How long can a dog be left alone?

It's less a question of a number than of comfort. A puppy needs to go out very often (every 30 to 40 minutes at around 2 months); a settled adult copes with far more, provided his needs are met. For a full working day, it's better to break it up with a midday visit or a dog walker.

My rescue dog can't cope with being alone, is that normal?

An adopted adult dog needs time to feel at home and to know you're dependable: attachment builds, sometimes in a few days, sometimes over several months. Set up a predictable routine, neutral departures, and progress through small absences. If the panic is total, have a professional carry out an assessment.

How do you keep your dog occupied when you go to work?

A sturdy food-stuffed activity toy (a Kong, for instance) keeps him busy for a long time and turns your absence into a good moment; you put it away when you get back so it holds its value. Cover his needs before you leave and, for long days, arrange a midday visit. A lickmat, meanwhile, is given under supervision.

Teaching your dog to stay home alone

Adopting an adult dogPart of · Training & behaviour

Teaching your dog to stay home alone

Q: How do you get a dog used to being alone?

Through gradual, positive absences: a few seconds, then a few minutes, then longer, always coming back before he panics. Calm leaving and returning, an activity toy the moment you go, and you only move up a level once the previous one is easy. Never by forcing him.

Q: Why does a dog destroy things when he's alone?

Two very different causes: boredom in an under-occupied dog, sorted out with exercise and activity toys, or genuine separation distress , where the damage targets the exits (door, window). In both cases he isn't 'getting his own back', and punishing him when you get home does nothing.

11 min read

Teaching your dog to stay alone isn't about "detaching" him from you or shutting him away: it's about showing him, through absences that start short and get longer, that your leaving holds no danger. Cover his needs before you go, leave calmly, give him something to chew on, and climb the levels one at a time.

Boredom or distress: two different things

The dog is a social species: he rests surrounded by others, and your absence puts him on alert. Researchers filmed dogs after half an hour alone, then two hours, then four: the greeting on their return was clearly more intense after two or four hours than after half an hour (Rehn & Keeling 2011). So your dog does tell a short absence from a long one, even if he isn't counting the hours. Most learn to wait perfectly well, with the right method. What gets in the way is something else: either the boredom of a dog with nothing to do, or genuine separation distress, a disorder that is worked on separately, with a professional.

Step by step, never all at once

Run the same little routine before every departure, always just as short.

Tire him out before you go

A proper walk, with time to sniff and take it all in, works his body and his mind far better than a lap around the block. A dog who has been able to burn off energy, physically and mentally, settles far more easily once he's alone.

Give him something to chew before you go

A sturdy toy, the thick rubber kind you stuff with wet food or soaked kibble, turns your leaving into a good moment. Put it away when you get back: it should only be available while you're out.

Stay calm as you leave

Skip the big goodbye scene, the cuddles that drag on and the voice that rises just before the door shuts: your dog can feel that you're wound up, and it winds him up too. A kind word or a quick stroke are no problem at all, as long as you stay settled yourself.

Uncouple your cues from the real departure

Pick up your keys, put your coat on, grab your bag, at moments that lead to nothing, several times a day. Little by little your dog stops linking those cues to the dread of watching you go.

One session is 5 to 10 short trips out and back in a row, two or three times a day, never longer than what your dog handles calmly. Behind a closed door you can't see him: prop your phone up in video mode in the room, or simply listen. You want to find him settled. If he sighs, yawns and lies back down, carry on. If he whines without stopping, pants, scratches at the door or paces in circles, you've gone too far: drop back to the previous level. That limit where he stays calm is his threshold, and you always work below it.

You move up a level only once the one before has become easy, always staying below his threshold. At the first sign of panic, you drop back to the previous level.

Step 1 / 4

He stays calm when you vanish for a moment
- Move into another room, door open, starting with 5 to 10 seconds
- Come back while he's still calm, never after he has whined or scratched at the door
- Once several trips in a row go well, add a few seconds each time, until he can hold a good minute
He keeps himself busy or rests instead of staying glued to the door
- Close a door between you, starting with one or two minutes
- Leave him his chew toy before you close it
- Add a few minutes after each session that goes well, until he can hold a good half hour
You come home to a calm house, everything in one piece
- Start again on short durations, even if he was already holding longer behind a closed door: actually leaving is a new test, and stepping back is not a failure
- Really leave the house, door locked, for 15 to 30 minutes: take the bins out, run a quick errand
- Stay calm leaving and coming back, no big performance; a kind word or a quick stroke are no problem
- Double the duration in stages (30 minutes, then an hour) as long as you find a calm dog every time
He handles half a day without distress
- Keep stretching in steps of an hour or two, up to the length of your working days
- Break up the longest days: someone dropping in at lunchtime, a dog walker
Move on when: He can stay alone, calmly

Being alone: sorted

Count on several weeks of short sessions to get through all the levels: it's your dog's calm that sets the pace, not a date on the calendar. The real trap is having to leave for a full day at work before you're there, because a long absence he can't cope with yet undoes the work of the levels. Until he can hold longer absences, arrange things so he isn't left alone too long: a friend or relative, a dog sitter, doggy day care, someone dropping in at lunchtime. Alongside that, you can keep uncoupling the departure cues (the keys, the coat) throughout. For the absence itself, leave him wherever he's most relaxed, a safe room with his bed or free run of the house, never shut in a crate.

