In general, you can leave a healthy puppy alone at home when they are more than 10 weeks old. However, this doesn't mean letting puppies roam freely around your house. Before your puppy reaches this age, you can start training in cages. This helps ensure that your puppy is ready to endure being in a cage while you are at work.
Age is one of the most important factors to consider when thinking about how long you can leave a dog alone at home while at work or having fun. According to the American Kennel Club, puppies under 10 weeks of age cannot be left alone for more than an hour. From 3 to 6 months, they should not be left more than their age in months (for example, 3-month-old puppies cannot be alone for more than 3 hours). Leaving your dog at home can weigh heavily on a dog owner's heart, especially if you leave frequently for a long time.
When your puppy can tolerate the least amount of time, leave them alone in the cage for increasing periods of time. Puppies can usually hold it for one hour per month of age (so a three-month-old puppy can wait three hours to urinate). Experts say you can usually leave your puppy alone for an hour for every month they are alive after three months of age. Puppies can be a lot of work; they are small bundles of joy full of personality, but caring for them requires a significant amount of time.
Puppies younger than 10 weeks of age will not be able to hold urine for more than an hour at a time, and it's not until six months that puppies can wait up to six hours to go to the bathroom. So how long can you leave a puppy alone, really? If you work full time and have a puppy, you're going to need help, especially during the first three months of a dog's life. Start small, for example, when your puppy is busy with a new toy or a tasty bone, leave it for a minute, go in and out of the room several times to get him used to the idea that you will always come back, and to get him used to the idea that feeling alone briefly is perfectly normal.
