Can a dachshund be left alone for 8 hours?

Updated 8 October 2026 · 6 min read · Wiener Club

Not as a daily routine. The RSPCA advises leaving a dog for no longer than four hours at a time, and adds that this applies to dogs that are already comfortable being left — for a dog that is not, four hours is too long too.

There is no law that sets a number. But if a dog suffers because of how long it is left, animal welfare law still applies, and "he was fine, he just barked a bit" is often not the full story.

A puppy is a different question entirely: counted in hours it is closer to one or two, and in the first weeks closer to none.

Why eight hours is the wrong question

Most people asking this are really asking whether their working day is compatible with owning a dog. The honest answer is that it can be, but not by leaving the dog alone from nine to five and hoping.

What makes the difference is whether the long stretch gets broken: a dog walker at lunchtime, a neighbour, a day at a sitter, someone working from home two days a week. A dog that is alone for four hours, has company, and is then alone for three more is in a completely different situation from one that is alone for eight straight.

Being bored and being in a panic look nothing alike

This is the distinction that matters, and the one most owners miss. A bored dog sleeps, sighs, chews something it should not, and greets you cheerfully. A dog in distress starts within minutes of the door closing: pacing, drooling, howling or barking without pause, scratching at the door, sometimes soiling the house despite being fully trained.

Separation-related problems are common across all dogs — estimates range from a fifth to half of dogs showing them at some point — so this is not a rare disorder you can assume does not apply to you.

Record your dog for the first twenty minutes after you leave. It is the single most useful thing you can do, and it very often surprises people.
Look at the first ten minutes especially. Distress starts fast; boredom does not.
Damage at the door and the window is a different signal from damage at the bin.

Building it up, without rushing

Start with seconds, not hours. Step out, come back before your dog gets worried, repeat. The goal is that leaving stays boring.
Vary the length so it does not become a countdown, and do not make a performance of either leaving or coming back.
Leave something to do that lasts: a stuffed and frozen food toy carries the first twenty minutes, which is the hardest part.
Toilet first, exercise first. A dog that has moved and sniffed settles far more easily than one that has been inside all morning.
Do not punish anything you come home to. It does nothing for a behaviour that happened hours ago, and it makes your return something to dread.

A second dog is not the fix

It is the most common suggestion and it often disappoints. A dog that panics because *you* are gone usually keeps panicking with another dog in the room. You can end up with two dogs that cannot be left instead of one.

If you want a second dachshund, do it because you want a second dachshund.

When to ask for help

If your dog is genuinely distressed rather than bored, this is not a training problem you fix with a longer walk. Talk to your vet first — pain and some medical conditions look like anxiety — and ask for a referral to a qualified behaviourist.