Maximum time to leave a dog alone?

Like the title says, what do you consider to be the maximum time a dog should be left alone? What about if someone other than the owner takes the dog out for a walk, during the hours being left?

I think different dogs can cope with different times being left, but I still think there is a maximum for any dog to be left... whether they cope or not.

This is just something I have been thinking about, and was wondering what other peoples opinions are.

Well Idont generally leave my lot, but in the past we have left them for anything up to about 8 hours [rarely] and they have coped fine. i think it does help that there are three of them, so have company and arent just bored home alone .

Depends on the dog and the environment.
Leaving a dog alone in a house (no access to outside) for more than 4 hours is something I wouldn`t do. Except maybe at night when they would sleep longer?
Leaving two or three dogs together with access to outside all day? OK. Except that if you do it regularly you may get barking or boredom problems.

i used to leave phoebe for about 9 hours a day and this was 3 days a week. she was out in garden with acess to garage with her bed in. She was fine. did it for years only now with my new job i dont need to. Next door said she only barked when post man came. She did get a walk before i went and as soon as i got home

I guess it depends on many things - especially how they have been trained tobe left

I have left mine for up to 8 hours - occasionaly - usualy no more than 2 oe 3 hours

I know many people leave dogs for 8 hours + every day with no problems but I couldnt do that
I think if you do you have to make sure that the time you have with them makes up for it - so no flopping infront of the tv all evening

I would never leave one of mine home alone but I do now have to leave them together as I have had to increase my working hours so they are home alone for 5 hours during the evening.

On a daily basis mine get left for up to 2 hours some days, but usually it's only an hour, so I know they sleep, but if I've got to go somewhere the longest I would never leave them is 4 hours. I once left them for 5 hours and they were fine but that was a one off, it won't happen again.

As others have said, it is really variable.

When we first got Max I know that he had spent a few weeks chained up in a barn for most of the day so it was no suprise that he had severe separation anxiety when he first came to us. Just leaving the house to put the bins out would have him howling and whining We built up really gradually and he is perfectly ok to be left now.

Generally speaking, if we know we are going to be out for more than four - five hours, say we are going somewhere for the day, I will take him to my dad's. We have on rare occasions left Max for several hours (such as when we threw a surprise birthday party for my dad) and he is usually still fast asleep when we get back (provided he has had a good walk before we left).

I am happy to leave him for a few hours from time to time, in this heat we are walking early and then he is fast asleep for most of the day anyway. I wouldn't like to leave him for several hours on a regular basis, I am not saying that it is wrong as such but Max is used to having company since he has come to us, so he would find that very hard to adjust to I think.

I personally wouldn't leave a dog alone for more than 4 hours if they weren't going to have someone coming in to check on them and take them out for at least a toilet break.

The longest I've left my own dog for is about 4 hours but as of August she's going to be left for 8 hours so I'll be coming home during my lunch break to take her out for a walk and give her some attention.

I think ultimately though it comes down to the dog and what they're happy with.

Continuously, preferably no more than 4-5 hours.

On the odd working day when no one is in apart from me (rare in this house!), I'd have to leave them for about 3 1/2 hours in the morning, then I come back for an hour lunch, and leave them for another 4 hours or so. I don't like doing this, but when I have in the past they have been fine.