Here’s How Long Your Yorkie Can Stay Alone at Home

We all know that leaving your dog home alone can be very frustrating for both you and your pet. It’s like leaving a good friend, and you’re left with a bitter taste in your mouth. Of course, if you don’t have to, don’t leave your dog home alone. It applies to Yorkies but other breeds as well. Dogs like to be around people, and you, as an owner, are probably the most beloved creature for your dog. This means that it loves spending time with you. So, can a Yorkie be left alone?

But, the reality is different, and you as a dog owner are probably often in a situation where you simply need to leave your dog alone at home. Many workplaces aren’t dog-friendly, and thus, if you don’t have a partner or another family member, your Yorkie will have to learn to spend boring time with itself when you’re at work. People often say that Yorkies are active dogs that want to socialize and that when they’re home alone, they become nervous and depressed. In this article, we’ll debunk if this is just another myth, and we will give you some tips which you can utilize if your Yorkie simply needs to be home alone.

Can a Yorkie be left alone?

As for the myth, all we can say is that it depends merely from dog to dog. Now, of course, Yorkies do have some general behaving patterns as with any other breed. But, the statement that Yorkies can’t stand being left alone and become depressed is simply not true. Of course, there are individual Yorkies that don’t like being alone and spend every single minute waiting for you to return. But, there is another side of the coin. But, there is another side of the coin. There are Yorkies such as my Stella, which is a proper couch potato.

The nature of my work is that I simply need to go to the office every single day and stay there from 9-5. It is what it is. It was hard at first when Stella was a puppy, but since she got older and got used to my way of living, she doesn’t have an issue anymore when she’s home alone. My office isn’t pet-friendly, and in the house, there’s only Stella and me, so she doesn’t have any company when I go to work. And it isn’t a problem for her.

One time I left my GoPro on while I was at work just to see what my Yorkie does when I’m away, and to my amazement, she did – well, nothing. It might sound a bit harsh, but she simply slept half of the time, played with the carrot toy I got for her, ate, and slept a bit more. So, I don’t think that Stella has a rough time when she’s alone. I can guarantee you that we do everything she wants when I get back and that we have a good time in the evening.

So, to answer the question about Yorkies and how do they behave when they’re alone – it depends. My dog is the way she is, but it doesn’t mean that your Yorkie will be the same. You know best how your dog behaves and what kind of temperament it has, so you need to act accordingly.

What To Do If Yorkie Can’t Be Left Alone?

If the situation is that your Yorkie simply won’t leave you alone and you don’t feel happy when you go to work and leave him/her alone, don’t worry. There are some things you can do to find the best solution.

The obvious solution here is that you can take your dog with you. If your office is pet friendly, then you should bring your Yorkie with you and let it just wander in your office while you do your work. Don’t worry if you don’t pay a lot of attention to it while you work. Yorkies and dogs, in general, benefit when they are just in your presence, and taking your dog to work seems like the best solution.

If that isn’t a possibility, then you might want to hire a pet sitter. There are professionals who you can employ to spend time with your dog while you’re away, and this is an excellent solution since it’s always better to have a living being next to your dog instead of a toy, let’s say. Another thing you can do is to take your dog to doggy daycare. Daycare is a hotel for dogs. You can take your Yorkie there, and if it’s good with other dogs, it will make friends in the “hotel.” This is also the right choice since, in the daycare, some people spend time with animals and keep them occupied – so your Yorkie doesn’t sleep as it would be doing at home.

If you live with a family or a partner who doesn’t work, then that would be the best thing. Your Yorkie will always have someone around and won’t feel lonely. And, as a plus, you won’t need to spend extra money for a dog sitter or doggy daycare.

READ ALSO: Yorkie Separation Anxiety: Treatments, Causes & More

So, In The End? Can a Yorkie be left alone?

So, as a conclusion, we would have to say that leaving your Yorkie alone depends on the occasion, the temperament of your dog, and a bunch of other factors. Of course, if you can take your dog with you to the place where you work, that would be the best possible decision. But, if you can’t, then you need to see if your dog is okay to stay alone. If it becomes nervous and barks, then you should consider some of the options we mentioned above. If it doesn’t like Stella, then we think you should be okay. Just keep in mind that when you come back home, you give a lot of attention to your Yorkie, since it was alone for a half a day and that it has been waiting for you. You need to respect that.

Photo credit: @ayorkienamedava / @yorkiegirlchloe