When you bring a dog into your family, there will typically be a time when no one is home except your dog. Many of us have responsibilities that we need to attend to, whether that is going to work, school, or going to the grocery store. When it comes to leaving your dog at home for an extended period of time, some breeds do better than others. But what about Aussiedoodles? How long can you leave an Aussiedoodle home alone?

Aussiedoodles are a social breed and will always prefer being with someone rather than alone. With that said, you can leave your Aussiedoodle home alone for roughly five to six hours. However, with proper training and some toys they can play with, you can leave your Aussiedoodle alone for up to 8 hours. If you are a new owner of an Aussiedoodle puppy, we suggest you not leave them alone for more than 2 hours.

With Aussiedoodles being a very social breed, they are susceptible to anxiety and even panic attacks when left alone for long periods. With that said, if you need to leave your Aussiedoodle home alone, then you will need to train them to be alone and teach them that you will always come back. Furthermore, having someone who can stay home so that your Aussiedoodle will always have company is a big plus. 

As you continue to read this article, we will be discussing how you can train your Aussiedoodle to behave when they are home alone. Furthermore, we will talk about what your Aussiedoodle might be doing when they are left unsupervised. Finally, we will go over a few methods you can employ to combat the anxiety your Aussiedoodle might be feeling when left alone for too long.

How Long Can I Leave My Aussiedoodle Home Alone?

There are times when the whole family will not be home to keep your Aussiedoodle company. For example, your family members might have work, school, or want to hang out with their friends, and you will not be able to take your Aussiedoodle everywhere. When this happens, you will need to leave your Aussiedoodle home alone.

When you need to leave your Aussiedoodle home alone, we advise you not to leave your Aussiedoodle alone for more than 5 to 6 hours. In addition, if you are a new owner of an Aussiedoodle puppy, we advise you not to leave them alone for more than 2 hours at a time. This is because Aussiedoodles are a very social breed and will always prefer company rather than being home by themselves.

However, you can train your Aussiedoodle to be home alone for around 8 hours with proper training techniques and activities. Going through the training process will allow you to have an entire workday, go to school, or do any of the many responsibilities you may have.

What Happens When An Aussiedoodle Is Left Alone For Too Long?

Given that Aussiedoodles are a very social dog breed, various things can happen if you leave them alone for too long. While Aussiedoodles can be trained to be left alone, this is not a foolproof way of preventing your Aussiedoodle from getting bored or developing anxiety.

With that said, here is a list of things you can expect your Aussiedoodle to do if you leave them alone for too long.

• Complete Destruction

Since Aussiedoodles have so much energy, if they do not have an outlet for this energy, they will expend it in any way they can. Therefore, when leaving your Aussiedoodle alone for extended periods, it is possible for you to come home to a home that is completely thrashed. Broken, chewed, or scratched up furniture is a common occurrence. Aussiedoodles do this because it helps keep their mind off of the fact they are alone, so they start to play with stuff they are not supposed to.

• Unexpected Potty Stains

House training an Aussiedoodle is pretty easy, as they are super clever dogs and pick up on training fast. However, when your Aussiedoodle is left alone for extended periods, two things can happen. Either they are not able to hold it in long enough, or they are suffering from separation anxiety which can cause the need to “go.”

• Constant Barking

Since Aussiedoodles are very social animals, it is common for them to suffer from separation anxiety if they are not trained to be left home alone. In cases like these, it is not uncommon for people to come home to complain about their Aussiedoodle barking or whining up a storm in their absence.

How To Help Prevent Your Aussiedoodle From Developing Separation Anxiety

Due to Aussiedoodles being a very social dog breed, leaving them home alone has a good chance of them developing separation anxiety. Separation anxiety causes stress and can lead to your Aussiedoodle being destructive, excessive barking, and an uncontrollable urge to use the bathroom.

With that said, you can do a few things to help combat separation anxiety. The first thing is training your Aussiedoodle that being home alone is not a big deal and that you will always come home. Other than proper training, you can use a few other tactics to combat separation anxiety.

Whenever you have to go to work, if you live close enough, you can come home on your lunch break to let your dog out to go to the bathroom. Then, while you eat, you can enjoy the few minutes of free time you have with your Aussiedoodle before you need to return to work.

