Leaving dogs home alone for extended periods

[bulldog]

What is extended??

We've had our dog Marci for about 4 years now and I don't even recall when the last time she had an accident in the house was. I'd say at least 3 years ago. She's house broken very well. However, the lack of accidents may be in part due to my unwillingness to leave her alone for more that 4-5 hours. I go home at lunch every day to let her out, but I wonder if it's really necessary.

This past weekend I had a discussion with a buddy who has a lab. Gunner is home alone all day and does not have accidents. However, my buddy said that Gunner does not drink much, if any water when he gets up in the morning. Neither does my dog, Marci. That made me wonder if the dogs have "learned" that they are going to be alone for a duration, won't be able to pee so they better not drink. Are they that smart? Do they have that good of instinct to know that drinking leads to peeing and if they drink *now* they may not make it until someone comes to the rescue? I really would like to feel more comfortable leaving Marci all day if I need to, but at this point, I do almost anything to make sure that I come home at some point during the day to let her out.

Thoughts? How long do you leave your dogs alone?

I also wonder about a dog's concept of time. Do they know/feel the difference between being left for 30 minutes vs. being left for 4 hours vs. all day?

I wish I knew a talking dog who could answer these things.

 

[MR47930]

We leave our house at ~5:45am and get home from work at ~4:30-5pm and our 4 year old black lab hasnt had a "bathroom" accident since he was a puppy. Ive come home to piles of puke from him eating his stuffed toys and yacking the stuffing back up but thats about it. When he was a pup I would come home from work at lunch to let him out but after about a year I stopped and he was fine. Sometimes if we come home early he wont lift his head off of his bed to see who's there. Im fairly certain he sleeps the entire time we're gone and doesnt like being interrupted.

p.s. He's an English Lab not an American Lab so hes much more laid back than what some think of when they think of the breed.

 

[czygvtwkr]

p.s. He's an English Lab not an American Lab so hes much more laid back than what some think of when they think of the breed.

Does he have a Brittish accent?

 

[Chasey_Lane]

My Great Dane has a larger bladder and can hold it for long periods of time. She drinks a lot of water. My Boxer started having accidents about a year before he passed (at 11). My Chihuahua can hold it during the day if he's in his crate, and mostly if left unattended in the house but every once-in-a while I'll come home to an accident. That is rare though.

 

[MR47930]

Does he have a Brittish accent?

No accent but he does wear a monocle and smokes a pipe to connect with his heritage.

 

[HeavyChevy75]

My boxer used to be able to hold it for hours at a time. Now he doesn't hold it nearly as long. I take him to daycare when I work a long day.

 

[frequentflier]

What is extended??

We've had our dog Marci for about 4 years now and I don't even recall when the last time she had an accident in the house was. I'd say at least 3 years ago. She's house broken very well. However, the lack of accidents may be in part due to my unwillingness to leave her alone for more that 4-5 hours. I go home at lunch every day to let her out, but I wonder if it's really necessary.

This past weekend I had a discussion with a buddy who has a lab. Gunner is home alone all day and does not have accidents. However, my buddy said that Gunner does not drink much, if any water when he gets up in the morning. Neither does my dog, Marci. That made me wonder if the dogs have "learned" that they are going to be alone for a duration, won't be able to pee so they better not drink. Are they that smart? Do they have that good of instinct to know that drinking leads to peeing and if they drink *now* they may not make it until someone comes to the rescue? I really would like to feel more comfortable leaving Marci all day if I need to, but at this point, I do almost anything to make sure that I come home at some point during the day to let her out.

Thoughts? How long do you leave your dogs alone?

I also wonder about a dog's concept of time. Do they know/feel the difference between being left for 30 minutes vs. being left for 4 hours vs. all day?

I wish I knew a talking dog who could answer these things.

It seems the smaller the dog, the more frequently they need to pee. We have two dogs about 20- 25 lbs ea and we typically don't leave them for longer than 4 hours; 5 tops. I know people with larger dogs that can leave them 8 to 10 hours without an accident.

Interesting to think about if they don't drink because they know it will make them have to go. I personally doubt it- most dogs don't seem to possess the ability to think logically; like humans do.

And I'll have to ponder the concept of time. I do know most dog's are happy to see you whether you have been gone 5 minutes or 5 hours. But then again, that is part of what makes them loveable and great companions to many!

 

[lucky_bee]

We leave our house at ~5:45am and get home from work at ~4:30-5pm and our 4 year old black lab hasnt had a "bathroom" accident since he was a puppy. Ive come home to piles of puke from him eating his stuffed toys and yacking the stuffing back up but thats about it. When he was a pup I would come home from work at lunch to let him out but after about a year I stopped and he was fine. Sometimes if we come home early he wont lift his head off of his bed to see who's there. Im fairly certain he sleeps the entire time we're gone and doesnt like being interrupted.

p.s. He's an English Lab not an American Lab so hes much more laid back than what some think of when they think of the breed.

