Cavapoos are friendly and playful, but they can also be social and clingy. So, is it safe to leave Cavapoos alone? As it turns out, this breed has certain pretty strict attention needs that you should adhere to. Today, we’ll talk about leaving them alone, potential concerns, and training that might help you make your Cavapoo less codependent.
Let’s talk about these adorable tiny dogs who despise being alone!
Cavapoos don’t like being left alone because they become afraid and confused. Adults (18 months or older) should be left alone for no more than 4 – 6 hours at a period, while puppies should be left alone for no more than 2 – 3 hours.
Table of Contents
Are Cavapoos Prone To Separation Anxiety?
Cavapoos have a high level of separation anxiety. If they are left alone for an extended period of time, they tend to become destructive and act out as a result of the stress caused by the separation.
How Long Can You Leave A Cavapoo Alone?
Because your Cavapoo is incredibly social, the length of time you may leave them alone will be determined by their age. It is broken down as follows:
- Puppy (18 months and under) – Puppies should only be left alone for 2 – 3 hours a day.
- Adult puppies (18 months to 8 years) – Adults may be left alone for 4 – 6 hours at a time.
- Senior Cavapoos (8 – 12 years) – Senior Cavapoos may be left alone for 2 – 6 hours, depending on the Cavapoos overall health.
When it comes to desensitizing your Cavapoo to being left alone, crate training is your best bet. Crate training is making a den-like cage in which your dog may spend time alone. This provides your dog with a safe haven to retreat to when they are stressed, as well as a location to keep them when you are not present.
This can help reduce the amount of time your Cavapoo feels comfortable spending alone and, if done correctly, can help lengthen the amount of time your Cavapoo feels fine spending alone. We’ll go over the general benefits briefly before showing you how to cage train your Cavapoo.
Remember to keep track of your dog’s potty schedule. A Cavapoo can wait exactly one hour for every month of age, and they also need to go pee 15 – 20 minutes after every meal. You must prepare for this when scheduling crate periods; otherwise, your puppy may have accidents.
The Advantages Of Crate Training Your Cavapoo
Crate training is beneficial for any dog, but it is especially beneficial for Cavapoos. These little fuzzy balls of love despise being alone; therefore it’s critical that we work to make your dog a bit less codependent. They will still love you unconditionally; we simply want to show them that even if you aren’t there, you will return!
The advantages of crate training are as follows:
- Crate training protects your Cavapoo from potential pitfalls in the house (chewing on electrical wires, knocking something heavy over, etc.)
- It also protects your home from chewing or from your dog eliminating on the carpet or furniture.
- Crate training helps to teach your dog to wait for potty breaks
- It can prepare your dog for kennel visits in case of emergencies
- Your dog will be more comfortable with carriers assured that you will let them out because you always let them out of the crate
Purchase Your Crate Supplies
Crates are classified into three sorts: simple plastic/dog carrier types, fabric over metal types (which are not advised since they are easily chewed), and our preferred type, wire enclosures with a door area in front.
If possible, obtain one of these wire-type enclosures, or reuse ‘baby gates’ if you have children and are no longer using them. We want to build a square cage that isn’t too big but big enough to offer your dog some space. We’ll fill the inside with the following items:
- A food and water bowl
- A sleeping blanket
- Some favored play toys and chew toys
- A puppy pad or a faux-grass square (for potty emergencies)
- An old sheet to drape and pin to the back
We’re attaching a sheet to the back since mama dogs prefer to keep their puppies in a den, so this makes the enclosure a little more comfy. Because dogs aren’t comfortable going pee where they eat, place the puppy pad/faux grass in the other corner away from the food.
Arrange the objects inside, and your dog is ready to meet its new crate.
Please keep in mind that the crate should be positioned in an area where your dog can clearly see you. The living room is perfect if this is where you spend the most of your free time. This will reassure them because they can see you if you are crated during this time.
Leave The Crate Open For A Few Days To Get Your Dog Comfortable
You should keep the crate empty at first, with only the entrance open, so your Cavapoo may investigate it naturally. It helps if you put a treat or two inside to entice them to check, and for the first few days, you may leave a treat inside at random to entice them to return.
This will let them become accustomed to the crate environment, and if you’re lucky, they might even test out a blanket to snooze with you securely nearby. Don’t shut the door just yet; we’re working on it.
