Can Poodles Stay At Home Alone? [How Long Is OK?]

Can Poodles stay at home alone? It’s one of the most important questions to consider when you’re buying or adopting a dog – you need to know how long you can go out to work or visit a non-pet-friendly restaurant before it causes some big problems.

We have good news for you: you can leave Poodles at home alone, but there are some crucial things to consider. You shouldn’t leave a very young Poodle at home alone for long, and you’ll need to set up their environment in the right way so that they aren’t lonely or in danger.

Beyond that, you can feel free to enjoy your bundle of sunshine at home or a distance – as long as you keep these things in mind!

How to Leave Your Poodle Home Alone?

There are two primary questions to answer when it comes to leaving your Poodle at home alone – how much time you can leave them alone and what sort of environment they are staying in.

It’s also important to remember that every dog has different needs. Because of that, you must get to know your pet, rather than taking these general principles as absolute truth.

How Long to Leave Your Poodle Home Alone

The typical rule of thumb on leaving dogs at home is that they can stay alone for as long as they can stand not going to the bathroom. Exceed that limit and it’s good-bye carpet.

The Poodle looks sad on the couch. (Image: Instagram/@victorsadventures)

The younger a puppy is, the more frequently they’ll need to use the bathroom.

Under 10 weeks old: you can leave them alone for one hour
10-12 weeks old: two hours
Three months old: three hours
Four months old: four hours
Five months old: five hours
Six months old: six hours
Over six months old: no longer than six to eight hours

That last point is a pretty important one to keep in mind – even an adult Poodle shouldn’t be left alone for more than 8 hours.

best brush for poodle coats — Choosing the best brush for Poodle coats – our detailed review

And even though the bathroom question is one of the most important ones to consider when thinking about the time you’re leaving a Poodle at home, questions of separation anxiety and danger are also vital to consider. Those problems often vary by specific breed/crossbreed, and you can also mitigate them by carefully choosing the environment for your Poodle when you leave them alone for the day.

Best Poodle Environments

So how do you construct your home so it best serves your Poodle while you’re gone? First and foremost, you’ll want to figure out if you can kennel them or not.

A Poodle puppy looks comfortable outdoors. (Image: Instagram/@poodleandhound)

Kenneling your Poodle will likely increase their distress while you’re gone, but it can decrease the trouble they might get into while you’re gone as well. And if they need to use the bathroom, it’ll be a little more contained and less problematic if they do so in the kennel instead of on the carpet.

That said, sometimes you can get to the same level of safety without the kennel if you create a controlled environment for your dog with more room to play around in. If you have a room in your home that you can easily gate off from other areas, that can work especially well.

fat Toy Poodle and toy — The fat Toy Poodle and his favorite old toy. (Image: Instagram/@iam_bailey_button)

If you want to decrease the distress and separation anxiety that your bundle of sunshine experiences while you’re away, you’ll need to create a stimulating indoor environment. Poodles are highly intelligent dogs, which means they need stimulation if they’re going to last through the day without having a terrible time.

One of the best ways to make a stimulating environment for your dog is to leave the TV on at a low volume. Even though your pet won’t understand what’s going on, having something to look at can make the difference between a deeply lonely life and a decent one.

Poodle sitting on pink chair — A calm Poodle sitting on a pink chair. (Image: Instagram/@phoebethewhitepoodle)

If you don’t want to use your TV (or you don’t have one), music can work just as well. Just make sure to switch it up every once in a while, as some studies have shown that the positive effects of music can decrease over time if it stays the same for too long. The same studies have shown that soft rock and reggae are some of the best genres for them.

Also, make sure you leave their toys out so they can play with them! That’s another excellent way to make sure they are enjoying their life and staying stimulated.

Poodle with toys and food treats — A Poodle celebrating a birthday with toys and food treats! (Image: Instagram/@coco_hunting_in_the_city)

Which Types of Poodles Do the Best Alone?

Different types of Poodles will do better alone than others– some are more vulnerable to danger or separation anxiety. It’s necessary to know these tendencies within your kind of Poodle (as well as your actual dog) when making major work and life decisions that will require them to be alone for significant periods.

Standard Poodle

Of the purebred Poodle types, standard Poodles typically do best on their own. They’re the largest of the types, typically over 15 inches tall, and tend to be the most independent of the trio because of that. Their intelligence combined with their self-sufficiency leads them to be more self-entertaining than other Poodle varieties.

Miniature Poodle

Miniature Poodles are the next biggest purebred Poodle type, coming in at 10-15 inches tall. This makes them tend to be slightly more independent than toy Poodles, but slightly less than the standard Poodle.

Toy Poodle

Toy Poodles are the Poodles you should worry about the most when it comes to leaving them alone. They’re the smallest of the bunch at 5-10 inches tall, and they have the least independence as a consequence. Separation anxiety is a genuine concern for toy Poodles, as their intelligence tends to lead them to require constant stimulation rather than the capacity for self-entertainment.

poodle running outside — A Toy Apricot Poodle running happily outside (see the full range of Poodle coat colors)

You can mitigate these problems within the toy Poodle by following our environmental advice above. For a toy Poodle, our advice on environmental stimulation is especially important.

Poodle Crossbreeds

Different Poodle cross breeds will also have different comfort levels with staying at home alone, which will typically depend on what kind of Poodle it’s crossed with (toy, mini, or standard) and how independent the other breed is.

Goldendoodle asking to open the door — A Goldendoodle is asking to open the door for him. (Image: Instagram/@starkthegoldendoodle)

Goldendoodles, for example, can be rough to leave alone for several hours because golden retrievers get separation anxiety a little more easily than some other dog breeds. Poodles crossed with more independent breeds like the Shih-Tzu (Shih-Poo dogs), however, tend to be a little more independent.

Can Poodles Stay at Home Alone?

Yes, they can! Just make sure you follow these steps here, carefully considering your specific Poodle and their personality. Once you’ve done that, you’re as golden as a Goldendoodle!