07/18/2022
When you go to work, or run errands, or go out for the night, how do you leave your dog? Do you tell your dog how much you’ll miss them and that you’ll be back soon? Say I love you a million times?
How about when you come back home? Do you greet your dog before you greet your spouse? Do you get your dog revved up and excited to see you?
On the outside, this seems harmless. You love your dog and you are equally excited to see them after a long day. On the inside though, saying our hellos or goodbyes could be hurting our dogs.
Think about it- when we get our dogs excited and then just leave, what are they supposed to do with all that excitement? Some dogs might choose to become destructive when alone. That excitement could turn into anxiety because we aren’t giving them an outlet.
On the other end, when we greet our dogs enthusiastically when we get home, they get that feel-good dopamine hit. Who doesn’t like that? When our dogs know what is coming when you get home- excitement and play and belly rubs, that creates ANTICIPATION. That anticipation quickly turns into anxiety as our dogs wait and wait and wait for us to return.
If you can leave your dog on a calm note, the chances of your dog just relaxing while home alone are much greater. If you come back home and ignore your dog- then your dog isn’t going to be that excited to see you which will eliminate a big issue that so many owners face- jumping!
If we can make things not a big deal, your dog will not make a big deal out of them.