You Should Think Twice About Leaving Your Dog Alone Overnight - Here's Why

Many dogs spend time home alone during the day or evening hours and can adjust, especially if there's consistency involved. Perhaps your dog is one of them. However, if your schedule ever requires an atypical overnight absence, you might consider leaving your pup alone like you do during the day or evening. Depending on your dog's normal routine and temperament, this could be a bad idea that results in nighttime separation anxiety, but there are several possible solutions, including conducting a trial run with a camera, boarding your dog the first time to test it out, and hiring a sitter.

Dogs thrive on routine. With your dog, this schedule might involve greeting you when you come home every evening before snuggling up beside you or in their bed on the floor every night. Changing that routine by suddenly not showing up for bedtime could lead your canine companion to believe you've abandoned it and become anxious. This can lead to behavioral issues; dogs with nighttime separation anxiety have a tendency to whine, howl, bark, urinate or defecate, or scratch at doors as they await their owner's return.

Your dog's personality also plays a role in its reaction to being left alone overnight. "It can be a lot more stressful for some pets and particularly dogs that have separation anxiety," animal behaviorist Kate Mornement told ABC News. So, if your dog already shows signs of separation anxiety during daytime absences, leaving it alone at night would likely only exacerbate negative behaviors.

As Dr. Kate Mornement alluded to when speaking to ABC News, only "some" pets become overly stressed while left alone overnight. If your dog has a positive temperament, it might be a good candidate for a solo one-nighter, but how do you know for sure? You can set up a camera and run a trial before your full overnight absence. Plan to stay at a friend or relative's house nearby for a few hours later than you usually stay out, and watch how your dog responds to your late-night absence. If it seems unfazed, it might be okay alone for longer, as long as it's no more than six to eight hours total in a puppy's case. Most adult dogs can hold their bladder for eight hours or longer, but that doesn't mean they should. Long hold times like these shouldn't be the norm for any dog.

On the other hand, if the trial-run camera footage reveals unwanted behaviors, come home and seek other alternatives. These alternatives can be in the form of boarding or hiring a pet sitter. Your dog will be near other pets at a boarding facility and might have overnight staff monitoring. If you prefer to keep your dog in a home, you can ask a friend or relative to stay with it at your place or theirs. You could also hire a sitter from a pet-sitting website. Just remember to set your pet sitter up for success by giving them adequate information about your dog and home beforehand.