Hiring a dog walker or taking your Aussiedoodle to doggy daycare can also be an effective way of combating separation anxiety. The dog walker will come by when you are at work or school to take your dog on a walk, play with them, or take them to the dog park to let them play with other dogs. Furthermore, taking your Aussiedoodle to doggy daycare will completely alleviate any chances of separation anxiety from developing. At doggy daycare, your Aussiedoodle will have plenty of other friends to make and play with while you are busy at work.

How To Train An Aussiedoodle To Be Home Alone

The steps you need to take to properly train your Aussiedoodle to be home alone without suffering from anxiety or being destructive are pretty simple. However, the steps you need to employ will take quite a bit of time for your Aussiedoodle to understand. The goal is to keep your Aussiedoodle comfortable while they are home alone while also teaching them that you will always come back.

• Create A Positive Activity For You And Your Aussiedoodle To Do When You Get Home

One way to help your dog understand that being alone is not all that bad is to reward them whenever you get home. The best way to reward them is with food or their favorite treat for most dogs. However, with Aussiedoodles, you might want to change up this tactic slightly. Instead of giving them a treat, you can have a specific toy that you can use to play with them when you get home. Of course, you can also give your Aussiedoodle a treat and play with them.

Another fantastic way of training your Aussiedoodle to be home alone is with some interactive toy that rewards them for their time. A stuffed Kong or an IQ treat ball are perfect examples of interactive toy puzzles that reward your Aussiedoodle for their time. Aussiedoodles are an intelligent breed thanks to their Poodle lineage, so using these complex toys will keep them engaged.

• Start Off Slow

It is always best to teach while your dog is young when doing any kind of training. Puppies are impressionable and will take to training quicker than adult dogs. The best way to start training your puppy to be left alone is to give them a treat or a toy to occupy them for a few minutes before quietly sneaking away into another room. Once you have made your escape, wait about 10 minutes before quietly returning to your puppy. When you eventually do come back, don’t make a big fuss about it instead act as if you never left to begin with.

While doing this training, you will want to increase the time you leave your puppy alone progressively. As your puppy gets used to being alone, you can start actually leaving your home for an hour or two to go shopping or whatever else you may need to do. When you come home from these longer trips away from your puppy, you can employ the tactic in the previous step by giving them a treat or playing with them if they have been good.

• Keep It Low-Key

When you need to leave to go handle some of your daily responsibilities, don’t make your departure a big deal. Doing so will help teach your Aussiedoodle that leaving and coming back home after a few hours is not a big deal.

In our experience, when coming home from a long day at work or school, having your dog crowd you the second you come in the door can be cute and adorable, but this also teaches your dog that this is okay. To combat this, when you come home, and your Aussiedoodle is super excited, ignore them. Take your time, place your things down and get relaxed. Once you are ready, you can greet them and play with them. Within a few days of doing this, your dog will know to wait before getting excited.

• Provide Your Aussiedoodle Lots Of Exercise And Mental Enrichment

Providing your Aussiedoodle with enough exercise is essential to combat many behavior issues. Aussiedoodles are a very active dog breed that is packed with tons of energy, thanks to their Australian Shepherd lineage. However, physical exercise will not take care of everything. Making sure your Aussiedoodle has toys or activities that will challenge their mental intellect is also a key factor when it comes to curving behavior issues.

Here are a few things you can do to help stimulate your Aussiedoodle’s physical and mental needs.

• Take your dog on long walks in new areas where they get the chance to smell exciting new things.
• Aussiedoodles are very clever and love to learn new tricks. With that said, taking the time to teach your Aussiedoodle tricks using treats and/or a clicker will work wonders.
• Make or purchase dog puzzles to challenge your Aussiedoodles mental fortitude.
• Feed your Aussiedoodle using puzzle bowls or snuffle mats.

Final Thoughts

Aussiedoodles are a very social dog breed, and leaving them alone for extended periods can cause separation anxiety. If your Aussiedoodle develops separation anxiety, it can become destructive or bark consistently. Aussiedoodles are very clever animals and can be taught that being left alone is not a big deal, but you can make it much easier by giving them dog puzzles filled with treats to occupy their time.