
- 31Gating off areas so the puppy cannot access them
- 32Dividing the house into separate areas for each dog
- 33Using crates
- 34Getting an adult dog instead of a puppy
- 35Hiring dog walkers or using pet daycares
- 36Using indoor grass pads, play pens, or doggie doors
- 37Adopting a pair of dogs so they keep each other company
- 38Going home during lunch breaks to let the dog out
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I just feel super bad and sad for him, and I get main anxiety issue for leaving him alone for so long.”source ↗
“Wish I can just have him in my pocket everywhere I go so we can be together 24/7.”source ↗
“Breaks my heart watching Rosie through my cameras sit at the door when I’m normally home and then just wait for hours before going to her safe space under my bed”source ↗
“Recently I've been feeling very guilty about leaving them alone for long periods of time a day.”source ↗
“recently my grandma started guilting me about them being alone at home while I work and it's been sending me through a spiral.”source ↗
“I’ve been wanting a dog for a while, but I’m concerned with the hours it will be left alone.”source ↗
“i can’t help but still feel guilty. i feel like there’s more i could be doing for him.”source ↗
“in addition to this- being gone for anything other than work seems to bring me sooo much guilt and any tips on how to juggle a hard work schedule, a high energy dog, and hopefully- a social life.”source ↗
“Generally we don't like to leave our labs for more than 5 hours alone.”source ↗
“My only issue is that I'm going to be gone 8 hours out of most days.”source ↗
“I'm just worried about leaving a new cat alone for hours at a time.”source ↗
“We are scared that if we are not at home, they will fight all the time.”source ↗
“We are just scared that one time one of them can snap and hurt each other.”source ↗
“We are afraid that maybe the cat won’t back away as he generally does not run away from her.”source ↗
“In a typical year, we might go on 3 trips (maybe 2 lasting a week, and another 2.5 weeks or so). We would have neighbours or a service check in daily, but we are worried if this might be cruel to the cat as well as stressful for us.”source ↗
“I always hated going to work at any time knowing my kitty would be by himself.”source ↗
“my two are good for about 6 hours before they start getting restless but i try not to push past that”source ↗
“I had to leave my labradoodles alone for 12 hours once when I had to take my mom to the ER.”source ↗
“Now, I am completely unable to leave her alone without her being distressed, howling, barking, it’s super sad to see (doggy camera).”source ↗
“I’ve been paying a pet sitter but I feel so overwhelmed, I didn’t expect that at all and I understand it’s a big change, but I was hoping to build up over time how long she could be left alone and now I’m starting training at 5 seconds.”source ↗
“Last time I went away (2 years ago, also for ten days) he had a hotspot from licking himself. And he was really upset with me which was fine after the first few days.”source ↗
“My dog is with me all the time. In my bed, when I go to places, he’s such a good boy.”source ↗
“He’s going to be home alone for 4 days each week from 4am to 4pm.”source ↗
“does leaving an attached dog damage them? It’s just 10 days”source ↗
“Something I have been thinking about is if it is okay to leave them unsupervised in the house together while I'm at work (7 hours, 5 days a week)?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 12How to handle a young puppy alone during sudden schedule changes
- 3When can I stop crating my puppy when I'm not home?
- 2How to handle a puppy while working and going to school alone
- 2How to move abroad or travel without leaving your pets behind
- 7How to stop a dog from escaping the crate while at work
- 2What to do with pets buried in the backyard when moving