It’s impossible for us to spend 100% of our time at home with our pet Bichon Frise, despite wanting to do so. It also isn’t possible to take them along wherever we go, including work and school, places where the whole day is usually spent. Therefore, it’s essential to ask, “how long can Bichon Frise be left alone?” Bichon Frises are definitely social dogs, but you might be surprised at the amount of time they can handle being on their own.
Adult Bichon Frises (1-year-old+) can be comfortable on their own for 6-8 hours. If your Bichon Frise suffers from anxiety disorders, particularly Bichon Frise separation anxiety, he shouldn’t be on his own for longer than 5 hours prior to you giving him extensive training so he can cope for 6-8 hours.
If your adult Bichon Frise can remain at home on his own and enjoy it, you don’t need to worry when leaving him home alone. However, if he’s not an adult and/or faces anxiety problems, you need to take specific steps to train him to cope prior to leaving him home alone.
Of all the dogs I have owned, the most social are Bichon Frise, making it hard to assess how they will cope when left at home on their own for any length of time.
The age of your Bichon Frise and his state of health are the two main factors that will help you make this decision because it’s not black and white. Depending on his age, you’ll have to consider not leaving him on his own for long periods. A quick trip to the post office or store is generally fine but spending all day at work could cause problems in the initial stages.
This table will help you to make decisions regarding how long you can safely leave your Bichon Frise at home on his own, based on how old he is and assuming he doesn’t have any issues with anxiety.
| Bichon Frise’s Age | Maximum Time Alone |
| 8-10 weeks | I hour |
| 2-3 months | 2 hours |
| 6-12 months | 4 hours |
| 12-18+ months | 6 to 8 hours |
When your Bichon Frise puppy is still very young, it’s vital that you never leave him on his own for more than an hour as a maximum. At this age, he hasn’t yet learned how to control his bladder. Lack of potty training can mean little messes if you don’t get him to his toilet spot in time. However, there may also be other problems manoeuvring this world which is all very new to him and it’s up to you to help him learn everything he needs to know.
After your Bichon Frise moves past those first few weeks and becomes 2 months old, you can trial leaving him alone for two hours. This should normally be plenty of time before he has the urge to visit the bathroom, but will also give him time to explore his surroundings and gain a little independence.
Once your Bichon Frise approaches adulthood, you may not have to deliberately leave him alone as he’ll slowly be gaining some independence. Four hours is the ideal number of hours to let him be alone and, if he has a good temperament and is well potty-trained, you can even consider stretching this out a little more.
Once your Bichon Frise is a complete adult in every way, you should be able to leave him alone to enjoy his own company for 6-8 hours without any concerns. He’ll be very self-aware regarding when and where he should make use of the bathroom. He’ll also feel happy and independent whenever he’s left alone.
Regardless of how happy and content he may appear, even after the 8-hour point, never leave him alone for over eight hours. Even if your Bichon Frise doesn’t show any symptoms of bladder issues or separation anxiety, he’s in need of your guidance and social contact. Unless you have given him an exceptional amount of training, NEVER leave him alone for more than the stipulated eight hours.
Life doesn’t always go according to plan and there will be times when you have zero choice but to leave your Bichon Frise home alone for over eight hours. This creates a challenge for both you and your dog to face. The positive news is that Bichon Frise are listed as being among the wisest and fastest learning dogs in the world. Even if he must be alone for over eight hours, he’ll cope because of the extra training you have given him. Taking care of a puppy while working takes lots of planning.
When you teach your Bichon Frise to stay home on his own for a longer period (a maximum of 10 hours), there are two vital considerations to bear in mind:
Does he have access to everything he needs?
Here are a few simple suggestions he should have:
When you have to leave your Bichon Frise at home alone for any length of time (to an absolute maximum of 10 hours), you can follow these guidelines.
If your Bichon Frise suffers from separation anxiety, you have more challenges to cope with when you ask the big question – “Can Bichon Frise Be Left Alone During The Day?”
Will he cope emotionally? You have to slowly ease your Bichon Frise into being on his own for a longer time by utilising simple, consistent routines to create a calming, safe environment.
If your Bichon Frise suffers from separation anxiety, you’ll find it harder to go out for lengthy time periods. As you prepare to leave, he’ll become overexcited…until he realises that he’s not going with you. Then he’ll either become depressed or hyperactive. This isn’t a healthy way for any dog to leave so he deserves extra kindness, attention and training until he gets used to the idea that staying at home is normal. He also needs more training to cure him of separation anxiety.