I often get asked ‘Can Jack Russells be left alone?’ In a nutshell, they can be left alone but not for too long and they won’t like it! Mae sure that you give them plenty to do while your gone or your house may be unrecognisable when you return!
Can Jack Russells be left alone?
The simple answer is yes – a Jack Russell Terrier can be left alone for a maximum of around 3-4 hours, but only in a safe environment and necessary to do so. Jack Russells really don’t like to be left alone though, and so today’s blog is all about how you can make it as comfortable as possible for them and minimise their anxiety.
Jack Russells can get Separation Anxiety
Because Jack Russells are very loving and loyal to their owners, this means that they can suffer from separation anxiety. They will be anxious when left alone and this can manifest itself in the following behaviours….
- Constant barking and howling
- Peeing and poo-ing indoors in protest
- Destructive behaviour such as chewing furniture and wallpaper
- Pacing around the house
Tips for leaving your Jack Russell alone
You will be pleased to know that with the right training and support it is possible for your Jack Russell to get used to being left alone. Remember that leaving him to go for a movie or a drink for a couple of hours is OK for him, but leaving him for a full 8 hour day while you work or go to Alton Towers is probably not! It is a great idea to find a good and reliable dog sitter or walker to help out when you need it.
Here are our top tips for leaving your JRT alone:
- Build him up slowly – start by leaving him just 15 minutes or half an hour while you go to the shop. Then increase slowly up to 3-4 hours over a period of a few weeks. This will reassure him that you are always coming back.
- Walk him before you go out – even if it’s just for 10-15 minutes. This will get him ’empty’ to minimise fouling and allow him to spend some energy so that he settles down.
- Get a dog cam such as the Furbo – this will allow you to keep an eye on him and know whether you need to rush back in an emergency.
- 🐾 SEE -- 1080p Full HD Camera & Night Vision: With Full HD, 160º wide-angle, 4x zoom and night vision, you will be able to see your dog clearly day and night.
- 🐾 TALK -- Talk to your dog at home to calm him down and HEAR what he is doing thanks to 2-way-chat.
- 🐾 BARKING ALERT -- Furbo sends a push notification to your phone when t senses your dog barking. You'll always know whats going on at home.
- Get a pet sitter or a family friend to come and see him when you are out for longer than 4 hours. This will settle him and minimise the barking or howling.
- Leave him plenty of things to do. For example, you can hide treats in a snuffle mat or fill his Kong Extreme with his favourite treats such as frozen yoghurt or cottage cheese! These things will distract him from the fact that you are gone.
- Instinctual Needs: The KONG Extreme black rubber toy helps satisfy dogs' instinctual needs and provides mental stimulation. Healthy play is important for dogs' physical and mental development, emotions and behavior. By encouraging healthy play and satisfying instinctual needs, this toy helps solve chewing, separation anxiety, teething, boredom, weight management, crate training, digging, barking and more!
- Fetch Toy: The KONG Extreme's unpredictable bounce makes for exciting games of fetch and other interactive play with your pet.
- Power Chewing Dogs: The KONG Extreme black rubber formula is created for power chewing dogs.
- Give him the same freedom that he always has. For example, if you give the dog the run of the downstairs when you are at home – give him the same freedom when you leave. Shutting him in will feel different and claustrophobic and may set off separation anxiety and make howling worse.
- Move anything dangerous out of the way when you leave your dog – electrical wires, chocolate, anything your dog may eat will need to be moved out of reach for safety.
- We recommend emptying the bins as our JRT often raids them when we leave him alone!
Remember that it is a risk to leave your dog with any toy – particularly a new and unfamiliar one. We have heard reports of people’s dogs eating their licky mats and needing emergency surgery because they ate the plastic! Always supervise your dog with a new toy first and then when you are confident that you can leave them with it, still leave the dog cam on so you can always see what is happening.
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