When we receive a dog in the family, one of the factors that we must consider is how much time we will have to take care of it and be with it. It is not enough to take him for a walk as many times as necessary and feed him when he has to. Dogs need our attention, company and affection, that we play with them and make sure they are well.
However, work responsibilities, routine and daily schedule often take up more time than we would like, so we spend many hours away from home. Meanwhile, the animal is left alone at home, sometimes so peacefully sleeping or playing on its own, but others take advantage of this unattended period to get into mischief.
Whatever his behavior when he has no one to watch him, we must also ask ourselves if the dog has a bad time when he is alone, if he feels sad or if his needs are properly covered. For this reason, there is a slight difference between the legally allowed time for the dog to be left alone and the time we should really leave it.
The new Animal Welfare Law states that a pet can be left alone without supervision for three consecutive days, with the exception of a dog. In the case of dogs, the recently approved Law limits to 24 hours that they can be alone at home. In case of non-compliance, the fine could amount to 10,000 euros. Only working dogs (shepherds, police dogs, assistance dogs…) can overcome this period of solitude as long as they have a microchip and a landlady where they can take shelter from adverse weather conditions.
However, this should be an exceptional situation, as 24 hours is too long to leave a dog alone on a regular basis. It is most recommended that an adult dog spend no more than six hours alone without supervision or, at most, eight hours. In the case of puppies, the time alone should not exceed two hours. For older dogs, two to six hours would be appropriate, depending on their needs and health concerns.
If the dog spends too many hours alone, it is likely that he will feel feelings of sadness, loneliness, boredom and separation anxiety. In addition, he needs to relieve himself and if you don’t take him out for a walk, he will have no choice but to do it at home, which causes them stress when they know they shouldn’t do it, but they can’t contain it anymore.
While some are downcast and sad from that loneliness, others develop behavioral problems or behaviors such as barking, crying, destroying things around the house, etc. If you are going to leave your dog alone at home for a long time, give him a good walk before so that he relieves himself, make sure that he has water, food and entertainment to distract himself.
