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Leaving your dog home alone for the first time can feel like a big step, whether they’re a brand-new puppy or a recently adopted adult. The good news is that most dogs can learn to be comfortable on their own with the right preparation, routine, and expectations.
Exactly how long you can leave a dog alone depends on several factors. Age and health can affect how often dogs need to go out, while temperament plays a big role in how long they’re comfortable being on their own.
To learn more, we spoke with Alexandra Bassett, CPDT-KA, a lead dog trainer, behavior consultant, and owner of Dog Savvy. With her expert advice, we explore general guidelines for how long to leave a dog alone, plus tips on how to help your dog feel their best while you’re away.
How Long Can You Leave a Dog Alone?
Adult dogs who are house-trained and have their needs met (food, exercise, and potty breaks) can usually be left alone for six to eight hours. Puppies and seniors need less solo time.
Here’s a breakdown of how long dogs can typically be left alone by life stage. These timeframes are upper limits, not daily targets. Whenever possible, less time alone is better for your dog’s comfort and well-being.
| Life Stage | Age | Max Time Alone | Reason |
| Young puppy | 8-12 weeks | 1-2 hours | Young puppies have small bladders and need regular potty breaks and attention. |
| Puppy | 3-6 months | Age in months + 1 | Older puppies have better bladder control, but are still potty training and need regular attention to prevent accidents and other issues related to boredom, loneliness, or anxiety. |
| Adolescent | 6 months to 2 years | 6-8 hours | By six months, potty training is typically complete. Even so, young dogs in adolescence have a lot of energy and need breaks and attention to let it out in constructive ways. |
| Adult dog | 2-8 years | 6-8 hours | Adult dogs have fully developed bladders, but they’re still prone to loneliness, boredom, and anxiety when left alone too long. |
| Senior dog | 8 years | 4-6 hours | Dogs often need more frequent bathroom breaks as they age. Cognitive decline and mobility issues may also shorten the time your senior dog can be alone. |
How long can you legally leave a dog alone?
In most areas, there isn’t a specific legal limit on how long a dog can be left home alone. However, extreme cases—leaving a dog without food, water, or care for extended periods—can fall under animal neglect laws and result in fines or even jail time.
Most pet parents have nothing to worry about (aside from the occasional puddle) if they have an unexpectedly long day at the office. The amount of time that counts as neglect is much, much longer than the recommended maximums noted above.
Factors that affect the timeline
While the chart above offers a general guideline for how long you can leave a dog alone, each dog is different. In addition to age, Bassett recommends considering your dog’s temperament, health, and energy levels.
For instance, more active dog breeds, such as Australian Shepherds and Jack Russell Terriers, may have trouble spending a lot of time alone compared to dogs with moderate to low energy levels, like Bulldogs and Great Danes.
Dogs with separation anxiety may also struggle to be left alone for more than short periods, and certain medical conditions may impact a dog’s bladder control or comfort, requiring more frequent monitoring.
When to adjust your dog’s time alone
Depending on your dog’s behavior while you’re away, you may have to adjust their allotted alone time.
For instance, a well-adjusted dog that’s okay with being left alone will:
- Be calm, relaxed, or sleepy when you arrive back home
- Show disinterest when you leave
- Won’t sprint to the door to go potty when you return
If you’re slowly building up your away time, these are good signs that you can extend it. They indicate that your pup is happy and comfortable at home alone.
However, you might need to shorten your time out of the house if:
- Your dog is having accidents inside
- They’re destructive when you’re gone
- They show signs of stress (whining, pacing, barking) when you prepare to leave the house
These signs indicate that your dog is struggling, and you may need to limit their time alone until they’re more confident on their own.
