Can German Shepherds Be Left Alone? (How Long)

Can German Shepherds Be Left Alone?

Can German Shepherds be left alone at home while you go to work or go out with friends? Here’s your guide to leaving your German Shepherd home alone and how long they can be left.

How many times have you had to go out and are worried about leaving your German Shepherd home alone? This article should help you solve that.

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Being a German Shepherd owner doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work or can’t go out to have fun. Having a German Shepherd as a dog can make you anxious daily, not knowing what it is doing in your absence.

Can German Shepherds be Left Alone? 

Yes, a German Shepherd can be left alone at home as long as you don’t have a cat at home. Check out our article Do German Shepherds get along with cats?. According to research, the maximum number of hours to leave your grown German Shepherd is 4 hours.

If your German shepherd is still a puppy, leaving it alone for more than one hour is not advisable. Young German Shepherds are very energetic and ponce around.

They can sleep for as many as 19 – 20 hours a day, but when they are awake, they become very active. The older German Shepherds require attention for the sake of their bladder or if they are sick.

Young German Shepherds can’t hold their bladders for long and need constant attention.

Can you leave a German Shepherd alone for 8 hours?

German Shepherds can be left alone or even in the company of other dogs. Still, it is not advisable to be left alone because of their separation anxiety and curiosity. The most your German Shepherd can and should be left alone is 4 hours. 

German Shepherds suffer from separation anxiety and distress when left for too long and find ways to either get to their owner or destroy the home.

To begin leaving your German shepherd puppy alone, you must put them in an environment that makes you confident of their safety.

It must be an environment that does not incur extra costs to replace things. Be sure of the environment and follow these few steps

• Begin by leaving them for just a few minutes
• Exhaust their excess energy by walking or putting them through rigorous exercises
• Mental exercises are also good
• Before you leave make sure you walk them to allow them to go to the bathroom
• Give them easy access to food and water
• Leave toys all around for them to chew on and be busy with as time goes on
• Leave calming music on around the house to reduce the effect of separation anxiety
• Make as little noise as possible when you return, so they don’t notice your absence, and don’t get them excited that you are now home

What to do with German Shepherd while at work?

There are a few tips to help you keep your mind at rest when at work. They’re things you should do before going to work.

1. Set up a pet cam 

It’s important to at all times to be able to account for your German Shepherd at your house. The pet cam helps you see what it’s doing and where it is at all times, especially when confined to your apartment.

A pet cam is an amazing option for dogs like German Shepherds because of their separation anxiety. Using the pet cam provides an opportunity for your German Shepherd to see you and hear your voice even while at work.

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2. Make provisions for food and drinks

Dogs get hungry too and easy access to food and drinks is very important because you don’t want them to trash the house searching for food.

Just make sure the food provided is more than enough. If your dog has the freedom of movement in the home, you want to make sure things are in order when it comes to feeding your dog in your absence.

3. Activity

German Shepherds hate boredom and would go to any length to be entertained. They desire a lot of activity to satisfy their curiosity and restless personality.

Make sure there are things to keep it busy, or else it can create sources of entertainment for itself. There are several ways a German Shepherd can be kept busy. 

• Television and music can be left on in the house to keep it engaged
• Make available enough toys for it to chew on and play with
• Make requests from friends and neighbors to check on it and play with it
• Get other dogs to play together or take it to a place where other dogs are.
• Employ a dog walker to keep it active and engaged

4. Train your dog to go to the bathroom 

You do not want your dog messing up the whole house with pee and feces. Let your dog pick a particular spot for this, and you can train it to use a potty.

Get a pee pad to signify these areas or get synthetic grass to mark them.

Having a potty trained dog is important. It is easier with German Shepherds due to their intelligence.

5. Exhaust your pets’ energy

Letting your dog run and jump generally helps it spend a lot of energy. Taking your dog out for a stroll is always important. Helping your dog exhaust their energy helps it stay calmer during the day.

Exercises depend on the health condition and the type of weather conditions available.

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