How Long Can I Leave My New Puppy at Home?

Bringing a new puppy home is a huge event in any household, filled with equal parts joy and chaos as everyone focuses on the fuzzy new family member. Taking them out and about is just as fun, watching them explore their new world and bask in the attention of every dog lover you meet along the way. 

But at some point, as much as you don't want to leave your little buddy, you’re going to have to have them stay home on their own, whether it’s to run errands, go to work, or head anywhere else where they can’t join you. At this point you may ask yourself a common question. How long can I leave my puppy home alone?

• By ten to twelve weeks, around the time a puppy will arrive at their forever home, they can probably go for one hour, maybe two, before they need a potty break. To give them that break, don’t leave them for longer than two hours. Especially when potty and crate training, too much time alone can lead to accidents. 
• From three months on, a good rule of thumb is to only leave your puppy home one hour for every month of their age. For example, at four months they can likely “hold it” for four hours, and so on. This doesn’t mean you make a full one hour jump with each new month; instead, extend the time gradually over each week.
• After six months, your pup is usually good on their own for six hours, though this and all guidelines are subject to your particular dog, including their size and any underlying health conditions. 

If you know you’re going to leave your dog for more than six hours, it’s best to put a plan in place so they can get a break during that stretch of time. Making them “hold it” for too long is at best uncomfortable and at worst can lead to urinary tract infections, stones or crystals - a condition where normal compounds found in dog urine change when the urine becomes overly concentrated.

If you can run home from work at lunchtime, for example, make that part of your day. Or, enlist the help of a pet sitter, who can break up your dog’s day with a potty break and some play time. If you decide to instead go with a neighbor or friend, just be sure all safety measures are put in place, including instructions to put your pup on leash before leaving the house, how to secure their crate or gates when you leave, and anything else you need to include. 

Helping your puppy with bladder conditioning by leaving them for gradually longer time periods, and making sure a plan is in place for them when you need them to go for longer stretches than that, will help keep them happy, healthy and on track with potty training. Good luck!