Can a Golden Retriever be Left Alone?

We all have a professional life which makes us think about who will take care of our Golden Retrievers in our absence. There are many related questions that come to the mind like what if there is a hazard and dog needs to be evacuated out of the home on time.

Can a Golden Retriever be left alone for a long time? Yes, you can leave your Golden Retriever alone for extended hours. Usually, it’s ok if you have given enough food and water to the dog. Another thing to take care of is their pee and poo needs. There are some pads available in the market which can help in case of such accidents.  

But this comes after taking a calculated decision which involves considering their health, boredom and anxiety levels. This also requires training sessions.

Patience is the key and initially, the dog will hate to be left alone. But with the information I am going to share in this article, you can make it easy for your Golden Retriever.

Keeping a Golden Retriever Dog in An Apartment While at Work?

Leaving your golden retriever alone without a concrete plan to take of its needs is a bad idea. This is because the dog can be erratic in behavior. If you are there to provide the pet with all its needs things would go wrong.

Before you buy this dog type, you should take into consideration its behavior and plan when to take care of it. There are lots of things that would go wrong when you leave your golden retriever alone.

What could go wrong leaving a Golden Retriever alone? As said above, it is a completely bad idea to leave your golden retriever alone. Several things could go wrong.

There are a few things that could go wrong when you leave your dog alone and here are some of the concerns: The dog could destroy your precious furniture and if you were available that would not have been possible.

Another aspect of worry is bathroom behavior. You need to be there to guide the pet which requires a bath every three to five hours.

Furthermore, dogs could damage your clothes and shoes. You need to be around to prevent all these things from happening.

These are the possible areas your mind will go, but other areas are potentially dangerous, which could mar everything. There could be a problem when the dog struggles to deal with isolation anxiety as well as versions of separation. If the dog is to get to any form of anxiety the outcome could be dangerous.

Is your dog house trained? It could be a big challenge to leave it alone. If the dog lifestyle is such that the pet cannot stay without you, then there would be a big problem leaving it behind.

Anxiety in Retriever Dogs When Left Alone

When it comes to a dog’s behaviors, some of them are freedom based while others are anxiety-based. If your dog engages in destructive behavior. You can tell when it is aggressive from the behavior it exhibits when you are going out that the dog will become aggressive.

If you are leaving, you have to ask yourself how is the pet feeling when you are leaving. By the time you are leaving, was the pet showing any form of aggressive behavior.

You can tell when the pet is aggressive from the signs such as trembling, uncontrollable as well as hiding as well as tail tucking, pacing and so on.

There could be instances when the dog is suffering from boredom and not anxiety. Furthermore, there is a need to differentiate between behaviors based on anxiety and those that are based on boredom.

When the dog is aggressive or when he is suffering from boredom, the same destructive behavior could emanate.

If you are not there to control it then such a problem could erupt. If it is such important that you must leave your golden retriever, then you have to work out ways of taking care of your dogs.

Anxiety in Dogs When Left Alone

Usage of Crates is Good but Not for Extended Times

Talking of ways of dealing with the problem, golden owners would prefer crate. This can work when you would be away for a short time. If you plan to go away for a long time, then you should know that the use of a crate is not the solution to that problem.

It could worsen that situation. If the dog was crate trained, this would not have been an issue. Even if it is crate trained, there is a limit to which it can stay there.

You must not consider putting it in the cage if you want to be aware for a long time. It is could be counterproductive, but it would work when you would be aware for a few hours.

One of the problems of putting the pet in the cage is because the dog likes going to the bathroom often, and if you leave in that cage for a long time, it would mess up that cage.

Apart from the fact that the cage is messed up which could take you time to clean, another problem is that it can affect the pet behavior in the future. The animal could begin to mess the cage in the future.

How Long Can Golden Retriever be Left Alone?

When it becomes certain that you are going to go out, then the next question to ask yourself is how long to stay away from your pet. Before you do that, then the dog must be able to help itself in certain situations such that your help would not be needed most of the time.

If you can leave this pet loose for a long time roaming the house, or it is safe to leave your pet in such a small place without worries, then you do not have anything to worry about.

Another thing that can help in deciding to leave your pet is whether the dog can relieve itself in the day. Furthermore, if the dog does not need anybody’s help for potty breaks, then the problem is minimized.

Furthermore, you need to consider whether the pet is going to be bored during the day when she is all alone. If it is, then what mental stimulation do you have in-ground to relieve your pet, especially the time you were away from the house.

The dog needs water, you must arrange for that before you leave. Ensure that the animal has access to sufficient water and correct food and the food would be readily available when she needs it. The rations are very important; you must arrange their provisions.

What could happen when the temperature changes. You have to make sure that you leave out of the event as soon as the weather changes otherwise things could become very difficult for the pet. Several other things could affect the Golden

Retriever in your absence that you must make sure that all these things are readily available to the pet when she needs it. If you want to leave the home, these can guide you in determining you long you can leave your dog behind you.

1. How Spacious is Your Dog’s Playing and Boundary Area?

If the dog has enough spacious ground to play around then there is no worry about getting into danger especially if there is a boundary area.

When your dog can get up on its own and wander around the compound without worries, then the problem is somehow solved. It is a question of keeping the pet busy until you come back.

The dog can stay there without requiring your help for the next two to three hours. If you plan to stay longer than that period, then the playing space would not solve the problems.

2. How and Who Will Handle the Poo Times?

Perhaps the biggest worry is how to handle the poor time’s behavior in your absence. If you are there to guide your pet during this call of nature, chances are there that it can become aggressive of defecating in any place and this could place you could not like.

