Can Pugs Be Left Alone During The Day? What You Should Know

Can Pugs be left alone during the day without getting bored and destroying your home? Every pet owner wants to know this answer, I’ll share how we managed to keep Mindy our black Pug from getting bored during the day.

How Long Can A Pug Be Left Alone?

As long as your Pug is house trained, they should be fine to be left alone for 8-10 hours per day. In order to prevent any accidents, I recommend using a baby gate to confine them to a certain area of the house. You can also use pee pads if they don’t have access to a pet door.

Pugs Are Prone to Separation Anxiety

Pugs love human attention and interaction and if they are left alone for prolonged periods of time, they can suffer from separation anxiety. However, this goes beyond a Pug simply missing its owner.

Today, what I’ll be discussing is leaving your dog while you go to work or stay away for the entire day. If you’re a pet owner, you’ll still have to go to work and live your life.

How else will you be able to pay for the pet food, toys, and bills to raise a healthy Pug?

Age of The Dog Will Make A Difference

The amount of time you can leave your Pug will depend on whether they are a puppy, adult dog, or a senior. You can’t expect a puppy to hold their bowel movements for extended periods of time.

Regardless of the age of your pet, there are some things you can do to ensure you don’t come home to a mess. I am assuming that you’ve already implemented proper training to teach them not to chew your property?

If not, then head on over here to start training your pet properly.

Leaving A Puppy Alone for 8 Hours

can a pug stay alone for 8 hours — Pugs that are left alone for too long can suffer from separation anxiety.

Puppies do not gain full control of their bowel movements until they are 5 or 6 months old. If you do have to leave a puppy while they are still being potty trained, you definitely need to teach them how to go on pee pads or check out the best litter box for Pugs.

You can also consider leaving them in a kennel while they are alone in the house. We used to do this for Mindy when she was a puppy and she never had an accident while she was home alone and we were working.

Do not scold them if they have an accident in the house while you are gone. Make sure that your pup has access to their food and water bowl. These bowls are safe and hard to spill when you’re Pug is eating and drinking.

You may also want to leave some puppy toys that can keep them entertained while you are away. I highly recommend the Kong Toys, it kept Mindy busy for several hours.

Leaving An Adult Pug Alone for 8 Hours

At this point in your Pug’s life, they should be fine to be left alone. Pugs don’t require a lot of energy and don’t mind sitting on the couch or laying on their pet bed all day. I’ve put together some of the best beds for Pugs to help support their joints.

If you plan on leaving them alone for 8 hours or more per day, you may still want to confine them to a specific area in your house. We used to leave Mindy in the kitchen and put up a baby gate so she didn’t have access to the rest of the house.

As Mindy got older she used to get bored while we were at work, until we got her the Perfect Fit Gate and kept her in the kitchen.

When we were living in the house, she had access to the pet door so she could go outside and use the toilet whenever she needed to, she loved laying in the sun.

In the apartment, she didn’t have access to a pet door.

So we chose to leave her in the kennel whenever we were working our day jobs. Make sure that they have access to their food and water bowl.

How Long Is Too Long?

As I mentioned above, most dogs will be fine to be left alone 8-10 hours a day.

This means that if you have an hour commute to and from work, an hour job, followed by running errands and spending the evening out.

Your dog could be spending 12 or more hours in a single day all by themselves. Most dogs will be just fine spending time alone, as long as you leave them enough fresh water, toys, and other forms of entertainment.

However, Pugs were bred to be companion dogs and will do much better when they are around their human families. Leaving a dog home alone for 10 – 12 hours every day is a long time for any dog, regardless of breed.

Especially, if you’re leaving them home alone in one single stretch. Imagine if you were left home alone without any companionship for that period every single day.

Eventually, you’d get cabin fever and would get in your car and go for a drive. Your dog doesn’t have that option, so instead, they may start developing behavioral issues, such as separation anxiety.

With owning a Pug as a pet or any kind of pet, you have certain responsibilities. You can’t just get a dog and stick leave them alone indoors or outdoors without any type of human companionship.