Feeding Your Cavapoo In The Crate
After a few ‘crate inspection’ days, we are ready to start introducing tiny amounts of crated time to your dog. We’ll spend the next three days specifically feeding your dog in his kennel. Put your dog’s food and water inside the crate and call them over, saying ‘Crate,’ so we can train them on this command. Wait until they are preoccupied before softly closing the gate as they come in to feed.
Wait until your dog has finished eating before opening the gate and rewarding them with a treat and some praise.
Leaving The Room For Half An Hour
After a few days of feeding in the crate, try leaving for 15 minutes to 30 minutes and then returning to let them out. You can do an errand to the convenience shop or simply leave the room, although the latter should not be used to responding to complaining. You don’t want your Cavapoo to learn that this behavior will cause you to flee.
2-Hour Errands
If your Cavapoo is at least 2 months old and responds well to brief cratings, we are available for 2-hour outings. To get your dog to get into their crate, call them over and give the ‘crate’ command. Give them a treat when they cooperate, then pat them to reassure them that everything is fine before leaving on a 2-hour errand.
When you return, warmly greet your Cavapoo and give them a treat before letting them out.
Overnight Crating Your Cavapoo
You’re ready to give your Cavapoo an overnight crate after about a week of 2-hour errands. You’ll want to keep the puppy schedule in mind since you’ll need to set some alarms to ensure that you’re bringing your dog out for pee breaks on time to avoid accidents.
Put a small bit of water in the dish but no food since you don’t want them to require another potty break or become accustomed to midnight feedings. If your dog whines (and they will), you must be tough and ignore it as long as they have taken their potty breaks.
They will become acclimated to the crate over time, and the normal duration for crate training is about 3 weeks, so be patient. You can do it!
What Happens If You Leave A Cavapoo Alone Too Long/Without Being Trained
Leaving a Cavapoo alone for an extended period of time (more than 8 hours) might result in a variety of behavioral concerns. Cavapoos are very social dogs, and when they are left alone, they become very confused and scared, which can lead to separation anxiety and behavioral issues.
- Scratching
- Chewing furniture
- Eliminating on furniture and the carpet
- Biting
- Howling and barking
While it does not work for all dogs, leaving the television on during crating periods might occasionally assist a bit. They’ll watch the individuals on television, which may make them feel better. As previously said, this may not work with all Cavapoos, so your results may vary.
A Cavapoo who is left alone for an extended period of time is likewise in danger of depression. This can manifest in a variety of ways, so if you’ve had to leave your Cavapoo alone for extended periods of time, keep an eye out for the following symptoms:
- Weight loss — If your Cavapoo is eating less or losing weight for no apparent cause, it might be due to depression. You might experiment with varying their diet with different meals and treats to see if it helps. If they appear to be healthy but are losing weight, a vet visit is recommended since it might be parasites.
- Oversleeping – Cavapoos are usually tiny balls of supercharged activity, so if you have been crate training them recently for longer amounts of time and they start napping right after you let them out, your dog may be melancholy and want additional care.
- Reluctance to go on walks or play – If your dog seems to lose the desire to play or go for walks, especially following crating sessions, this is another indicator of depression. At this moment, a little one-on-one prodding for fun and some treat/praise therapy is an excellent idea.
- In worst cases, refusal to eat at all – In the most severe situations, your small companion may become so unhappy that they refuse to eat at all. In this instance, you’ll need to consult a veterinarian, who can provide drugs and strategies to increase appetite in order to get your Cavapoo feeling better.
What To Do If You Have To Leave Your Cavapoo Alone All Day
It is sometimes unavoidable. You have to leave the house or go to work, and you just cannot bring your tiny best buddy with you. There are a few things you can do to aid your Cavapoo and your own peace of mind during those times when you must leave them alone. Here are a few suggestions and methods to try:
- Install a puppy cam – If your Cavapoo is roaming alone around the home or is crated, a nice, night-vision-equipped videocam is a terrific way to keep an eye on them. This allows you to check in at any moment to ensure that your child is safe and not getting into mischief while you are away.
