Can a Maltese be left alone?

If you are thinking about getting a Maltese but you are not sure if he fits to you, you are right here. In this article we will answer the question if a Maltese can be left alone.

The Maltese needs a lot of attention and would like to follow his owners everywhere. These facts indicate that a Maltese does not like to stay alone. Of course, a Maltese can also be left alone for some time, if you get him used to it slowly. But definitely not all day.

How long can a Maltese stay alone?

How long a Maltese can be left alone is generally impossible to say. A Maltese would prefer to be with you all the time, as they build a strong bond.

Of course, it happens from time to time that you have to leave a Maltese alone. If you get your Maltese used to being alone from the beginning and build it up slowly, it is quite possible that your Maltese can stay alone for up to 4 hours.

Depending on the individual dog it can be much less or even longer. It is not possible to make general statements, because it always depends on the individual education and treatment.

Many Maltese owners tend to pamper their dog completely. The education is completely neglected, because he is so small and cute, he is always taken everywhere and often even carried.

Since this dog later does not like to stay alone is understandable.

Leaving Maltese puppies alone

In general, you should not leave a Maltese puppy alone. However, you can start training as soon as your puppy has settled in, after 1 to 2 weeks.

In small steps you can start to leave your Maltese puppy alone.

• First leave the room for a few seconds
• Leave the room again and again and extend bit by bit your absence time
• Leave the house or apartment for a short time to get the mail
• Leave the house or apartment a little longer

So you see the principle. In small steps you must accustom your dog very slowly.

It is important that your Maltese learns that it is nothing special when you leave and especially when you come back. Don’t do big goodbyes or greetings when you come or go.

Even if you know that you don’t have to leave your Maltese alone because there is always someone at home you should still train it for safety.

Who knows what will happen in 2 or 3 years or if there will be an emergency that just makes it necessary.

Does a Maltese have separation anxiety

One often reads about separation anxiety in Maltese. However, this is often related to the training and habituation just described.

Since the Maltese wants to be with you most of all, he can quickly suffer from separation anxiety, if he has not learned it slowly from the beginning.

Leaving Maltese alone

If you have to leave your Maltese alone, you should make preparations in advance.

So if you know that you have to leave for 3, 4 or even 6 hours, make sure that your maltese gets an extensive walk beforehand. The more exhausted your Maltese is, physically and mentally, the easier it will be for him to stay alone.

Dogs sleep between 16 and 18 hours a day – especially after a long walk.

Make sure that your dog has done everything and there is no danger that he has to go out while you are not there.

Check that there is enough water in the bowl.

Keep Maltese busy or distracted when he is alone

If you have to leave your Maltese alone, you can play it safe and keep him as busy as possible to distract him.

If your Havanese has something to do, he won’t be so quick to focus on the fact that you’re not there.

Also, for these situations, you should have a special toy or chew item ready that he will only get when you leave the house.

Since Maltese are very intelligent dogs, they learn very quickly that there is always that one toy when you are not around. This will additionally get them over the pain of separation and make the time easier.

• Fill a Kong with a paste (liverwurst, cream cheese …).
• Special chew toy
• Put a worn t-shirt of yours in your Maltese’s dog bed. Your smell can help to calm him down

Symptoms when your Maltese is alone too long

If you don’t get your Maltese used to being alone, this situation can be very stressful for him.

It may be that your dog pees on the couch or generally in the apartment.
But also excessive barking or yapping can be the result if your dog has to be alone for too long.

In various forums you can read that dogs start destroying things. He bites into pillows or scratches and chews on the couch.

If you don’t see any signs in your home that your Maltese can’t stay alone, it doesn’t mean that everything is fine.

To be on the safe side, you should install a dog camera and observe how your dog behaves when he is alone.

If he lies quietly in his dog bed or plays with his chew toy everything is fine. However, it may be that this situation stresses him out so much that he walks around the apartment nervously for hours.

You may think that your dog is fine, but that may not be the case at all.

Furbo Dog Camera: Treat Tossing*

Netvue Indoor Camera: Dog Camera*

Consequences of too much stress

If your Maltese is left alone for too long, and all the time, it can cause stress that is detrimental to his health. When dogs have too much stress, cortisol is produced – the stress hormone.

Too much cortisol slows down digestive activity, among other things. Often, dogs then react with diarrhea.

If your dog has prolonged stress, it can also cause gastric secretions.

In short: too much stress makes your Maltese sick in the long run!!!

Emergency plan

Even if there is always someone at home because your Maltese cannot stay alone for more than 30 minutes before he starts barking and crying, a situation may arise where an emergency makes it necessary to leave him alone.

It can’t hurt if your Maltese gets to know a neighbor’s or friend’s home to leave him there for a short time in case of emergency.

Conclusion: Can a Maltese be left alone?

A Maltese cannot stay alone all day. No dog should be left alone all day. But with the right training you can make sure that it is no problem for a Maltese to stay alone for a few hours here and there.

A general statement can not be made, because every dog is different. Due to their character Maltese belong to the breeds that can stay alone less than others.

grafikplusfoto-stock.adobe (featured Image)