What Do Dogs Think When You Leave the House? Do They Miss You?
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Published 2023-04-04
Do they think you have abandoned them? Do they feel confused?
And have you ever wondered what dogs think of humans? Do our dogs know we’re humans, or do they think we’re just larger dogs?
Keep watching for a thorough breakdown of what’s happening inside your dog’s mind and
In general, leaving the house can cause separation anxiety in dogs. Research suggests that eight out of 10 dogs find it hard to cope when left alone.
Dogs are social pack animals. Therefore, they become upset and stressed when they are separated from their human family.
That said, if you frequently leave the house to go to work or school, your dog learns your routine and will expect you to leave and return at a certain time.
Although dogs don't wear watches, they do have their own internal clocks and concept of time.
But remember, if you have adopted a new dog to your family and you leave them alone at home, they may feel confused or abandoned because they are yet to become accustomed to your schedule.
Do dogs know how long you've been gone?
Studies have been conducted on whether dogs can judge how long their owners have been gone, and if they miss their humans more intensely with time.
One experiment in 2011 conducted by Swedish researchers placed cameras that recorded how dogs reacted when their humans were away for half an hour, two hours, and four hours.
The experiment showed that dogs greeted their owners with greater excitement when their humans left them alone for two hours as opposed to just half an hour, which suggests that dogs can, indeed, tell the difference between these times.
However, dogs did not react differently when their humans were gone for two hours versus four hours.
What this tells us is that dogs feel time differently to us. While your dogs do have some concept of longer versus shorter time spans, they won't understand exactly how long you were away.
What Do Dogs Think About All Day?
Have you ever wondered what dogs think about?
Scientist believe the way dogs think is probably very different from the way we do.
We humans have many structures that help us interpret the ideas and thoughts we have, but dogs don’t.
For example, dogs do not have "language" because they don't have the Wernicke, a language processing center in their brain, so they cannot comprehend language.
The small amount of scientific research out there on dogs’ brains leads us to believe that dogs can only think subconsciously. They can draw upon memories to guide future behavior, however they do not come up with their own thoughts or ideas about a situation.
Therefore, when your dog is chilling out, they are not thinking about anything in particular.
What Do Dogs Think About When They Stare?
It all depends on what the dog is staring at.
If your dog is staring at another dog, they might not be thinking. Instead, they are staring to assert dominance.
If your dog is staring at you, that’s a very different story.
More often than not, dogs watch you to understand what you’re doing.
Dogs also stare at our eyes to express love
Do dogs know that we are not dogs?
Even though dogs come in a wide variety of body shapes and sizes, dogs can tell instantly whether they’re interacting with another dog or a human.
Studies have found that dogs have a mental category for humans. If they identify a creature as falling in that category, they treat them differently.
Dogs can even differentiate between dogs and non-dog animals, by visual observation. In a 2013 study, researchers at The University of Paris found that dogs were able to separate the images of dogs from non-dogs.
Do dogs really miss us when we are gone?
Scientists gave the dogs five scents. The scent of a familiar and strange human, the scent of a familiar and strange dog, and the dogs’ own scent.
Interestingly, when the dogs smelt the scent of a familiar human, the caudate nucleus of their brains lit up - a region associated with positive expectations and rewards.
Another study published in Behavioral Processes looked at how dogs’ behavior changed around people with different levels of familiarity.
In one of the experiments, scientists put dogs in an unfamiliar room with three human participants - their owner, a familiar person, and a stranger.
When the human participants left the room, scientists observed that the dogs would wait behind a door that THEIR OWNER went through, and not the other humans.
While research is ongoing, combining the knowledge of dogs loving their humans and the studies we have leads to the belief that dogs do in fact miss us when we're gone.
Do dogs get bored?
Dogs are intelligent animals—and, just like any other intelligent animal, dogs need a certain level of stimulation in order to feel engaged. If they go too long without that level of stimulation, boredom is going to kick in.
All Comments (21)
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When I get home from work, I always find my sock or something that belongs to me in my dog bed. How sweet.
