One of the most popular questions among Golden Retriever parents is how long they can be left alone. Golden Retrievers grow fond of their families due to their gentle, friendly, and compassionate personalities. It’s understandable when you feel guilty leaving your furry buddy alone, but it would be best to learn how long they can be left alone to avoid potential misfortunes.
How Long Can Golden Retrievers Be Left Alone?
Generally, Golden Retrievers can be left alone for approximately four to six hours. However, this depends on various factors such as age, health, socialization skills, and training. Here is the answer for those asking how long can Golden Retriever dogs be left alone, depending on different ages. Golden Retriever puppies aged 8 to 10 weeks can be left alone for a limit of 2 hours, while those aged approximately three months can be left alone for about three hours.
Golden Retrievers aged 4 and 6 months and above can be left alone for four and six hours, respectively. The above details primarily focus on how long a Golden Retriever can be left alone during the day. The other factors are also essential when evaluating how long can Golden Retriever puppies be left alone.
Do Golden Retrievers have separation anxiety?
It would be inappropriate to discuss how long can this furry friend without mentioning Golden Retriever separation anxiety, which is a crucial subject. Although very friendly and affectionate, Golden Retrievers are vulnerable to separation anxiety. You can clearly tell that your Golden Retriever is experiencing separation anxiety if they’re drooling excessively, biting, pacing, or being destructive when left alone.
You might be asking yourself how long Golden Retrievers have separation anxiety. Well, the duration of separation anxiety in Golden Retrievers isn’t specific but mainly depends on the period of loneliness, age, change of environment, level of training, or underlying health issues. The good thing is that separation anxiety in Golden Retrievers is quite manageable through various tactics.
How to help my Golden Retriever with separation anxiety
As highlighted above, separation anxiety in Golden Retrievers can be handled through various measures depending on its level. For instance, if you’ve already given your furry friend some bone-like toys to chew and play with while you’re away, you might need to advance to other tactics such as leaving playing music for them, offering improved training, and incorporating quality essential oils in their kennels. Other separation-anxiety control measures include:
- Try compression wraps with the perfect size on your Golden Retriever.
- Going for herbal supplements with calming features but with a vet’s intervention.
- Administering vet-approved anti-anxiety supplements that have Melatonin and Tryptophan.
- Exercising them regularly to keep them fit and healthy.
However, managing separation anxiety in Golden Retrievers is quite a task and might, at some point, require your vet’s intervention if the above measures aren’t helpful. An experienced and qualified vet will help you with questions like whether it is ok to leave a Golden Retriever alone and how long Golden Retrievers can live alone, among others.
How to Contain Your Golden Retriever when Leaving it Alone
Now that you’ve understood how long they can be left alone, you can learn how to contain Golden Retrievers while away. One of the most popular ways of containing Golden Retrievers before leaving them alone is to hold them in a dog crate relevant to their size. The crate should be broad and high enough to let the dog move while you’re away.
You can also use a playpen, which is ideal for containing young Golden Retrievers. Besides enjoying enough play space, playpens are lightweight and collapsible to suit different needs. Lastly, you can hold a Golden Retriever with dog gates while you’re away. Dog gates (Baby gates) allow dog owners to set a section of their home strictly for their Golden Retriever to move and play around. They are a perfect alternative for crates due to the ample play space.
If you’re asking yourself if a Golden Retriever can be left alone for 12 hours, then the answer is simply no. Twelve hours are too much to leave a Golden Retriever alone on purpose. However, well-trained Golden Retrievers can withstand the period during the day but only under a few unavoidable circumstances. That also answers the question of can a Golden Retriever be left alone for 24 hours, 36 hours, 48 hours, or more.
Tips for maximizing safety when your Golden Retriever is left alone
While Golden Retrievers can be left alone for up to six hours, various measures should be undertaken to ensure maximum safety while they enjoy their solo stay. Such tips include:
- It would help if you left an assortment of toys for your Golden Retrievers to reduce boredom and the possibility of separation anxiety.
- Leave some soothing music play on a moderate volume to minimize stress levels, especially for crated dogs.
- Get them another dog for companionship while you’re away. It can be of the same breed or a different one.
- Offer full training while they’re still young for excellent results when left alone.
- Provide fresh water and potty at all times when you’re away.
- Keep your arrivals and departures low-key to avoid initiating stress and anxiety on the dog.
- Don’t start leaving your Golden Retriever alone suddenly but do it gradually to allow enough time to adapt to the process.
- Hire a dog walker or sitter for your Golden Retriever while you’re away.
- Organize for some friends and neighbors to check up on your Golden Retriever when you leave it alone.
- If possible, visit your dog during lunch or tea breaks to check on the going. This is the right time to refill its water trough and empty the potty.
Wrap up
You have all the details regarding ‘Can Golden Retriever be left alone.’ However, pet parents should devise a reliable plan before leaving their Golden Retrievers alone and find ways to compensate for the time ‘lost’ when the dog is alone. Remember to engage a reputable veterinarian before leaving your Golden Retriever alone; they could offer some tips you barely acknowledge.
Can a Golden Retriever be left alone for a week?
Leaving a Golden Retriever alone for seven days is highly discouraged because they’re affectionate and social dogs that require care more regularly than other breeds. Leaving them alone for so long can also attract separation anxiety, poor hygiene, malnutrition, or illnesses.
Can Golden Retrievers be Left Alone Outside?
Although Golden Retrievers can spend some hours outside, leaving them unattended for an extended period is inappropriate. This is because they can be easily exposed to theft, accidents, predators, and adverse weather conditions.
How long can Golden Retrievers live alone?
Like any other dog breed, Golden Retrievers shouldn’t be left to live alone due to their high socialization needs.
The dogs can, however, be left alone for a maximum of six hours which varies on different ages.