Get this ready before you start on the levels:

0 / 5

This is normal learning: keep going as you are

The unease stays mild and eases off level after level
He ends up keeping himself busy or resting once he's alone
No injury, no panic, just a bit of impatience
You see progress from week to week

This may be separation distress: that's a job for a professional, not for this guide

Your vet or a behaviourist may talk about separation anxiety
He panics the moment your hand touches the door handle
Damage aimed at the ways out: door, window, door frame
Vocalising, drooling and panting that start the moment you leave and go on and on
Accidents indoors that only happen when he's alone, or injuries he inflicts on himself
No progress at all despite several weeks of serious work

While you wait for that appointment, try not to leave him alone in real distress: have him looked after by someone close to you or by a day care rather than putting him through the panic at every departure, because it settles in a little more each time. On your side, you can carry on with the very short levels where he stays calm, never pushing, and leave the rest to the plan the professional gives you.

Rehn & Keeling — The effect of time left alone on dog welfare (dogs filmed after 30 min, 2 h, 4 h) (2011)
Gácsi, Topál, Miklósi, Dóka & Csányi — Attachment behavior of adult dogs toward humans (shelter study) (2001)
Butler, Sargisson & Elliffe — Treatment of separation anxiety using systematic desensitization (2011)
Sherman & Mills — Canine anxieties and phobias: separation anxiety (2008)
Horowitz — Disambiguating the “guilty look” in dogs (2009)

Going further

guideExercising and occupying your dogA dog who has burnt off his energy before you leave copes with your absence far more calmly.Read the guide guideChewing and destruction (especially when I leave)Mischief and damage while you're out: sometimes boredom, sometimes real separation distress, and this guide helps you tell them apart.Read the guide guideThe 3-3-3 rule3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months: these markers help you not to worry too soon about those first difficult absences.Read the guide guideWhen the first days are roughThe first days are often the hardest for staying alone: this guide helps you get through that stretch without panicking.Read the guide guideWhen my dog barks too muchBarking that starts the moment you step out of the door? It's often tied to the same fear of your leaving.Read the guide guideRebuilding trust with a fearful or mistreated dogA dog who gains confidence copes better with being alone: this guide helps you build it.Read the guide

Frequently asked questions

How long can a dog stay home alone?

It's less a question of numbers than of comfort. A puppy can only hold on for a short while (roughly one hour per month of age, so two hours at around 2 months), while a settled adult tolerates far more, provided his needs are covered. For a full working day, it's better to break it up with someone dropping in at lunchtime or a dog walker.

How do you get a dog used to being alone?

Through gradual, positive absences: a few seconds, then a few minutes, then longer and longer, always coming back before he panics. Stay calm leaving and coming back, give him something to chew as you go, and only move up a level once the previous one has become easy. Never by forcing him.

Why does a dog destroy things when he's alone?

Two very different causes: the boredom of a dog with nothing to do, which is sorted out with exercise and chew toys, or genuine separation distress, where the damage is aimed mainly at the ways out (door, window). In both cases he isn't taking revenge, and punishing him when you get home achieves nothing.

Should you let a dog cry so he gets used to being alone?

No. Kept above his threshold, a dog doesn't get used to it, he becomes sensitised: the fear gets worse. You always work below the threshold, in short levels where he stays calm, and you drop back down the moment he loses it.

My adopted dog can't cope with being alone, is that normal?

An adopted adult dog needs time to feel at home and to learn that you're reliable. A 2001 study shows that a shelter dog can form a real bond with a new human in as few as a handful of contact sessions. For other dogs it simply takes longer, sometimes several months: that's no more worrying. Set up a predictable routine, stay calm at every departure with no big scene, and move forward through short absences. If the panic is total, have a professional carry out an assessment.

How do you keep your dog busy when you leave for work?

An indestructible toy, the thick rubber kind you stuff with wet food or soaked kibble, keeps him busy for ages and turns your absence into a good moment; put it away when you get back so it keeps all its value. Cover his needs before you leave and, for the long days, arrange for someone to drop in at lunchtime. A lick mat (a soft ridged plate you spread wet food on) is better given while you're there to keep an eye on him.

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