I used to have an English Lab too! We seriously used to joke he had the bladder of a camel. We picked him up when we were stationed in England and on our final flight home, he was kenneled and stored in the cargo part of the plane. We landed at JFK and customs was awful to us, we begged them for over an hour..."Just let us let our dog out of his kennel...we know he's holding it!" Sure enough, we finally got to him and not a drop in his cage. That guy held it for 16 hours. The second we let him out that kennel he lost all control and peed on the cargo dept's floor. He literally spent over 2 minutes peeing! We felt so bad, he was only supposed to be in there for 12 hours but he was such a champ. He was also very particular about where he did any of his business in our yards. He would go completely out of his way to go in the woods bc he didn't want any of that near where he played We were so spoiled...never had to touch a pooper-scooper for 13 years!


I leave Maggie at home all day and she has access to water. She's about 25lbs but she can go all day when I leave her at 8am (she goes out for a last pee at 7:45) and come back home around 6/6:30pm. That's the longest I like to leave her although she's gone 12 hours just fine. There are no accidents in my house...any "accident" is usually a silent protest for any minimal thing Queen Margaret may find unsuitable

But she is getting older and since I'm hoping to move within the next year, 1. that'll help lessen my commute and time away during the day and 2. I'll be looking into hiring either a neighborhood kid or dog-walker to let her out mid-day. She holds it but I don't want to make her much longer.

 

[slotpuppy]

Our dogs normally go about five hours alone, before someone comes home to let them out, but the have made it about 10 hours without a potty break and no accidents. They are not kept in a crate and are free to roam the house while we are gone.

 

[getbent]

We have 3 dogs 1 Lab 5 yrs old, and 2 English Mastiffs who are a little over 7 mos. All 3 are crated while we are gone and do very well (usually about 7-8 hrs) Our Lab Nelli was accidentally not put in her crate once and had the run of the house for about 7 hrs. She did great. On shorter times being out, on purpose, she has chewed a shoe or two. We thought maybe she had a little separation anxiety. Even our older Lab (who has since passed away) we never left out. I guess I was to afraid to come home to a mess.

 

[luvmygdaughters]

We were fortunate with our old girl Nikki and our new girl Capt.Morgan. Nikki could be home 8 -10 hours and would never go in the house. Morgan is the same way, granted my husband works nites so he is home during the day, but, when he has to travel for work or if we attend a function on the weekend, the dogs were left in the house for 10 hours a day. Never came home to accidents. During the last year of Nikki's life, she had such a hard time getting up and down the steps, my husband would pick her up and carry her up and down the steps. Also, our vet said that it wasnt uncommon for females who had been spayed and never had puppies to have trouble with leaking urine. Either way, she was a great dog and Morgan seems to be following in her footsteps. On a rainy day, she'll hold it for 8 hours before going out. Of course she pees for 3 minutes straight when she finally does go out. lol

 

[keekee]

Since my older dog, Ginger, passed away in March, I've been feeling guilty about leaving my other dog home all day.
I just wonder how it affects her to be alone in the house for 9+ hours/day during the week. Is that mentally healthy for a dog?
She is a big dog, and she seems fine holding it that long - no accidents.
During the summer she goes out more since my kids are home during the day.
In the winter she is alone all day, Monday thru Friday.

The older dog became incontinent for her last year or so.
I just made her a penned-in area over linoleum with potty pads, and she didn't mind using them!

 

[acommondisaster]

Since my older dog, Ginger, passed away in March, I've been feeling guilty about leaving my other dog home all day.
I just wonder how it affects her to be alone in the house for 9+ hours/day during the week. Is that mentally healthy for a dog?
She is a big dog, and she seems fine holding it that long - no accidents.
During the summer she goes out more since my kids are home during the day.
In the winter she is alone all day, Monday thru Friday.

The older dog became incontinent for her last year or so.
I just made her a penned-in area over linoleum with potty pads, and she didn't mind using them!

I've read that if your dog sleeps all of the time, they're probably depressed or bored. Dogs naturally and instinctively need to walk. I sometimes wonder how experts decide what dogs think or feel. I guess the best resolution is to be sure the dog gets plenty of stimulation and exercise when you are home - not always easy to do, with all of the other things we have going on in our lives. Our chi's aren't home alone for long, but I do sleep days and my husband sleeps nights, so they get a lot of "down" time, so I try to keep them busy when I'm home and awake.

