9 Signs Your Dog Misses You While You’re Gone
by mylifewithpets | Last updated on October 26, 2021
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You may think it’s hard to say how much your dog misses you when you’re gone, but you’d be surprised.
Even though dogs can’t talk, they’re very good at communicating how they feel, as long as you know what signs to look.
Well, we’re about to tell you what to watch out for in order to know if your dog misses you.
How Long Should You Leave Your Dog Home Alone?
We’ll start by saying you should never leave your home alone for longer than 4 straight hours a day.
This time window decreases to 2 hours if you’re leaving him crated, because he’ll need to drink water and pee.
If it’s a puppy, 2 to 3 hours is the maximum we recommend.
Either way, make sure to create potty spaces as well as a water bowl to keep your dog hydrated.
Is Your Dog Suffering From Separation Anxiety?
People often throw around the term, but it’s actually something very serious.
Separation anxiety is a medical condition and, while it can vary from mild to extreme, it requires immediate action in order to help the dog.
It isn’t just being unhappy, bored or missing you, we’re talking about stress and suffering, leading to dogs hurting themselves because of it.
It’s also a condition that can become hard to deal with, leading to people giving up their on their dogs and abandoning them, which is the worst possible solution to a solvable problem.
How to Deal With Your Dog’s Separation Anxiety
While it’s a serious and complicated condition, it can be dealt with.
For mild signs of separation anxiety, you’ll probably be able to teach your dog to stay home alone calmly, thus removing the anxiety out of the equation and solving the issue for your dog.
If it’s something more serious and your dog is showing serious signs of separation anxiety, like destructive behavior and full on stress, the best way to go about it is searching for professional help.
Both your vet and a dog trainer should be able to help formulate a plan for helping your dog and living a happy, peaceful life with your best friend.
9 Signs Your Dog is Missing You
Setting the separation anxiety scenario aside, we’re about to let you know what to look for to discover if your dog is missing you while you’re away.
We’ll also provide tips and tricks to help your dog cope with being alone in the best possible way.
Because, even though we’d spend all our time with our dogs if we could, there is just no way for that to happen. What we can do is make sure they endure our absence as calmly as possible.
#1 Crying When You Leave
This is a pretty obvious sign.
If your dog starts crying the moment he realizes you’re about to leave, he’ll miss you.
Also, odds are he’ll be crying after you leave.
Some do it for a few minutes while other, more anxious dogs, can do it for as long as it takes you to return. Which is terrible for your neighbors.
Our dogs used to drive our neighbors crazy too, until we did our best to keep them busy while we were away and also have them associate being alone with things they love, like food!
What we learned to do is: when we’re about to leave, we offer the a Kong to play/eat.
If you do it enough times, they’ll know to expect it and, though sad to see you go, they’ll also be excited for the Kong.
We always try to surprise them with the Kong Fillers we use in order to stop them from getting bored. Also, we make sure that it takes them as long as possible to empty the Kong, in order to keep them busy for longer.
#2 Taking Your Belongings
For our dog Dobby, nothing was better than stealing out pajamas and sleeping on them while we were gone.
Some dogs prefer socks or shoes, it can vary but the point is the same: having something that smells like you.
In order to feel comforted and closer to their humans, some dogs will cuddle with it, others will chew and destroy it.
You must accept this behavior for what it is and not punish your dog because he misses you.
You can also gain control of what your dog takes and make sure it isn’t something you’ll miss terribly.
We chose a couple of old sweaters. We’d wear them for a couple of hours, then leave them for Dobby to cuddle to on his bed or the couch.
Your dog will not only love it, but also feel calmer while you’re away because of it.
#3 Not Acknowledging That You’re Leaving Nor That You’ve Returned
This is actually the best reaction your dog can have, one when he doesn’t even acknowledge you’ve left!
It doesn’t mean he wouldn’t rather be with you, he’s just not anxious or stressed that you’re gone because he knows you’ll return and there is nothing to worry about.
It’s a sign of a stable, confident dog and it’s something we should really wish for our dogs!
This is different from purposefully ignoring you when you come back because they’re sulking.
Our cats do this, they’ll even turn their backs to us for effect, to make sure we know we’re being given the could shoulder.
It’s nothing a cuddle session or a tasty treat won’t solve.
Related: 7 Signs Your Dog Really Trusts You
#4 Making a Mess
This is everything you don’t want your dog to do while you’re away.
It happens when your dog becomes so upset that you left that he engages in destructive behavior or decides to pee or poop somewhere he knows he isn’t supposed to.
This isn’t the same as taking the opportunity of being alone to do things you wouldn’t allow them to, like going through the trash or rummaging for food.
It’s downright negative, destructive, know-they’re-being-naughty behavior.
One of our Jack Russels will still create a few pee puddles or destroy a pillow when we leave and he’s particularly mad about it.
But if your dog is going all out, destroying your home and sometimes even getting hurt in the process, it’s a tell-tale sign that he isn’t just upset, he’s probably suffering from separation anxiety.
One of the best ways to prevent this from happening is to crate train your dog.
Contrary to popular belief, a crate is not a doggy jail, it’s their haven.
When you crate train your dog properly, he’ll love his crate and feel very safe and peaceful there.
It will easily be one of his favorite places in your home.
So it will go a long way in making your dog feel less anxious as well as keeping him from being naughty while you’re away.
Don’t forget, though, dogs aren’t meant to be crated for more than 2 to 3 hours a day.
#5 A Lot of Excitement When You Return
And by that we mean REALLY excited.
Like zoomies, jumping, twirling, whatever your dog does when he’s the most happy.
Like he’s releasing all the energy he accumulated during your absence.
It means it’s play time or for going for a walk or… what the heck, just do both, he deserves it!
#6 Staying in The Exact Same Place Where You Left Him
It’s heart-breaking, arriving home after hours away only to find your dog has stood in the exact same position he was when you left.
Like he misses you so much he just doesn’t know what to do with himself while he’s without you.
Even if you try to coax him with toys and treats, nothing will work, it’s like his life hits pause until you’re back.
Well, we’ve found something that may change that.
Doggy cameras that allow you to, not only watch your dog, but also to talk to him and even to throw him some treats is the perfect way to make your dog feel closer to you, even when you’re away.
And, for those occasions when it’s just not possible to do it on your own, you can get Alexa to do it for you.
Related: 10 Simple Ways to Keep Your Dog Busy For Hours
#7 Standing By The Door Waiting For You
It’s a bit better than the last one, but it’s still pretty sad to see and it’s something many dogs do.
They’ll eat and drink and may even fall asleep, but they will always return to stand guard by the door, waiting for you to return.
He’ll just fixate on that door, like willing you to return sooner rather than later.
It’s hard to stop a dog from doing this but we did find that using the doggy camera to speak with our dogs while we’re away keeps them from fixating on that door and helps lower the anxiety.
#8 Leaning Against You As Soon As You Walk in the Door
Having a dog leaning against you is a sign of love and trust.
They feel comforted for being close to you and do it often.
Doing it as soon as you arrive, it’s a clear sign that they missed you and are very happy you’re finally back.
And, let’s admit it, we love those warm doggy welcomes after a long day away.
#9 Following You Everywhere
Your dog follows you around the house since the moment you arrive.
Wherever you go, he follows.
He’s not only happy to see you back but he’s also making sure you don’t leave again without him.
Dogs glue themselves to us to make sure we don’t leave their sights, specially after so much time away (even if it’s just 5 minutes, to your dog, it’s too long).
Good luck getting past your dog’s stalking after that!
Related: 14 Surprising Ways Dogs Show Love to Humans
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