Tips on Leaving a Puppy Home Alone

Most puppies are adorable, but they also can be a mini-hurricane. Puppies (especially ones who are teething and not yet housebroken) can decimate an area by leaving trails of paper, shredded items and accidents all over an unattended house. Therefore, safeguard your home and ensure your growing canine can be content without your presence.

  1. Place Items Out of Reach

    • Before leaving the house, take a walk-through and identify any objects that could be chewed. That leather designer purse you just bought? Make sure it is placed high on the closet shelf with the door closed. The electrical chord used to recharge your laptop? Wind it up and place it on the table. Even decorative pillows should be placed out of reach.

      To assess which items should be placed out of reach, let your puppy roam free in the designated room. No more than 5 minutes should pass before he begins to chew on something.

    Where to Leave Your Dog

    • If the puppy is very young, consider enclosing him in one room instead of giving him full range of the house to minimize potential damage. Or, if you will be gone for a short amount of time, place the puppy in a crate with a chew toy. Ian Dunbar, author of the book, "Before and After Getting Your Puppy," suggests confining your dog in a crate or separate room for an hour even while you are home. The goal is to foster a sense of independence in your dog.

    Expect an Accident to Happen

    • Untrained puppies will likely urinate or defecate if you are gone for longer than an hour. If you have a tiled room, try to enclose the puppy in this space to ease the cleaning process. Otherwise, invest in some carpet or newspaper to lie across the puppy pen.

      Do not scold the dog for her accident: dummies.com mentions that puppies under the age of 4 months do not have much bladder control; therefore, expect an accident or two.

    Exercise the Dog

    • Go for a nice jog with your puppy before leaving the house. Puppies sleep most of the day, and exhausted dogs will especially desire a nice nap. Ideally, she will relieve herself during this time, which will minimize the risk of her going inside the house.

    Keep the Puppy Comfortable

    • If you leave the puppy indoors, consider turning on the TV or radio so the dog continues to hear the voices of humans. Ensure the weather will not be too hot or cold if you leave the dog outdoors.

      Perfectpaws.com suggests leaving plenty of chew toys, bones and other items for the dog to chew while you are away.