 

[Beta]

What is extended??

Thoughts? How long do you leave your dogs alone?

I also wonder about a dog's concept of time. Do they know/feel the difference between being left for 30 minutes vs. being left for 4 hours vs. all day?

I wish I knew a talking dog who could answer these things.

Obviously there are times where you can't really control how long you leave your dog at home and hope for this best. I've heard more than 6 hours isn't a good idea, regardless of bladder. I mean think about it...if you were left at home alone for 8+ hours without a bathroom, how would you feel? Dogs are meant to be companions, but they need us as much as we need them. If you're abandoning your dog all day and then when you're finally home you just play with it once in awhile when you're in the mood, you're doing a disservice to your loyal companion.

No accent but he does wear a monocle and smokes a pipe to connect with his heritage.

Wow, mine did this too! I always thought it was a little strange.

I miss her

 

[ArkRescue]

Someone I know recently told me they applied to a rescue to adopt a dog and were turned down because the dog would be left alone for more than 6 hours at a time. WTH? Is this why people go buy dogs? I believe the dog they have now was a purchased one after being turned down by a rescue. I recall being turned down because I didn't have a doggie door for the Rottweiler I wanted to adopt to go in/out to the yard. I lived in Temple Hills at the time (high crime), and was NOT putting in a doggie door so big that a human could crawl through it. I also was turned down by a rescue in the past for not having a 6' high fence - that's more understandable for a dog known to jump, but to require a 6' fence to adopt just any dog? Not sure if I agree with that. We handle every adoption on a case-by-case basis.

 

[acommondisaster]

That's crazy they wouldn't let you adopt because you wouldn't put in a doggie door. About a year ago I tried to adopt a dog from Stafford Co (VA) SPCA - they require a fenced yard for dogs. When I explained that our HOA does not allow fences and that the dog would be an indoor dog, never off the leash or outside on a chain for anything longer than doing doggie business, they told me "no fence, no dog, no exceptions". I feel bad for that doggie we were trying to adopt, having to spend more time in the shelter waiting for a family with a fence, instead of in a loving home because of a ridiculous rule. We are loving, caring dog owners and any dog we have lives a life of plenty of attention and playtime. It worked out for the best, we might not have these two little clowns we have now, had we been able to adopt that dog, and I can't imagine being without them.

 

[bulldog]

Obviously there are times where you can't really control how long you leave your dog at home and hope for this best. I've heard more than 6 hours isn't a good idea, regardless of bladder. I mean think about it...if you were left at home alone for 8+ hours without a bathroom, how would you feel? Dogs are meant to be companions, but they need us as much as we need them. If you're abandoning your dog all day and then when you're finally home you just play with it once in awhile when you're in the mood, you're doing a disservice to your loyal companion.

Wow, mine did this too! I always thought it was a little strange.

I miss her

I think about the "what if it were me" concept all the time...which is why I do all that I can to make it home and let her out at lunch. As far as companionship goes, trust me, this dog is not neglected. When we are home, she is by our (my) side and goes nearly everywhere with me. I'm quite sure that by time Sunday night rolls around she's thinking...man, I hope they go to work tomorrow because I sure could use some rest.

 

[getbent]

I guess I must be horrible doggie mom. I've had 5 dogs since about 2005 (at different times). They've all been crate trained and stayed in their crate from 7 a.m. until 2:30 - 3 p.m., M-Th (except during potty training, I was able to go home at lunch). They've never shown any ill effects of being left alone. Once we are home, they were always out running and playing in the house and stayed inside with us at night, once they were potty trained.

 

[ICit]

I guess I must be horrible doggie mom. I've had 5 dogs since about 2005 (at different times). They've all been crate trained and stayed in their crate from 7 a.m. until 2:30 - 3 p.m., M-Th (except during potty training, I was able to go home at lunch). They've never shown any ill effects of being left alone. Once we are home, they were always out running and playing in the house and stayed inside with us at night, once they were potty trained.

nope..... not at all.

I have 5 large dogs (only 2 crate now) and 1 small dog (she is crated).... from 6am till 430pm or so.


now... it was my fault but last week i went out at 3:30pm and didnt get home till 6am ... and they were just fine.

 

[Roman]

I'm semi-retired now, so my dogs don't get crated, except at night. But I've had dogs when I worked two jobs, and 12 hour volunteer Medic Duty twice a month, plus was going to school part-time. None of my dogs suffered that I know of, and were pretty happy. It's quality, not quantity right? Only once did I feel really bad, and that's when my relief didn't show up after my 12 hour shift, and I didn't get any relief until I had been in service for 16 hours. When I came home, my poor pup was peeing as she was running out the door. That was horrible.