Should You Let Your Chihuahua Be Home Alone?

Most Chihuahua owners can not be home all the time and as you know it is not possible to bring your Chi everywhere with you (even though they will fit inside a coat pocket!).  There will be times when you will need to leave your Chihuahua on his own.  This can be a disaster or it can be a great way for you to train your dog how to behave.

When you are at work will be the largest amount of time that your Chihuahua will be home alone, unless you have family members that will be there with the dog.  If you have other family member that will be in charge, it is very essential that they follow the rules that you set up for your Chihuahua.  You do not want your dog to believe that when you leave, he is free to ignore rules.  Anyone watching your Chihuahua should be given a basic list of what and what not to do regarding feeding, bringing your Chi outside to eliminate and dog safety. 

If you will be leaving your Chihuahua home alone, this is perfectly fine as long as you follow some rules about how long a Chihuahua can be left alone and how to keep your dog safe while you are not there.   

If you will be going somewhere overnight and can not bring your Chihuahua, it is best if this type of dog is under the care of a friend or family member.  If that is not possible, your Chihuahua would fair better in a doggie kennel. 

If you search around, you will find doggie hotels that offer a nice and comfortable experience for dogs; much better than a kennel.  Left alone over night, too many things could go wrong and your Chihuahua will not have you there to help him.  Water can spill, he could choke, he could find himself in big trouble by snooping around in areas where he normally does not go when you are home. Read more about hidden dangers in your home.

How long you can leave your Chihuahua home alone will depend on the age of your dog. Once a Chihuahua is considered to be no longer a puppy, you will be able to leave for around 8 hours without worrying.  However, when your Chihuahua is a puppy, you must only leave your dog home alone according to his age. ‘

The guideline to follow is that a Chihuahua puppy can hold its needs one hour per month of age. For instance, a 2 month old pup can hold its elimination for 2 hours, a four month old puppy can hold its elimination for four hours and so on.  Once your Chihuahua is 8 or 9 months old, he or she should be able to hold their needs for about 8 hours; almost the precise time you should be away working and leaving your dog home alone.

How to Say Farewell

Each time you get ready to leave the house and say goodbye to your Chihuahua, it is an occasion to train your dog to  behave while you are away.  Although this may be a cheerless moment for you, think of the positive way in which you are instructing your Chihuahua to handle being home alone for a while. 

Although it may be tremendously tempting to hug, kiss and give lots of attention to your Chihuahua right before you leave the house, it is best for both of you if you do not.  Doing that may give your Chihuahua more of a feeling of stress from being separated from you.   It is best for your Chihuahua if you teach him to be okay while you need to leave for a while.  The best method to train your dog to be home alone is to act very composed when you are getting ready to go.  Do not pick up your Chihuahua and make a huge fuss over the fact that you are leaving.  If you perform as if it is alright to leave and it is no big deal, then your dog will learn there is nothing to worry about.

When you are prepared to walk out of the door, have an amusing dog toy in your hand.  Toss the toy across the room to divert the Chihuahua’s attention.  When you are first applying this tactic, it must be a new dog toy or treat and it must be an appealing one that will hold his attention for quite a while.

If you search around, you can find many wonderful dog toys that are made in such a way that you can hide small yummy treats inside of it.  Your Chihuahua will smell the treat and take pleasure in working to find it. The more complicated the dog toy, the better this will work.  Toys that make noises are perfect and so are colorful toys.  It is a falsehood that dogs do not see color.  All dogs can see all colors of the rainbow; although they see it in the same way a person sees things outside when the sun is setting.
 

Preparing

Once your Chihuahua is old enough to be home alone for the amount of time that you will be gone, you must prepare your home so that all goes well while you are gone.  There are a couple of things you can do when deciding where to leave your Chihuahua.  He will be safe at home if you put him in a dog pen. 

Given his size, a pen will allow tons of room to run around and he will not feel confined. You may also wish to use a baby gate to contain your Chihuahua to one specific room. If you do not feel completely certain that your Chihuahua can hold his elimination, it will be best to use the kitchen or bathroom; a room without a carpet.  Once your Chihuahua is quite used to what is and what is not acceptable behavior, you may wish to simply allow him or her to roam the house.  Many dog owners can easily do this once their Chihuahua is trained.

No matter which option you choose, you will want to leave enough food for your Chihuahua.  Do not think you need to leave a huge amount of food.  The normal guidelines for proper feeding should be followed so that he can not make a mess or over eat.  Leave plenty of water and if possible, you can purchase a water dispenser so that of water will be dispensed to your dog every so often.