Do Labradoodles Like to Be Left Alone?
Labradoodles cannot be left alone, in an Apartment, unless they have been sufficiently trained to live alone for prolonged durations. You can leave them alone, but first, ensure that certain conditions are met. To be able to make the most of its alone-time, the doodle must be physically comfortable, mentally fit, sufficiently occupied with stimulating games, and toilet trained.
A crossbreed, which is the offspring of a poodle and a Labrador retriever, a labradoodle is friendly, patient and can be trusted around older kids. Other positive aspects include donning a service dog’s role and being hypoallergenic, courtesy of their poodle ancestry.
However, being left alone in the apartment could prove to be a disaster, especially without any training.
While having a doodle at home feels excellent given the companionship, please do not leave it alone without prior preparation. If you are in a situation wherein you do not have a choice but to leave it at home while you go to work, then prepare your labradoodle for the same to avoid both short-term and long-term behavioral problems.
How Do Labradoodles Handle Loneliness?
Meant as family dogs, Labradoodles are sometimes not happy to live alone. That is why they take plenty of time and ongoing training to handle loneliness.
On realizing that they are by themselves, their first instinct is to express their discontent and disagreement by soiling their crate and littering the house. Next, they move on to burying socks or other items on the couch and chewing up furniture to alleviate boredom.
You might just come home to find the apartment strewn with your clothes all over the home and feathers from the cushions flying around everywhere. The chances are high that they may not even touch their food, and instead wait for you to feed them.
A particularly sensitive doodle might decide to go on a hunger strike and refuse to eat/drink anything even later on to express its annoyance.
Eventually, there might be anxiety issues that are expressed through relentless pacing and nonstop barking. These indicate your doodle screaming for help, and as an owner, you need to sit up and take it seriously.
How to Condition Your Labradoodle For Alone Time
Assuming that you have a 9-to-5 job, but love dogs, adopting a labradoodle comes across as a great option. Having brought home a doodle, you look forward to having a great evening returning home after a hard day’s work.
To your surprise, you find everything topsy-turvy, and your dreams of enjoying a relaxed evening instantly fly out of the window.
At the time, you wonder – was it a good idea to bring home a labradoodle?
Intelligent and adorable that Labradoodles are, working owners fail to fathom why the breed is so opposed to being left alone.
There are certain inherent aspects of this hybrid which need to be streamlined as part of alone-time training. So, before leaving the labradoodle alone at home for extended periods, you must ensure –
Sufficient Food and Water
Not only should there be adequate food and water, but these should also be positioned so that the doodle can easily access them. As a rule, you must leave two bowls next to the doodle’s crate with each containing a different variety of food.
For example, you can opt for two different flavors, or fill one with crunchies and a gravy-based meal. There should also be a third bowl filled with water, placed next to the food bowls, or in a different location.
All three bowls must be present on all days that you go to work, leaving your doodle at home. This would assure your doodle that it is well provided for despite being alone at home and need not feel insecure.
Freedom of Movement
True though it is that Labradoodles feel comfortable in their crates, it is not the spot they would like to spend hours at a stretch. Given their love of physical exercise, Labradoodles have a tendency to move around. Therefore, it would be a little unfair on your part to expect your special doodle to remain squatted within the crate for all the hours that you are away.
On the one hand, the dog would feel stifled to the point of indulging in destructive behavior, and on the hand, it would create a mess in the crate. The solution is to keep the crate unlocked so that the doodle can venture out every once.
Having explored its surroundings, it would like to take a time-out before moving out once again, and this is where the unlocked crate comes in handy.
Courtesy this practice, and the labradoodle enjoys the crate’s comfort and security while indulging in physical exercise once in a while.
How to Condition Your Labradoodle For Alone Time
Assuming that you have a 9-to-5 job, but love dogs, adopting a labradoodle comes across as a great option. Having brought home a doodle, you look forward to having a great evening returning home after a hard day’s work.
To your surprise, you find everything topsy-turvy, and your dreams of enjoying a relaxed evening instantly fly out of the window.
At the time, you wonder – was it a good idea to bring home a labradoodle?
Intelligent and adorable that Labradoodles are, working owners fail to fathom why the breed is so opposed to being left alone.
There are certain inherent aspects of this hybrid which need to be streamlined as part of alone-time training. So, before leaving the labradoodle alone at home for extended periods, you must ensure –
Sufficient Food and Water
Not only should there be adequate food and water, but these should also be positioned so that the doodle can easily access them. As a rule, you must leave two bowls next to the doodle’s crate with each containing a different variety of food.
For example, you can opt for two different flavors, or fill one with crunchies and a gravy-based meal. There should also be a third bowl filled with water, placed next to the food bowls, or in a different location.
All three bowls must be present on all days that you go to work, leaving your doodle at home. This would assure your doodle that it is well provided for despite being alone at home and need not feel insecure.
Freedom of Movement
True though it is that Labradoodles feel comfortable in their crates, it is not the spot they would like to spend hours at a stretch. Given their love of physical exercise, Labradoodles have a tendency to move around. Therefore, it would be a little unfair on your part to expect your special doodle to remain squatted within the crate for all the hours that you are away.
On the one hand, the dog would feel stifled to the point of indulging in destructive behavior, and on the hand, it would create a mess in the crate. The solution is to keep the crate unlocked so that the doodle can venture out every once.
Having explored its surroundings, it would like to take a time-out before moving out once again, and this is where the unlocked crate comes in handy.
Courtesy this practice, and the labradoodle enjoys the crate’s comfort and security while indulging in physical exercise once in a while.
Frequent Lunch Visits With Your Doodle
If possible, pay your doodle a visit during lunchtime to check how it might be doing on its own. The gesture is sure to strengthen the bond between the two of you, and your labradoodle would be forever grateful for the company you provide in the middle of the day.
Taking the doodle out for a walk during the break would provide the much-needed change.
An outdoor romp would also serve to refresh the doodle and enable it to remain calm and settle into the apartment the moment you leave. More than anything else, this ensures that your doodle will evolve into a mature and balanced companion.
Can Trainers/Neighbors Help?
Hiring a trainer would make your life easier as aspects like grooming, toilet training, and outdoor exercises will be taken care of. You need to specify the elements you would like your doodle to attain, and the trainer would take care of the rest.
However, it would help if you made it a point to exercise due diligence while selecting a trainer to meet the objectives without being harsh.
Likewise, consider yourself lucky if your neighbors are just as pet-loving. Request them to check up on the doodle once in a while, if possible, and even take it on an outdoor romp.
While they are checking, paying attention to food and water levels would also help avoid unnecessary snags. In the case of depleted levels, the food/water should be replenished to last till the owner arrives home.
Does Grooming Help?
Owing to staying out of the house for a long duration, you need to be prepared to shower plenty of attention to the doodle once you are back. Labradoodles love attention, and you can provide it to them through regular brushing and grooming.
Hypoallergenic doodles do not shed much; however, brushing every day would improve the bond between the owners and pets.
Knowing that you would brush right after coming back from the office, your labradoodle would look forward to the pampering that follows.
Final Thoughts
Maybe one of our labradoodle hates being alone is because it loves being the center of attention. So channel your attention towards the dog whenever you are at home, and enjoy the remarkable improvement in its temperament.
So, even though Labradoodles may not enjoy being locked in an apartment for the entire duration, they can be trained to so do, often with successful results. Remember to keep a vet’s number handy just if the doodle might require some extra care and handling.
Follow the procedure and come home to a doodle that will have spent the day fruitfully and hence does not harbor prejudice.