- Exercise –Before you leave for the day, take your Cavapoo for a lengthy walk and play session. This involves waking up a bit earlier, but if you tire your Cavapoo out in the morning, they are more likely to rest and take it easy while you are gone. Over time, your dog will learn that long walks signal that you are looking for a place, and they may be more receptive to it.
- Lunchbreak visits – If at all feasible, eat your lunch with your Cavapoo at home. They’ll enjoy the visit, and it may become something unique that the two of you share on a daily basis. Visiting on your lunch break helps to break up the time they have to spend away from you and may be really beneficial, so it’s worth considering.
- Consider doggy daycare – Some doggy daycares are rather sociable, with different mild-mannered dogs playing together and your dog getting walks and attention throughout the day. In a pinch, or even if you have a regular routine and just want to make sure your Cavapoo doesn’t feel lonely, this may work wonders.
- Medication is possible in severe cases – Medications such as Clomicalm or Alprazolam are available from your veterinarian and may be beneficial in the case of very codependent Cavapoos. Whether nothing else appears to be working, consult with your veterinarian to see if they feel this will be beneficial and realistic in your circumstance.
- Another dog might be a good idea –The presence of another dog may be beneficial, but you are not required to have one. If one of your neighbors has a dog that your dog enjoys playing with, the two of you may be able to figure out a plan in which your dogs spend time together while you and your neighbor work.
- Hire someone to house–sit – If you have someone you trust in your home (either a friend or a professional), you might hire someone to pay your Cavapoo a couple of daily visits while you are at work. Once they know who you are, this will help to calm them down and split up the day into readily manageable parts for your lonely Cavapoo.
Entertainment Options For Your ‘Home-alone Cavapoo’
A little additional amusement may be beneficial to your Cavapoo. Distraction, like it does with people, may significantly reduce stress levels and make them more tolerable. Here are a few suggestions to assist your Cavapoo pass the time:
- The ‘Going away’ present – Take a box with no lid and inside it, place newspaper-wrapped treats, a loaded Kong toy, and treat-packed cardboard toilet paper rolls. Wrap it up in a newspaper like a present with some holes poked in the top so that they can smell the treats. Cleanup won’t be fun, but this will keep your Cavapoo occupied.
- Doggy music – We mentioned using a television, but did you know that there is also music specially designed for dogs? Do a Google search on ‘dog music,’ and you can find some great examples. Alternately, you can just put on the radio, so that it isn’t completely quiet at home.
Want To Train Your Cavapoo With Peace Of Mind?
If you haven’t trained your Cavapoo properly, then this is the perfect time to start. Whatever bad behavior your Cavapoo has, whether it’s barking at night or other bad behaviors, using the right training program is the key to having an obedient and happy pup.
The training program I love and highly recommend is Brain Training For Dogs.
With Brain Training For Dogs, you’ll save yourself a ton of time and effort. Instead of banging your head against the wall trying to figure out why your dog won’t listen, you’ll follow a path that has been tried, tested, and, most importantly, that’s given proven results. Not to mention the fact that you’ll be able to fit the course around your schedule, not fit your schedule around a trainer or obedience class.
So instead of worrying about whether they’re going to be well-behaved or not, you’ll only have to worry about how much fun you’ll have with them!
And in most cases, it’s still going to be:
- Cheaper than hiring a professional.
- Cheaper than replacing everything they might break.
- And definitely cheaper than a lawsuit against you if they decide to bite someone.
Just imagine how great it will feel to finally be able to trust your Cavapoo completely and never worry whether they’ll be naughty or not. Instead, you’ll have the peace of mind that you have a well-behaved pup, and the boundaries you set for them will always be there, EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT.
And the best part is it also has a 60-day money-back guarantee! So there’s no reason not to give Brain Training For Dogs a try!
So if you’re tired of your dog’s bad behavior or how they react around other people and pooches, then give it a try! You’ll be amazed by the results!
(You can also check out a full review here to learn exactly what the course has to offer!)
Some Closing Commentary On Leaving Cavapoos Alone
While it is painful to have to do so, there are occasions when you must leave your fluffball alone. We hope that these suggestions will make life simpler for both you and your four-legged best friend. If your Cavapoo dislikes alone time, be sure to practice crate training and try some of the ideas we’ve advised to pass the time.
Aside from that, don’t forget to offer them treats, praise, and lots of love when you arrive home. Your Cavapoo will be completely fine!
