In a fortnight, we're going to collect our puppy, a gorgeous Malinois.
We've organised everything to make sure he has the best start.
However, we both work during the week (my boyfriend works Monday to Friday, and I do too, though I have every other Friday off).
The dog will get a walk in the morning and the evening, and sometimes at lunch when my boyfriend can pop home for a bit. This means he'll be alone from 8 am until 5 pm. Today, some friends and family told us that Belgian Shepherds aren't the type of dogs that can be left on their own...
Do you think it's possible to train a Malinois to be okay being alone?
When we pick him up, we have 4 days off, then a week of work, and then another week's holiday. Do you think that's enough time to teach him to stay home alone without him destroying the furniture?
Thanks
Translated from French
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Hi there,
I got my Mal when he was 2 months old and he’s learned to be on his own really well—I work during the day too, like most people. You just have to make up for it when you’re there with plenty of walks, interaction and playtime. He was house-trained in 2 weeks; he’s now just over a year old and is perfectly happy being left alone. He has his own spot to sleep and toys to keep him busy, and I sometimes hide treats for him to find so he can do some scent work.
If you have the chance to take him to training clubs or let him socialise with other vaccinated dogs and puppies, that’s great too!
Good luck =)
Be careful with the walks; he's still a puppy, so he hasn't got much strength in his legs yet and his joints are still growing. Mine is often left on his own because of our schedule, but he soon got the hang of it. I often nip home during my lunch break, and he’s got the garden and his toys to keep him busy anyway. The main thing is to leave him plenty of water and a decent meal.
Okay, thanks everyone! For the walks, we’ll aim for at least an hour and a half a day – 30 minutes in the morning, at least an hour in the evening, and hopefully a quick one at lunch too.
We’re going to try and be around for him as much as we can. Luckily, with the bank holidays and some leave we’ve got coming up in May, we can help him get used to being home alone during the day... but it's just not going to be possible for us to always make it back at lunchtime or be home before 5pm.
In my opinion, 8 am to 5 pm is quite a long time for a young puppy. Mine has to be left alone for roughly the same amount of time because of my uni schedule, but he wasn't left for 9 hours straight until he was 6 months old. We were with him all the time until he was three and a half months, then just the mornings from 8 am to 2 pm, and finally 8 am to 5 pm from 6 months old until now.
It wasn't exactly planned that way; it just happened based on the family's various schedules. Some people do leave their puppies alone all day, but it’s not really recommended.
