Leaving dogs at home alone can be a formula for disaster. Although there are time you home to leaving your dog home alone.
When you are going away leaving your dog at home, you have to be considerate of his safety not just your furniture. Be sure to check these when you are leaving your dog home alone.
1.Limit his access to garbage, cabinets, electrial wires
Some dogs eat garbage when they are left alone. Or they can search through cabinets, shells, etc. Not only this will make a mess of your home but also he may ingest harmful or unhealthy objects or food.
Such as,
- Paints
- Chemical
- Medicine
- Cleaning Supplies
- Electrical Wires(some dogs
Yes, some dogs chew on electrical wires. He even can get hurt from harmful objects(tools, equipments)
You can get around these possible dangers by,
- Use a garbage that has a lid with a latch
- Child proof cabinets by adding locking mechanisms to cabinets.
- Use covers or barriers to limit access to electrical wires.
These are few simple steps you can take to ensure your dog’s safety.
2.Put away his plush toys and pet bed.
Are you a dog destructive when he’s left alone? If you think he’ll make a mess of his bed or fluffy toys; make sure you put them away before you leave the house. He might possibly swallow the fluff which is unhealthy.
If your dog is not destructive it is okay to leave these fluff. He might as well play with them.
3.No bully sticks or chew toys
Bully sticks, antlers, bones, store bought chew toys should not be left behind with your dog home alone. For the obvious reason dogs can swallow them and get stuck in their throats which is not good especially when you are not home.
But it is okay to give him toys like kong or other treat dispenser toys. These toys will keep him busy and occupied while you are away.
[attached-pull toys]4.Close the windows
Some dogs can go out from house through windows. He can fall off of it while doing this. And there’s a chance he can bark at strangers, run away or even getting lost.
It is best to leave your window closed or only a few inches open(for ventilation)
5.Check His Drinking Water
Don’t forget to check if you filled his drinking water before you step out. Your dog may not drink much water but just to make sure if he do get thirsty he won’t go looking for it and ingest chemical or other substances.
How to train your dog to not be anxious while you are away
Dog are smarter than you think. They can catch your emotions. If you get emotional, worried when leaving him they tend to get anxious. So never get emotional. Here’s a simple activity you can do to train your dog to be calm and not panic when you leave.
- Step 1-put your shoes on and go to the exit point(door) If your dog panic or get anxious ignore him. Leave him for a short break (groceries, nearby place)
- Step 2-Arrive normally. Don’t get excited and welcome him, pet him instantly.
- Step 3-And when he’s beginning to be calm again go pet him. This will make him feel that you will come back as usual when you leave him home alone;that he is safe. Nothing to get anxious or panic.
Repeat this activity until he get the idea and not panic when you step out.
Should you crate your dog?
It is not recommend to leave a dog crated if the dog is not fully crate trained. So if your dog is not fully crate trained. It is better not to leave him crated even if you are going out for short period of time.
How to properly crate train a dog?
How long should you leave him in crate?
If you crate them for more time than their limit it can cause anxiety, problem barking in him. Limit can depend on training, breed, age and training.
- 8-10 weeks-1 hour max
- 2-3 months-2 hours
- 4 months-3-4 hours
- 18 months or older- 4-6 hours
Each dog is different. These time can vary with each dog. As a example guard dogs(like GSD) will be okay with 10 hours potty break while a hound is only fine with a few hours.
What is your dog like? How long will he be able to be in crate without stress, anxiety?
Use a Pet Gate
If you are leaving him longer than you can leave him crated and if you can’t leave him free in the house either; use a play pen or a pet gate.
Play pen is popular among most dog owners because it gives more freedom and space for their dogs. Play pen is even better if you have more than one dog. They can play in it while you are doing your housework.
This gives a chance for them to pent up excess energy; therefore some trouble behaviors can disappear.
Pet gate is the same you can use this to restrict your dog to one area of your house. Remember how you used baby gates to let your baby safely play while you are doing housework. Pet gate is the doggy version of that.
Note:If your dog is a jumper You’ll have to use a taller pet gate.
Use Technology
There are great tech gadgets/devices to make things easier for you and to ensure dog’s safety. Here are some gadgets that I think will be useful if you are worried about leaving your dog home alone at home.
1.Petcube Bites
If you are a working dog parent, you have to leave your dog at home while you are away from home 5-6 days a week, it is smart to have a petcube bite. I’m sure you have heard of this but if you haven’t you can monitor, feed and talk to your dog through petcube.
If you can connect to wifi(or internet), this device will work from anywhere in the world.
This will be useful if you have,
- complaining neighbours(excessive barking or other trouble behaviors)
- leaving dogs with separation anxiety
- and other dogs who needs to be monitored while you are away.
2.GPS Collars and Trackers
GPS trackers let you know dog’s real time location. If you are using this when walking your dog you can use this to mark safe zones for your dog and app will alarm you when she goes beyond that mark and one of the best gadgets for leaving your dog home alone.
Dog trackers vary with working area(signal), monthly fees or one time payment, battery lifetime and other. If you plan to get one, look it up carefully to fit your needs and budget(they can be expensive).
Bottom Line
So those were simple steps you can take to ensure your dog’s safety while you are away from home. Restrict him from accessing harmful objects, keep away plush toys from chewers, no chew toys and check drinking water before leaving him alone at home.
Best Pet Gate
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