With a new puppy at home, people are understandably nervous about leaving the house. You want your puppy or dog to feel safe, but there are also a lot of legitimate worries over what they’ll do when you’re gone.
Will they bark and bother apartment neighbors? Will they start marking the house or tear up furniture?
Some dogs that are left alone too early or for too long experience anxiety spikes that they aren’t always well-equipped to handle. In response, they act out and destroy couches, shoes, kitchen floors, and whatever else they can find.
Whether you can leave your dog alone and for how long will depend a great deal on how old they are and what breed of dog you have. Corgis, for example, are a high-energy dog breed that doesn’t do well when left home alone all day.
For people who need to go somewhere for work or school, you can help ease your dog into being alone so they stay calm and don’t overreact.
Here are some things to consider when you need to leave your corgi alone.
When All Day Is Too Much for Your Corgi
We’re speaking in generalizations here, but corgis don’t take too kindly to being left alone at home all day.
These are great, friendly dogs with a lot of energy. Typically, people shouldn’t leave them alone all day. A few hours at a time is OK, but even then, you’ll need to train your dog to be happy by themselves.
Corgis were originally bred as herding dogs designed to be out in fields all day chasing down sheep and working closely with humans. When left alone all day, their minds begin to wander and they start looking for places to expend all of that pent-up energy.
Another factor in not wanting to leave a corgi alone is that they tend to form very strong bonds with their human families. They will miss you, and will probably become distressed if they feel like they have been abandoned.
When that anxiety starts to teeter into destructive behavior, you’ll be wishing you weren’t gone for so long.
What You Can Do
Of course, you want your corgi to be happy and reassured, but you’ve also got a life to live. Here are some things to consider:
- Choose another breed – Be honest with yourself. If you can’t be home during the day, or you can’t afford to have someone come by and walk or play with your dog, then maybe a corgi isn’t for you. While cute, corgis really should only be in homes where they can get the proper care and attention.
If you can’t, then perhaps you should choose another type of dog. Selecting a breed that fits your lifestyle is the foundation of a happy relationship between you and your dog.
- Hire a walker – There are services in your area and apps where you can find someone to come by and check-in on your dog if you can’t make it out of work or school during the day. It will cost some money, but you’ll have peace of mind knowing your corgi is doing well while you are gone all day.
- Spend your lunch breaks at home – If you can, rather than going out with coworkers, go home and take your dog out for a walk. They’ll love you for doing it, and you’ll spare your couches and shoes from your dog’s wrath. Just make sure that you live somewhere close enough to work that you can make it there and back within your allotted time.
- Buy a dog camera – There has been a lot of innovation in dog technology in recent years. Now, you can buy pet cameras that let you talk and see what your dog is up to. You can call to check in on them and let them know you’ll be home soon.
Some cameras even dispense treats with the flick of a finger from your phone. It may be enough to get your corgi through the day without you.
- Install doggy doors – If possible, install doggy doors in your house to let your corgi get outside into the yard and play. Of course, you’ll have to have a fenced yard and some grass, but if you do, then a doggy door is a fantastic way to avoid them feeling cooped up.
How Long Can You Leave a Corgi Alone?
Most prospective corgi owners want to know how long they can leave the house without all hell breaking loose. Most corgis will experience some form of separation anxiety, but you can do things like the steps mentioned above to ease their anxiety.
In general, though, the rule of thumb for leaving a corgi home alone should be their age plus 1. So, if your corgi is two years old, then three hours is really the maximum time that you’ll want to be away. As they grow older, you can feel more comfortable about going to work or out at night on the weekends.
Younger puppies need more frequent attention because they need to get outside to use the bathroom and they’ll start to get nervous if they haven’t seen you for a while.
Leaving Them Alone Can Promote Bad Behavior
Doggy training is tough. Things like housebreaking, socialization with other dogs, and obedience training take a lot of persistence and patience. You can’t simply try and train your dog for an hour or two a night after work and expect them to perform for an entire day while you’re gone.
Your corgi puppy will need a lot of reinforcement, and that requires physical human presence.
If you’re not there, your dog will start to exhibit bad behaviors that you aren’t there to correct. As your puppy grows older, they won’t know any better, and it will be harder to correct behavior the longer you let it go.
They will have a harder time learning because the way they act when you aren’t around is more ingrained in their psyche.
Find a way to stay home or hire someone who can help out. It’s the best way to raise and care for corgis.