What Do Dogs Feel When You Leave The House

Have you ever wondered what happens to your dog when you leave him alone at home? If you still haven’t been able to find an answer to this question, it is surely because upon your return you have found everything exactly as you left it. In this case it is likely that your pet has been quiet sleeping or spending time with his toys. However, sometimes on returning home it is possible to see a series of damage to furniture, papers, clothes… which suggests a completely different answer. You can even find excrement or urine in the most unexpected places, as well as having to put up with the complaints of the neighbors about your dog’s barking too much. Surely your pet has suffered from separation anxiety, a disorder that affects around 18% of dogs.

Evidence of what a dog feels when its owners leave the house

An article published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior talks about the work of a group of scientists who recorded images of 30 dogs of different ages left alone for 90 minutes. The study found that those animals that had not previously exhibited separation anxiety symptoms exhibited passive, resting or sleeping behavior most of the time. Other less common reactions were to play or look around and, to a much lesser extent, whining, howling or barking.

On the other hand, a study carried out by a group of experts from the University of Bristol, England, showed that 85% of the animals that were left alone in the house were suffering from some kind of suffering. From separation anxiety to an increase in cortisol in the blood, the stress hormone.

In recent months, a video dating back to last year has depopulated on YouTube and has already obtained 17 million views. The video shows the anguish of a dog left alone in the house. The animal howls in an excruciating way and at the same time looks out of the window at its owner who is moving away, and then goes to the owner’s bed, without stopping crying, trying to calm down a little with the smell of his owner.

These strong images were obtained through a chamber placed in the dog’s collar by his owner, who wanted to understand how his pet felt when he was left alone. Upon seeing the recording, the owner admitted that it was the saddest scene he had ever witnessed, and added: “I can never leave him alone again.”

It is undeniable that the pace of life nowadays leads us to spend more and more time outside the home for various reasons, forcing us to leave our pets inevitably alone. So some of them are starting to suffer from separation anxiety. And even if we can’t become slaves to our animals to fight our guilt, it’s not a good alternative to bring them back to the dog shelter where we adopted them, as often happens in the face of damage.

Tips when leaving the dog alone

If your pet also falls into the category of dogs that can’t stand being alone, talk to your veterinarian urgently. He will be able to indicate the steps to follow and, if necessary, will provide him with some kind of medicine. The most important thing in all cases is to try to figure out how to make your dog suffer as little as possible.

• Change your routine every day so that you don’t associate certain actions with your estrangement.
• Take him for a walk before leaving him alone so that he gets tired and relaxed.
• Get him toys to distract him.
• Put some slow music on him so he can feel company.
• Even if it sounds cruel, ignore your pet when you leave the house and when you come back. Only in this way will you be able to decrease his anxiety and excitement.
• Only greet him when he has calmed down.

Keep in mind that teaching a dog to stay home alone will take time and perseverance. You will have to arm yourself with patience and tolerance, ignoring his missteps and rewarding him with caresses and rewards every time he makes one forward. In this way, you can finally leave the house in peace, knowing that your dog is calm and relaxed despite your absence.