Doggy Thoughts: What Your Dog Thinks When You Go on Vacation

Are you having thoughts like – will my dog miss me when I go on vacation? Well, here’s a bit of insight into your pet’s mind.

Almost 60 million houses in the USA own a dog. Given that high number (and the fact that you’re reading this post), we’re guessing that you’re among that lucky group of K9 owners.

Over the course of your time as a pet parent, you’ve probably found yourself packing for a weekend getaway and paused to ask yourself, “Will my dog miss me when I go on vacation?””

Dogs have interesting dispositions towards their humans and time that make that question and others related to separation anxiety interesting. To give you some insight, here are four tidbits of information related to leaving your dog for an extended period that are worth reading.

Dogs Do Miss Their Humans When They’re Away

Studies have been conducted that conclusively show that dogs miss their humans when they’re away. If you’re not into reading laborious studies, look no further than the online videos of dogs going crazy when their owners return from war to see our point.

Now when you ask yourself, “Will my dog miss me when I go on vacation?”, you’ll have a scientifically-backed answer!

Dogs Lose Track of Time

You’d think that if you went on a one week vacation, your dogs would miss you more than if you were gone for a day. As it turns out, a dog’s relationship with time makes it so most see one day the same way that they would longer durations.

For example, if you leave your house, wait outside and come back in one-minute, chances are that your dog would be nominally excited to see you. If you left for a day, your dog would be exponentially more happy that you’re home.

But, if you compared the level of excitement that your dog had after one day to one week, you’d see little difference.

Changing Your Dog’s Environment Can Exacerbate Anxiety

The more anxious that your dog feels when you’re away, the worse your time apart will be. That’s why boarding your dog while you’re on vacation can be counter-intuitive to aiding their comfort.

Boarding may be an unavoidable necessity when you’re going out of town. In these cases, we recommend taking the time to acclimate your dog to a boarding location before dropping them off to reduce their stress.

Surrounding Your Dog With Familiar Fixtures Makes Things Better

In a perfect world, when you’re on vacation, you’d leave your dog at home with a familiar family member. In that scenario, your dog would miss you but would be comfortable and pleasantly distracted enough to keep their thoughts focused on making the most out of your time apart.

The time to consider a 2020 cruise is now, so, start making arrangements for a loved one to dog sit and start booking your vacation guilt-free!

Don’t Let Questions Like “Will My Dog Miss Me When I Go on Vacation” Derail Your Fun

Now that you have the answer to, “Will my dog miss me when I go on vacation?”, we hope that you don’t let the answer keep you from taking some time away. Dogs are resilient and by doing small things like placing them in familiar environments, they’ll be fine as they wait for your return.

Our pet-centric publication is committed to providing caring pet parents with answers to their biggest questions. Browse more of our content today to keep fulfilling your need to know!