Find food that fits your pet’s needs
Leaving a dog home alone is never easy. Your furry friend will start to whine, pace around the door and beg for attention before you leave the house. While they may seem quiet once you close the front door, who knows what dogs do when youre not home. If youve come home to a few messes and even a few inexplicable situations, you may wish you could be a fly on the wall to watch your pets without them knowing youre there. Lets dive into some of the most common things dogs do while home alone.
Wondering what dogs so when youre not home? Most dogs spend a lot of their time catching some Zs. When youre not home to keep your pet busy, theyll likely find a comfortable place to cuddle up and take a siesta. If youre gone for a longer period of time, your pet might even take a few naps.
According to the American Kennel Club, dogs are known to sleep half (or more) of the day, with puppies and senior dogs needing extra sleep to “recharge their batteries.” If you think your dogs lying down too much, know that your pet may not be sleeping the whole time. They may be content simply lounging.
After a nice nap, your pets probably ready to play. But what do dogs do when youre not home when it comes to playing? Some pets will play with the toys left out for them, so make sure they have access to different types of toys to stimulate their brain. If you have other pets at home, they may even play together.
If youre worried about your dog getting enough exercise when youre out, consider hiring a dog walker.
While many dogs are ready to eat the second the food hits the bowl, some dogs are more grazers than others. They may wait to eat after you leave or just go throughout their day eating small bits at a time. For dogs that are grazers, make sure that you are still feeding them the appropriate amount. Dogs that dont seem to be eating their food may be picky eaters or may have an underlying condition that causes them to not be hungry. Talk to your vet if youre concerned with your dogs eating habits.
Do you have a rule against dogs on your bed? If so, you might want to check your comforters for fur. When youre not home, youre pet may very well be doing exactly what they know is against the rules when youre present. That means jumping up onto counters, nosing around for snacks in the pantry, or worse — eating from the cats litter box.
Unless you set up a surveillance camera in your home, you cant know exactly what your pup is up to whenever you arent around. And, to be honest, that surveillance video might end up being pretty boring. What your dog is most likely doing is just biding their time until you, or someone else in the family, walks through the front door. Theyre social animals, and they dont like to be left alone – so that means that when you arent there, theyre most likely sleeping to pass the time.
Dog trainer Kathy Santo told Good Housekeeping, “[Dogs with separation anxiety] dont do well when left alone for long periods, and if you have one, Im guessing you already know what they do when youre out, because youve had to replace the bedroom carpet and the kitchen baseboards (twice).” Dogs that struggle with being alone are more prone to accidents, or they might find something to chew on that they definitely arent supposed to chew on.
Overall, though, you can probably rest easy knowing that your dog. is just hanging out, sleeping, relaxing, and taking in the sights from the window while they await your arrival. Doesnt that make you want to go home right now to give them a hug? More like this
If you come home to find that your dog has destroyed something or, maybe even worse, left little surprises for you on the. floor, then you might want to consider hiring someone to give them some company. You dont need to get a full-time dog sitter, but maybe having someone come by to walk them for an hour or so would help them get their energy out and allow them to just, you know, sleep while they wait for you. Of course, you can also talk to your vet if the behavior issues really become a big problem.
If you have a dog of your own, then chances are good that, at some point, youve sat around and wondered what exactly they do at home when you arent around. You know what they do when youre there: they probably stick by your side the entire time, whether theyre eating, begging for food, taking a nap, trying to cuddle, or trying to get you to play with them. You might see them play fight with any other animals in the house or get totally attached to their own little toys. But what do dogs do when youre not home? Are they lonely and bored, or are they perfectly fine?
Why an Old Dog Won’t Sleep at Night
“Sleep disruptions can be from a variety of causes, often medical in nature,” Dr. Crosby says. “Causes range from gastrointestinal trouble to urinary system infection to early stages of dementia.”
Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, MRCVS, DACVB, section head and program director of the Animal Behavior Department of Clinical Sciences at the Cummings Veterinary Medical Center at Tufts University in North Grafton, Massachusetts, distills the potential medical issues further into two categories:
14 Signs Your Dog Doesn’t Love You (Even if You Think They Do)
Have you discovered that when it comes to bedtime, you’re far more dog-tired than your dog? If your old dog won’t sleep at night, it may be indicative of some underlying health problems.
The good news is that there are solutions that can help some senior dogs get the rest they need.
“All dogs, but especially senior dogs who experience a change in sleep behavior, specifically waking up at night, should be examined by their veterinarian sooner rather than later,” says Janet Tobiassen Crosby, DVM. “I would check in with your vet after a night or two of disrupted sleep, depending on how upset your dog is and other signs seen.”