How long is too long when it comes to leaving your French Bulldog home alone? Every dog has needs specific to their breed that will affect how long they can be left unattended.
French Bulldogs tend to be on the end of the spectrum where they can’t be left alone for long. The exact number of hours is a bit tricky to specify since, just like every breed, even individual dogs are different. The time limit can depend on size, anxiety levels, and other factors.
French Bulldogs are Small
Due to the fact that French Bulldogs are small they consequently have smaller bladders. Take German Shepherds for example, they can hold their bladder up to 10-12 hours if needed. They are larger so it takes longer for their bladders to fill to capacity and ought to be let out every eight hours.
Contrary to that, full grown French Bulldogs can only hold their bladders for up to 10 hours at most, but need to be let out 3 to 5 times a day which comes to around every 6 hours. For puppies that number is more like every 4 hours.
Anxiety
Dogs struggle with anxiety more often than you’d probably think. A recent study done in Finland found over 70% of dogs display symptoms of anxiety. It seems like French Bulldogs are no exceptions since the breed tends to struggle with separation anxiety.
Anxiety can make it extremely difficult to leave your French Bulldog home for long periods of time. They could destroy things around the house when in distress and go as far as causing harm to themselves. Also, I think we can all be honest that leaving your pup home when you know they’ll be miserable and watching them cry as you leave is just hard. It makes you not want to stay home all day (not to mention dealing with noise complaints aren’t fun either).
However, there is hope. With proper training, medication, and hard work you can help your French Bulldog manage their separation anxiety. They can get to the point where you and your French Bulldog are comfortable with them being left home alone.
Boredom
When leaving your French Bulldog home alone for long hours, you also run the risk of them getting bored. When dogs get bored, they will try to find something to do and that just might be chewing on the leg of the couch or digging up the carpet.
There are things to do to help your pup in the situation. Giving your French Bulldog puzzle toys like right before you walk out the door can help occupy your dog for a short time. Hiring a dog walker to help break up their day and tire them out is a great solution too. Although, it’s not realistic to assume everyone can afford that kind of luxury.
A Starting Point
With French Bulldogs being smaller and prone to anxiety, a good starting point for leaving them alone is 4-6 hours. But ultimately, depending on your individual dogs’ needs, that time will vary.
After walking through potential factors I trust you’ll feel more confident in whatever your decision.
If you’re still unsure how your French Bulldog will react to being left alone, you can always start small and gradually increase in intervals. For instances you start at leaving them alone for 30 minutes then one hour, then two, and so on.
