How long can I leave my dog alone? What essentials for their run?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, gradually work up to the length of time you are usually gone for a normal day. He may or may not ever make it though. If he has extreme separation anxiety I would discuss medications (anti-anxiety) with your vet and private training. If he likes other dogs consider doggie daycare twice a week so he can expend energy. Max is a high energy breed. On your days off and free time be sure to exercise him well. If he plateaus at a certain length of time I would seek help and meds form your Vet. I hope this help!

I am sorry to hear about your concern for MJ! Whether or not she can be left in the apartment is dependent on the dog and their behavior. Some dogs can be left loose in a house all day with no issues while others are destructive and may chew furniture/eat objects/have accidents in the house. If your dog does these things already, then leaving her out when you aren't home is not a good idea yet. If she is well behaved and doesn't have accidents/chew things then you could try leaving her out for short periods of time at first and see how she does. You can also provide her with some stimulation while you aren't home with puzzle toys, there are many available online or in pet stores https://www.petco.com/category/dog/dog-toys/interactive-dog-toys/dog-puzzle-toys-and-games . You can also hire dog walkers to come during the day to let your dog out/play with them if that is financially feasible for you. Many dogs spend most of their time while you are away asleep!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. As long as she has food and water leaving her unattended for 9 hours shouldn't hurt her. Make sure you have plenty of toys and things to keep her busy while you are away. If she has medications that are needed then leaving her for too long certainly could harm her depending on what medications she is taking. But generally speaking, if she is healthy otherwise then 9 hours alone should not bring harm to her. You can also invest in a product called pet Cube. The pet Cube allows you to watch your pet on a WiFi camera and also control a laser pointer to interact with them while you are not at home. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation by phone or text.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. As long as you are providing the puppy with a place to sleep, plenty of water and toys you should be ok to leave him for 3-5 hours with no problem. You can even look into the PetCube to interact with him remotely when you are not physically there. I also recommend using a product called FreshPatch to help potty train and give him a place indoors to go to the bathroom. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

No problem! Yeah just fill that Kong up! Presumably puppies can have “off” days just like we can. Also they are very smart. To be honest, she now knows that you’ll let her out of her run if she gives the signal that she has to potty. She’s going to use that to try and get out of her run to play because I’m guessing you let her out every time she does that. If she is actually going potty every time, of course let her out but if she isn’t, don’t buy her act. If she normally goes potty every 3-4 hours and just went potty 20 minutes ago, she might be a liar. Consider ignoring her for an hour. The run is perfectly fine as long as you keep stuff that can’t be chewed out of there!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. Leaving a dog alone for a period time is fine for most dogs. It is a normal fact of life that we cannot be with our dogs 24/7. This is only a problem when the dog has an underlying anxiety disorder. In this case, the dog will be frantic being alone and can become destructive and even harm itself. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using coach! Lady will need access to go potty throughout the day. If she has access to potty pads that will be sufficient. She also needs lots of freshwater. Because of her size she really needs to be fed 3 to 4 times a day so her blood sugar doesn’t get too low. I would see if you can find someone to come and feed her several times a day. Also, that many hours alone she will probably be pretty bored and may end up being distructive to her surroundings. This means she may eat her poop, chew up her blankets and pee pads, or cry for hours. I would set up a dog walker or find a friend that can help pet sit to break up her alone time. Good luck and kisses to Lady!