If you’ve recently adopted a Catahoula or are planning to get one, you must be wondering whether you can leave her alone at home. Well, Catahoulas can be left alone if you can train her properly.
But it can be quite tough for new and busy dog owners to train Catahoulas to stay alone.
Can Catahoulas be left alone?
Catahoula is extremely social, has high energy levels, and loves to live in a pack. They don’t enjoy being alone for long periods and have a tendency to develop destructive behavior. However, with early socialization and proper training, you can leave Catahoula alone for a limited period.
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Is it okay to leave a Catahoula alone?
You cannot leave a Catahoula alone out of anywhere with no previous training. In most cases, Catahoula Leopard Dogs don’t prefer to be alone since they’re very active dogs and love to be with their human pack.
But if you’re left with no choice but to leave your little Catahoula alone, you better train your pup when she’s still a puppy. With crate training from an early age, as well as potty training, you can leave a Catahoula alone for quite some time.
Consequently, it is okay to leave a Catahoula alone with adequate food, water, and toys to keep herself occupied.
How long can Catahoulas be left alone?
You can leave a Catahoula alone for six to eight hours with early socialization and proper training. However, Catahoulas are high-energy dogs and you have to leave behind enough toys to keep them occupied and also mentally stimulating games.
Keep in mind you cannot leave your Catahoula alone for eight hours right from the beginning. For instance, you have to start leaving her alone for one hour at first and see how she reacts. Thus, you can increase the time length every day.
With the tiniest bit of inconvenience, call it a day for that day and start training again the next day. While you’re gone, make sure to keep an eye on your furry friend to ensure her safety.
Not to mention, you shouldn’t leave a Catahoula Leopard or any other dog alone for more than 8 hours.
How do you keep a Catahoula busy? How to keep them alone?
For busy dog owners, it can be quite a problem when you have to leave for work regularly. Moreover, it is certainly not possible for anyone to stay at home with your pup all the time. As a result, you have to come up with tricks to keep your canine occupied.
Five tricks and tips to keep a Catahoula busy:
Leave Toys Around:
When you’re leaving for work, make sure to leave chew toys, balls for your Catahoula to play with. However, Catahoulas may get bored playing with the same toys every day. Hence, you have to shuffle her toys every other day and add new toys to her bucket.
Mental stimulation:
Catahoulas are extremely smart and active dogs. So, only physical activities won’t be enough to keep her occupied. You have to arrange some mental stimulation games before leaving the house.
It could be some hide and seek game that she has to look for her treats with your given clues. Or you could also arrange puzzle-solving games.
Hire a dog walker:
If you’re out both in the morning and evening time of the day, it’s better to hire a dog walker for your Catahoula. Catahoulas are outdoor dogs and they might get destructive staying inside your house for the whole day.
Taking her out on walks regularly will wear her out and keep her calm.
Dog care centers:
If you fail to find any decent dog walker for your little Catahoula, you can also leave her at dog care centers. Your pup will be safe and free of trouble in those centers.
Leave TV or Radio on:
If you’re out for a few hours, you can leave the TV or radio on for your Catahoula. It will somewhat keep your pup distracted. But this is not helpful for long time separation.
Do Catahoulas have separation anxiety?
Catahoulas Leopard Dogs have moderate to high levels of separation anxiety. As they’re highly social dogs and love to be with their human pack, your prolonged absence can make your pup anxious.
On top of it, Catahoulas are highly energetic dogs. As a result, an anxious Catahoula is most likely to become destructive while you’re gone. And you will come to a messy and destroyed home.
With strong and energetic dogs like Catahoula, separation anxiety can take worse turns. But don’t worry, you can curb the separation anxiety of your Catahoula. Initially, you may notice her chewing your shoes and furniture and peeing on the house in your absence.
As soon as you notice the signs, try curbing them immediately. You can also seek professional help.
How do you house train a Catahoula?
If you’re planning to keep your Catahoula inside your house, you have to train her accordingly. Since Catahoulas are outdoor dogs, things might go wrong inside your house if not trained properly.
Tips to house train a Catahoula:
Teach to be obedient:
When you’re bringing a puppy home, it is important that you train her to be obedient towards you. For instance, you can speak certain words like, ‘SIT’, ‘STOP’, ‘RUN’ and let her do them respectively.
Establish you’re in charge:
Catahoulas have rich leadership qualities and she’ll consider herself as the alpha if you can’t establish you’re in charge. You can do this by providing her food regularly and potty training her.
Potty training:
You can arrange a litter box for your pup or you can take her outside for a walk to relieve herself. You have to first observe when she needs to use the toilet and where she’s comfortable with or without your presence.
Early socialization:
Catahoulas can get extremely territorial and aloof towards strangers and other pets. So if your Catahoula is to receive strangers and other pets in your house, you have to introduce her to humans and pets from an early age.
Crate training:
You can crate train your Catahoula while you’re potty training her. It will also make her learn about her boundaries. But never use the crate as a punishment. Rather, train her to use the crate as a happy place for her.
Are Catahoula Velcro dogs?
Velcro dogs imply to such dogs who start to panic while they get anxious from separation from their owners. However, in the case of Catahoulas, they may not panic but are prone to separation anxiety to some extent.
Catahoula dogs are friendly and love to please their owners. So naturally, they like to be within the human pack and may get sad when left alone. You can curb their separation anxiety nonetheless. And Catahoulas can live alone without their owners for a certain period.
Furthermore, Catahoulas are affectionate and protective of their human owners. They can get very clingy with you hence, the separation anxiety when you leave them alone.
Can a Catahoula live in an apartment?
Even though a Catahoula is an outdoor dog, you can train one to live in an apartment. Training your Catahoula to live in an apartment consists of crate training, potty training, early socialization, curb their separation anxiety, and so on.
If your Catahoula is living in an apartment, you have to take her out on walks and play fetch outside to burn off energy. Not to mention, Catahoulas are highly energetic dogs and they need regular exercise to cool themselves off.
Are Catahoulas good inside dogs?
Catahoulas can be good inside dogs with proper training and adequate exercise. With moderate to high energy levels Catahoulas need daily physical exercise to burn off extra energy.
Not to mention, Catahoulas are a working breed. So a daily 15 minutes of walk won’t be sufficient for your average Catahoula. They’ll actually need proper physical exercise to wear themselves off.
Moreover, Catahoulas are an intelligent breed. So if you’re deciding to keep her inside, you have to engage her in mental stimulation activities. If not, she might get destructive and there will be behavioral and anxiety issues.
How to work a Catahoula Leopard dog?
The working style of a Catahoula leopard dog is quite different from the rest of the stock dogs. In fact, the Catahoula Leopard can outrun and outfight most other working dogs.
Your Catahoula Leopard dog follows the primitive hunting technique while working. That means, she will hunt cattle for you not herd them. To make her work, you have to adopt the hunting procedure of a Catahoula train her accordingly.
Catahoulas have strong nose trails so they’ll take after the scent of the animal and take the shortest route. They prefer to hunt in a pack. Then, they’ll make a circle around the animal and wait for you to arrive. Once you arrive, they will hand over the animal to you.
Final Thoughts:
You can surely leave your Catahoula Leopard dog by herself with early socialization and proper training. Not to forget, Catahoulas are high-energy dogs so their alone time should include physical and mental stimulation. Thus, you can have a happy Catahoula even when you’re not around.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Are Catahoulas Good Herding or Cattle Dogs?
Are Catahoulas Affectionate? Do They Like To Cuddle?