What Other Pet Parents Are Doing
To get a general baseline of what pet parents are really doing, we asked dog parents in a recent Rover survey about how long they’re comfortable leaving their dogs alone. While a small segment (4.4%) reported never leaving their pup alone, that’s not realistic for most dogs (or their humans). Instead, the majority feel comfortable leaving their dogs alone between 3 and 6 hours.
| Time Alone | Percentage of Pet Parents | Possible Reasons |
| 0 hours | 4.4% | These pet parents may have extremely young puppies or dogs with severe separation anxiety who can’t be left alone. |
| 1-2 hours | 12.8% | These pet parents may have young puppies in the throes of potty training, seniors who need meds or more frequent potty breaks, or dogs with separation anxiety. |
| 3-4 hours | 21.7% | For many pet parents, 3-4 hours represents a half day of work, a Saturday morning running errands, or time out for dinner or with friends. |
| 5-6 hours | 21.5% | This window may indicate a midday check-in for pet parents who work long hours or travel. Their dogs are likely healthy, potty-trained adults who are okay with a little extra time alone. |
| 7-8 hours | 19.9% | These pet parents are likely in situations where they’re maxing out their dogs’ time alone, possibly because of an extra-long work day, travel, etc. They may also have well-adjusted and low-energy dogs. |
| 8+ hours | 19.87% | This amount of time is likely when pet parents are in a bind. They may also have made adjustments, such as providing a kennel run or doggy door. |
How To Prepare Your Dog To Be Alone
To help prepare your pup to have a successful time alone, consider following the steps below.
Step 1: Meet their basic physical needs first. Before heading out for the day, make sure your pup has been fed, given access to water, and taken outside to potty.
Step 2: Give your dog ample physical and mental stimulation before you leave. Go for a walk, play fetch, or train at home—adjusting the activity to meet your dog’s individual exercise needs. For mental stimulation, give your dog a puzzle feeder, a chew-safe bone, or play a round of indoor games.
Step 3: Create a safe, cozy environment for your pup while you’re away. Whether you use a crate, section a pup-proof area of your home, or give full access, ensure your pup has a comfortable bed and access to water. If your dog struggles with being alone, use a white noise machine or leave the TV on at a low volume to mask outside noises. A heartbeat toy, a shirt, or a blanket that smells like you can also comfort dogs with mild separation anxiety.
Troubleshooting
If your dog is having a difficult time with you being away, here are a few helpful tips:
- Desensitize your dog to the cues that you’re leaving. When you’re at home with your dog, practice picking up your house keys, putting on your jacket, or performing other ready-to-leave activities, breaking each step down and rewarding your dog along the way. This process will help reduce anxiety about you heading out the door.
- Establish a regular routine. Dogs thrive on structure and routine. Creating a regular schedule can help your pup know what to expect and reduce anxiety when you leave.
- Avoid punishing your dog for unwanted behavior. Punishing a dog for having an accident or destroying something while you’re away will only create a negative association with being alone.
If you and your pup are struggling to adjust, a local dog trainer can customize a training approach to help your dog feel comfortable on their own.
Should you use a crate?
If your dog is adaptable to crate training, a crate can help them feel safe and limit destructive behaviors. Depending on how long you’ll be gone, however, you may want to create an additional setup for your pup—especially if they’re younger.
“I generally recommend using a crate in conjunction with a playpen so that if someone has to leave their puppy alone for more than three to four hours, they should leave them in a playpen with a designated potty area using pee pads,” says Bassett.
If your dog isn’t comfortable in a crate, skip the kennel and use X-pens or gates to section off a safe area instead. Or keep them in a designated room that’s familiar to them.
Tips for Leaving Your Dog for More Than 8 Hours
For many pet parents, long periods away from home are sometimes unavoidable. When you need to be away for an extended period, whether for an extra-long workday or an overnight excursion, there are steps you can take to keep your dog happy and safe.
- Book a pet professional to check in on your dog. If you can’t be at home due to work or other obligations, Bassett recommends hiring a dog walker or a pet sitter to break up the monotony of the day and care for your pup’s needs. Establishing pet care early on can also help if an emergency arises—a trusted pet sitter is more likely to help out when you have to be away unexpectedly.
- Consider doggy daycare. For some pups, doggy daycare can be a fun excursion. It can offer socialization, exercise, and stimulating activities that don’t involve destroying your sofa.
- Board your pup overnight. If you’re working extremely long hours or traveling overnight, consider checking your pup into their own home-away-from-home. Dog boarding is one way to ensure your pup gets all the care and attention they need while you’re away.
- Install pet cameras. If your time away is longer than usual, but not long enough to warrant a pet sitter or dog boarding, a pet camera is a great way to check on and even interact with your dog throughout the day. Some pet cameras come with treat dispensers, allowing you to reward calm behavior even from a distance.