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It is so true how quickly they get used to even new routines. My husband has switched shifts 3 times in the past year. It took no time for the dogs to fall into new routines when he is sleeping at a different time than I am, and leaving in the middle of the night. This began only a month ago too. Even my neighbor’s dog, whom I absolutely adore, would wait for me to walk home from work at the same time everyday. My neighbor said she would go to the window and watch for me. I had no idea , until then, that other dogs watch the neighbors and their schedules too. Smart creatures, they! ❤
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Life with a dog is way more fulfilled than life without one. I'm a worry-wart and an over-thinker so I stress myself out a lot and having my best little furry friend reminds me to stay present, patient, and grateful. My dogs are my family too. When I was a kid, my dog was like my brother. Now that I'm older, my newer dog is like my kid and it's awesome.
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I love dogs so much! It is almost like we dont deserve them :(
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My dog breaks my heart every time i leave the house. He is calm but doesn’t eat drink or do much of anything. . I usually am back in less than 8 hours. He doesn’t destroy things or behave in a stressed way. But i hate leaving him . He has full run and tv on his favorite show
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My Dog thinks Way more than this. She's literally Telepathic. I can't even Spell Words around Her. She still knows what I'm saying. NOTHING gets past Her and She shows Great Emotion while I'm talking to Someone. She also My Service Dog. Small but She is My Service Dog 🐕🦺 🐕 ❤ ♥ 💙 💓
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Remarkable how we bond with our dogs.
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you can see the love in their eyes.
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I got a new doggy buddy for my pug, best decision ever. Having company has really mellowed him out when we have to leave.
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I’ve had labs and loved them so. Have one now. I read something today that made me so sad but reminded me to appreciate the time with my pooch. Dogs will give you years of happiness and joy… and one day of terrible, horrible pain.
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I had a cam on my poodle/sheepdog mix while I worked when she was younger. I crate trained her then I left the crate door open she would still settle in her crate to sleep eventually she moved to the couch until the kids got home from school. Id be home within an hour after that. Didn't seem like she had anxiety but she always 100% was excited to see them and me when we got home. If she ever got nervous she would run into her crate as a safe space.
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I’ve had dogs for a long time and I still learned somethings from you . Thank you!
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Since I'm retired and a stay at home dog lover, based on a set daily routine, she knows (to the nearest 15 minutes) when it's time for dinner, time for computer time and bedtime. But spontaneous activities like going for walks, grooming time or going to the vet time, she would watch once i grab her leash, it's field trip time.
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I have a question, not a comment. My seven year old dog suddenly became very ill and passed away while I was out of town for cancer treatment for three weeks. She was with family members while I was gone. I have felt very guilty ever since and have wondered if she was wondering why I wasn't there to help her. Was she thinking in had abandoned her? Was she sad that I wasn't there to help her? My heart still breaks. I had no idea when I left town that I'd never see her again. I still have so much grief over this.
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My GSD definitely knows my routine and many times anticipates my next move or location at home.
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I love them all - they are such wonderful creatures 💕
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thanks a LOT for the USEFUL information SERIOUSLY
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Now I find some of this a little out there. I have spent more time with dogs since I was a baby till now at 60. I have had a lot of dogs from hunting dogs, herd dogs, and mixed breed house pets to my current King Charles Cavalier Spaniels. My Australian cattle dogs you could watch them process their thoughts (brilliant animals) .My beagles were not as bright but made that up with loving loyalty. The coonhounds would pass their time with little interest in attention until the first fall night they wanted to be out on the trail of raccoon. Then, by the first snow, the interest passed until a January thaw and back to the woods. My Cavaliers seem to know what I'm going to do before I do. They certainly seem to have a better grasp of time. Each dog that has been in my life has had their own personality and quirks. I first and foremost allow them to be dogs. Dogs hate coustems, bandana, hats or other things that humans seem to feel compelled to make them do. We must remember they have pack instinct and view their human as the head of the pack and with that comes our responsibility. We should never leave them alone without a old tee-shirt or other artical of clothing that has not been laundered where they like to sleep. It gives them comfort to have our scent in lue of our personal attention.
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I found that setting up my couch so my Chihuahua can look out the window when I’m gone helps a lot. Or, get a second dog if you’re going to be gone more than an hour. Please don’t crate dogs alone all day or leave them without some kind of stimulation. Having a family member or friend break up the time away helps a lot too. ❤
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Funnily enough I had a Brittany Beagle mix and she had SA, she'd recognise my car engine when I pulled up. The current dog I have which is my fiancee's often only follows her and when I'm around only sees me as his feeder/walker. He's a Foxie that likes walking but would prefer staying by his owner to going out at times.
