What to do with your dog when you leave the house

One of the biggest questions that occur to those who plan to own a dog is certainly the fear of leaving them for too long alone in the house because of work. What to do then, to better organize your commitments and avoid finding the house destroyed and a mad dog after you return? There are many small steps that can be taken to educate the dog to your absence.

 

Choose right breed

If we are thinking of getting a dog, and we have no one to take care of them when we are at work, it is essential to choose the most suitable dog. For example, a Jack Russell Terrier, or a Border Collie will not be suitable to be left at home for a long time, because they have way too much energy, and need to be constantly entertained and mentally stimulated.

Recognise separation anxiety

Our dog, once left alone, can suffer from a real separation anxiety, which can lead to some extreme behaviour, including the desire to destroy the house, barking and howling for several hours and, at worst, make his needs on the floor. These attitudes are often minimized by the owners , but they are signals to be reckoned with, indicative of real suffering by the dog.

There is some example of good practises that the dogs’ owner can follow when they leave the dog alone at home.

– Turn on the television to a low volume, so that simulates your presence.

– Leave plenty to drink, so the pup will not get dehydrated

– If there are more than one of you in the household, avoid going out all at once if possible. Try and have someone in the house with the dog as much as possible, so they don’t feel abandoned all the time.

– Turn off all the alarms before you leave the house, if possible, so that there is no noise that could disturb them.

– Do not immediately pamper your dog when you come home. — The dog must recognize you as pack leader.

Following all these little tricks you can accustomise the animal to the idea that your absence is part of the natural course of the day, thus lowering the level of anxiety and avoiding damage to the house and the relationship with them.