If you are not physically present when the dog wants to poo, it could behave in a way you cannot predict.

This will become more worrisome when the dog was used to you take the dog to convenient places for defecation. If the dog were used to doing that on its own with little or no input from you, then she can manage herself in that aspect when you are not around.

3. Are There Any Activities Planned to Keep Him Busy and Engaged?

An important trick you can work out is looking for an activity that can keep that dog engaged and busy throughout the day when you are not around. If your dog is such that likes playing with a toy, then you can look for toys that can keep her busy when you are away.

The more you have those things that can keep your dog busy when you are aware, the more comfortable you would feel leaving it alone when you leave the house.

4. You Need to Make Arrangements for Food and Water

Your pet would need water and food. If you must leave the home, then you arrange for that. This is good if you want the pet to stay healthy.

You can control the quantity of food the pet consumes, but that cannot be said of water. The animal requires enough quantities of water to stay healthy and perform her basic functions. If it is in the summer season when there is excess heat, Gold Retriever requires water throughout the day. You must ensure that these are readily available.

5. Is Your Dog Able to Withstand Fear from Thunderstorm and Lightning?

Something was said about the weather before. Thunderstorm and lightning are parts of weather and there is the need to help your dog survive during such adverse health conditions. If the weather becomes unfavorable and you think that it can affect the animal, then you must make a contingent arrangement for that before you travel.

There is a way of dealing with that, and you need an insulated place where your dog can stay during such unfavorable weather. If you are not there to take your pet to that safe place, then it is going to be a problem.

If on the other hand that the animal is used to getting to such a safe place during a thunderstorm and unfriendly weather, then there is nothing to worry about.

When the weather is excessively hot or cold, your dog would not like it, you must make enough arrangement for this before you leave the home.

Golden Retriever Puppies Will Need More Attention

What is going to happen when you have a golden retriever puppy, would you leave them alone unattended to? There is a limit to what the mother dog can help the offspring. If there are puppies, they would need your constant attention.

Before you get out of the house you must make an adequate arrangement about how to take care of your dog. You may have to get someone to take care of the pet when you are not around.

The person must be somebody used to the pet. A family member who is used to the dog can be of immense help. Look for such a person to take care of the puppies’ temporary until you come back.

What You Can Do Make Their Alone at Home Time Pleasant

If you keep the dogs busy when you are not around then chances are there that she may not bother and she may not resort to aggressive behavior or mess up the place. There are lots of things you can do to keep them busy. You should have taught your dog about television.

You can decide to turn the dog television which can it busy in the home until you come back. Ensure that her other needs are well provided, this can be of immense benefit. There may be other interesting things that can keep the pet busy like playing toys and so on.

Dogs Left Alone Food

1 Use Brain Training and Puzzle Exercises to Keep Dog Busy

One of the things that can help to keep the dog busy is brain training and puzzle exercises. You need to help your pet with those exercises. She can keep herself busy with those exercises and other things mentioned above to keep the animal busy until you are back.

2 Use Dog TV Service

Something was said about dog television service before. There are television channels that are purposely meant for dogs. If you plan to stay away from your dog, you can choose the best television channel for your dog.

This can keep the dog busy. Remember that this is meant to be a temporary arrangement because it is not going to occupy the dog’s attention for a long time.

If you plan to be aware for about two to three hours, this trick can do because it will keep the pet busy till the time you come around. The most interesting thing is to ensure that you have such television channels available.

3. Use Lunch as a Break Back to Home from Office Hours

You can shorten the time you are away from your dog. Since you are entitled to break wherever you work, you can bridge the gap by turning that break time for lunch. This means that you have to come home and attend to the needs of your pet for that brief time. This is necessary if you work close to your house.

4. Use Your Relatives and Neighbors to Keep Checking with Dog

Something was said about using your relation already known to the dog for help. If no relations are living with you, you can consider your neighbor for help. This can work for you if you are on good terms with your neighbors.

Furthermore, the Golden Retriever must be familiar with that your neighbor.  You can engage your neighbor to check your pet two or three times daily pending the time you would be back from work.

5. Hire a Dog Sitter

If you have the means and you want to go out for an extended time, it could be a good idea if you hire a dog sitter. This can solve that problem.

6. Drop Your Retriever at a Daycare in the Morning

Alternatively, if you think that it could be expensive to engage a dog sitter, then you can consider sending your Retriever to a Day Care Center in the morning and you can pick it when you are back from work.

You can compare various providers when you are making your choice of care center to take your pet.

7. Explore Taking Your Dog to Office

When everything seems not to work, then the only option left for you is to take your dog along with you to the office. Before you do that, you must be sure that your place of work is pet-friendly. Moreover, such dogs must not be aggressive.

Conclusion on Leaving Golden Retriever Dog Home Alone Overnight

Golden Retriever is a good breed and you can enjoy staying with it. You can also leave the pet alone when it becomes inevitable that you must step out of your house. It is possible to leave the dog alone for a few hours.

If you plan to stay longer than that, then you should have the plan to provide for your pet. If you leave it alone for a long time, the dog would not only you’re your place, it can become aggressive as well. Because of that, you need a guide in taking care of your pet when you are not available.

The above instructions are carefully designed so that you do not have problems with your pet. For most of these plans to work, you must train your pet such that they can withstand many of the conditions they would be exposed to in your absence. If you follow the instructions very well, you can take proper care of your golden retriever.

References

  1. https://ifsu.edu.ph/ejournal/uploads/file/pdf/20180419_030927.pdf
  2. https://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2001.219.460

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