Bringing any animal home is a huge responsibility, and bringing a Pug home requires an owner who can spend most of the day with them. Before you adopt a Pug, it’s essential to understand that they crave attention. The Pug enjoys spending time around their pet parents and being their friend. While you can leave a Pug alone, it’s not recommended to leave them alone for a long time. Most pugs can tolerate being alone for 4–8 hours with the proper training. We’ll discuss this in more detail below.
How Long Can You Leave Your Pug Home Alone?
The decision of how long you can safely leave a Pug home alone has been debated for quite some time. Some feel you shouldn’t leave them alone for over 4 hours. Others think it’s all right to leave them home for 6 to 8 hours.
However, no matter what type of pet you have, if you’re never home, the animal isn’t going to get the attention they deserve. While some owners say that Pugs can be left alone for 8 hours or more, it’s not recommended if you want your little friend to be content and happy. It’s better to follow the 4-hour rule if you want your Pug to develop into a well-behaved canine. Pugs shouldn’t be left alone for more than 1 hour when they’re puppies since they need more bathroom breaks.
Pitfalls Of Leaving Your Pug Alone for Too Long
Leaving your Pug home alone for a couple of hours is okay, but leaving them for 8 to 12 hours or longer can lead to pitfalls you, as a pet parent, don’t want to deal with.
Boredom Barking
When your Pug gets lonely, they can become bored. A bored Pug tends to bark quite a lot. The constant barking may make your neighbors very unhappy.
Separation Anxiety
Pugs suffer from separation anxiety when away from their pet parents. Leaving your dog alone for several hours can cause separation anxiety, resulting in them becoming destructive. Other signs that your Pug suffers from separation anxiety include nipping, biting, chewing, and urinating in inappropriate places.
Destructive Behavior
A Pug that is left alone for too long can become destructive. You could come home to your throw pillows chewed up in the middle of the floor or your Pug sitting on what used to be your couch cushions. The monetary loss from chewed furniture, remote controls, and electrical cables is frustrating enough, but your Pug could get sick by chewing toxic plants, swallowing couch stuffing that causes an obstruction, or ingesting a poisonous chemical.
Conclusion
Pugs are adorable, wrinkly pets that can experience separation anxiety easily if left alone for too long. Since they become so attached to their owners, leaving a Pug alone for more than 4 hours is not a good idea. However, that isn’t easy when you work 8 hours a day.
Some owners can come home for lunch to let their Pugs out, but those who can’t hire dog sitters to walk and feed their pups. Luckily, the Pug is a great traveling partner for road trips. Some airlines prohibit Pugs from flying in the cargo hold because of their short snouts, but they’re the perfect size for traveling in a car, truck, or van.
Featured Image Credit: Iryna Kalamurza, Shutterstock