How to Minimize Your Dog’s Time Alone

can pugs stay home alone — Most dogs will be fine staying home alone for 8 – 10 hours, here are some ways to minimize it.

No one wants to leave their pet alone for too long. Pugs can get their feelings hurt too. If you’re constantly leaving them alone, they may start struggling with separation anxiety, which will lead to issues that no pet owner wants to face.

Here are some tips that you can use to minimize the amount of time you leave your dog alone.

Doggie Daycare

Enroll your dog into a Doggie Daycare program. Even if they go once a week, this is one day less that they have to sit at home waiting for you to come home.

This can be a great way for you to socialize your Pug with other dogs. Take your due diligence and find a location that has their staff interact with your pet. Avoid the ones that just leave your dog locked in a kennel all day.

If you do enroll them in a doggie daycare program, you may want to invest in some pet insurance. You want to make sure that your furbaby is protected when they are around other dogs.

Eat Lunch at Home

If you work close to home, try going home and eat lunch with your Pug. They will be excited to see you and they will enjoy the time you spent with them.

I used to make it a point to come home and eat lunch so I could take Mindy out of her Kennel. It was a great way to get her to stretch her legs and go potty.

Hire a Dog Walking Service

There are several online dog walking services like Rover that you can hire a dog walker. These types of sites put you in contact with people who want to earn extra money by walking dogs.

Professional dog walkers can range in services from a quick walk around the block or spending an entire day with your pooch.

The most important thing to remember is that you do your due diligence and make sure you choose the right site and avoid those horrible dog walking services that are out there.

Ask If You Can Work From Home

Not every job is going to allow this, but see if it’s possible for you to work from home a few days a week. Many professional jobs allow telecommuting and it’s a great way to spend more time with your furbaby.

I know that many people don’t have the option of staying at home all day, but in this day and age with access to the Internet, it is possible to find a job that gives you more freedom.

Have a Friend or Neighbor Check In On Your Dog

Do you have a trustworthy friend or neighbor that you can trust? Maybe you know a teenage kid down the street who loves dogs and wouldn’t mind making some extra money?

If they are trustworthy, have them check in on your pooch and take them for a walk. Your pet will be excited to see someone during the day and will enjoy the time they spend with them.

Take Your Dog to Work

There are several companies that allow their employees to bring their dogs to work. Obviously, not every employer is going to allow you to do this.

It doesn’t hurt to ask your employer if they allow their employees to bring their dogs to work with them. You may be surprised by their response.

Get A Doggie Car Seat

There’s no reason why you can’t take your Pug with you when you run errands, go on a picnic or just spend time outdoors.

Most Pugs enjoy car rides and won’t mind sitting in the back seat quietly. The best part is you won’t have to worry about leaving early because you have to let your dog out.

Just make sure that you have plenty of poopie bags to clean up after your pet while spending time in a public place.

Get Another Pet

Another solution is to get another Pug as a pet, a different breed, or a cat. This will help keep your dog happy and less likely to suffer from boredom while you’re away from the house.

When you have more than one pet, your Pug will have someone to play with or at least keep them company while you’re not around.

You should only get another Pug if you can give them the attention they will need. A second Pug should never take the place of you giving your dog attention.

Final Take Away

Pugs will do fine if you leave them at home while you go to work. Just make sure that you’re not leaving them for more than 8-10 hours without having someone check in on them.

It may be hard at first to get them into the routine of being left alone. But once you do it a few times, they will learn your routine and will know when to expect you home.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Pugs Bark When Left Alone? Every dog is different and some may bark uncontrollably after you leave the house, while others may just lounge around on their bed all day long.

The only way to know for sure if your dog barks when you leave them alone is to invest in a doggie camera. This will allow you to monitor their behavior once they are left alone.

Can A Pug Stay Alone For 8 Hours? The Pug temperament makes them a great dog for people who work or leave their house for 8-10 hours per day.

If you find yourself staying away for longer periods of time, you’ll want to hire a pet sitter or ask a family member to check up on your pet.