Can Standard Poodles Be Left Alone?

You have a busy schedule,there will be those times when you and your loved ones are extremely busy. Your schedules keep you from being home and your standard poodle knows this. Is it wise to leave your poodle home alone for hours on end?

To get an answer to these questions, just continue to read our article. It provides those answers and a lot more information. Take a few minutes to see if you can leave your standard poodle home for long stretches at a time.

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Can Your Standard Poodle Be Left Alone?

Dogs in general do not like being left home alone for long periods of time. Their desires are to be with their masters at all times and they hate it when they cannot fulfill that desire.

Poodles are no exception to this attitude and sometimes they can develop separation anxiety when they are left home alone for long periods of time. The standard rule of thumb that guides this issue is that you can leave them home alone for one hour for every month they have been alive.

For example, if your poodle is 6 months old, you should be able to leave them home alone for 6 hours. However, that is a guideline and not something you should always put to the test.

When home alone, your poodle can come down with separation anxiety or start having accidents throughout your home. Or they can develop other negative behaviors that are a little destructive to your personal items.

How Long Can You Leave a Standard Poodle Home Alone?

While every dog is different, there is a standard amount of time that can change with age. This standard, depending on their age, states that dogs should not be left home alone for more than 4 hours at a time.

However, this standard is not always met due to circumstances beyond the owner’s control. They may have to work long hours, have no mate or children to fill in the gaps, and other legitimate reasons.

This cannot be helped, and these long absences are not a good excuse for not buying a dog. But that is a choice you have to make.

Are Standard Poodles Affectionate?

Poodles do get attached to one specific person in the home. While they like and play with everyone in the house, they pick their favorite and get very attached to that person. They will cling to that person and develop a close bond with him or her.

The standard poodle will show their love through licking, bringing a toy to them for play, wagging their tails, and so on. Poodles can be very affectionate animals which is why leaving them home alone for long periods of time is not a good idea.

But adult poodles can be left alone for up to 8 hours or more if the need arises. They are old enough to handle the separation, but it is not always a good idea to practice this absence unless it is work-related.

Is it Cruel to Leave a Dog Home Alone All-Day

While it is not a great idea, sometimes those long absences cannot be avoided. It is not cruel to leave them home alone all day unless you hook them up to a short chain and do not leave your pet food and water to nourish themselves throughout your absence.

It is how you treat your dog when you are going to be away for an extended time that would be considered cruel or not. One option you can do is leave your dog in a crate while you are away. As long as that time in the crate does not exceed 9 hours, your dog should be fine.

The problem that comes with these long absences is that your poodle may get lonely. Adult poodles can tolerate the long gaps in seeing you but not all the time. They do get lonely and can develop some bad habits.

Some Final Words

Poodles are exceptional dogs. They are intelligent and can learn very quickly. However, they may find it harder to adjust to being left alone for hours on end. While you can leave your standard poodle home for long stretches of time it is not a good idea to do so when they are young.

If at all possible, try not to leave your pet home for more than 4 hours at a time without someone visiting them or coming home. Sometimes longer absences are unavoidable, and you may have to leave them home alone for hours on end.

In those cases, make sure to leave music and lights on as well as give them toys and plenty of food and water.