Can a French Bulldog be left alone for 8 hours?
In today’s world it is more and more often necessary that a dog can be left alone. Our life is determined by appointments and rarely someone has time around the clock to take care of his dog. In this article I will discuss whether a French Bulldog can be left alone for 8 hours or how long it can be left alone for
A French Bulldog can be left alone for between 4 and 6 hours if introduced to this situation slowly and sensibly. For full time workers, the Frenchie is only suitable if you can take him to the office or have a dog sitter. A French Bulldog should not be left alone for 8 hours every day
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Can a French bulldog be left alone?
The French Bulldog is currently experiencing a real hype. It is one of the most popular dog breeds in the world and can be found everywhere.
Of course, there are not only families who would like to have a french bulldog, but also singles who work full time would be happy to have a French Bulldog waiting for them after work.
Basically it is not a good idea to leave a French Bulldog alone for 8 hours a day. However, this is true for any breed.
A dog is a social creature that prefers to be near its owners. The French Bulldog is no exception.
So if you work full time and still want to have a French Bulldog, you need a solution to not harm the dog. This could look like this:
- If possible take your dog with you to the office / to work
- Get a dog sitter. Take your French Bulldog to a dog hotel or to a friend or relative’s home
- Take your dog for a walk during your lunch break at home. This way he is only alone for 4 hours at a time
How long can a French Bulldog stay alone?
There is no blanket answer to the question of how long a French Bulldog can be left alone. Unfortunately.
Normally, a French Bulldog can be left alone for 4 hours if you slowly get her used to it. Sometimes longer.
But even the 4 hours is not a guarantee. If you browse a little on the Internet, you will always find French Bulldog owners who complain that their dog suffers from separation anxiety.
So be prepared that it can be a hard and long road, until your French Bulldog can be left alone.
The French Bulldog is friendly, comfortable and playful and has a strong bond with their humans. Basically, they don’t like to be left alone – but no dog does.
At what point can I leave a French Bulldog alone?
When you bring your French Bulldog home for the first time you should take your time. You should allow at least 2 weeks for your dog to slowly get used to his new home.
If you have a puppy, you have just separated him from his mother and siblings. Now everything is new and unfamiliar and your little Frenchie is at first insecure and possibly afraid. Under no circumstances should you leave him alone.
He must get used to you and the new environment. After 1 to 2 weeks you can then slowly start to get used to being alone. But very slowly. You can’t just leave the house for 1 hour and see what happens.
Getting your French Bulldog used to being alone
As soon as your Frenchie puppy is used to the new home, which should be after 1 to 2 weeks, you can and should start slowly with the training. Of course, this also applies to an adult dog that you may have rescued from the shelter.
You’re actually starting with small steps.
- Just leave the room where you are with your puppy. Close the door and come back after 1 to 2 seconds. Your puppy should not even have the opportunity to cry because the time you are gone is too short. It’s just a matter of him noticing that you are leaving, but always coming back.
- Once you’ve done this a few times, increase your away time. First one second, then 5, then 10 and so on. If you can make a coffee in the kitchen while your French bulldog waits in the living room, go one step further.
- Put on your shoes and leave the house for a moment. Again, go from a few seconds to more and gradually increase the time you are away.
The point is to get your French Bulldog used to it very slowly. And by very slowly, it really means very slowly.
If you take your time now and build it up gently, there is a greater chance that your French Bulldog will be able to be left alone for 4 or even 8 hours later on
If you don’t want to do the work and think you can do it with a crowbar and just leave your dog alone, it can become a nightmare.
Tip: Avoid extreme greetings and goodbyes. During training and also later. This will only show your dog that this situation is special.
Symptoms of separation anxiety
If your French Bulldog is beeing left alone too long and too often, she may develop separation anxiety. This isn’t always because you haven’t trained her properly. Some dogs just don’t like to be left alone, or they can’t do it at all.
French Bulldog pees in the apartment
A common symptom that tells you that your bulldog doesn’t want to be left alone is that she will pee in the apartment or on the couch even though she is housebroken.
Excessive barking or howling
The French Bulldog does not bark much. However, this can turn around if she develops separation anxiety from being left alone for too long.
Restless behavior
Those who know the French Bulldog know that on the one hand they are dogs that have power, but on the other hand they are very relaxed and love to just lay around.
Now, it is possible that being left alone stresses the dogs so much that they run around the apartment restlessly all the time, drooling heavily from stress and panting.
If you want to be sure how your French Bulldog behaves, I can recommend you the FURBO Dog Camera*. You can use it to watch your dog, communicate with him to reassure him, and even give him treats. (Amazon Affiliate Link)
Destructiveness
An obvious symptom of separation anxiety is destructiveness. If you come home and your bed or couch is destroyed, your shoes are chewed up, it is obvious that your French Bulldog does not like to be left alone.
Tips to leave French Bulldog alone
In addition to preparing your Frenchie properly for being left alone, here are a few tips and tricks on how to make your Frenchie’s time alone more enjoyable.
- The most important thing is that your French Bulldog had exercise and activity. When your French Bulldog is tired, exhausted and content, being alone is definitely more fun than when she is bursting with energy and wants to get out.
- Make sure your French Bulldog has peed and pooped on the walk. If your Frenchi is beeing left alone for 4 hours and has to pee or poop in that time all the training can be for naught.
- Get your French Bulldog a special toy that she will only get when she needs to be left alone. This will provide distraction.
- Leave the radio or television on. Many dogs stay more relaxed when it’s not completely quiet.
- Put a worn shirt of yours in the dog bed. Your scent can help calm your Frenchie.
Conclusion: Can a French Bulldog stay alone?
A French Bulldog, if reasonably habituated, can certainly stay alone for 4 hours, sometimes longer. However, there is no guarantee that this will apply to every dog. There are individual dogs that suffer extremely from separation anxiety and cannot stay alone at all.
© Patryk Kosmider-stock.adobe.com (Contributing image)
