If the jingle of dog tags and patter of four paws follows you everywhere you go these days, your pup is probably loving all the extra time you’re spending at home. But these habits won’t last forever — eventually, you and your household will spend more time away, and you could start to see signs that your dog is feeling some separation anxiety.
Maybe you’ve clicked on this article because you already know your pup needs help coping with your absences. That’s a great first step, says Niwako Ogata, a veterinarian researching pet mental health at Purdue University. Even 10 years ago, surveys assessing pet anxiety found that owners would see the symptoms in their dogs but rarely look to help them, an attitude that has drastically changed. “People are paying attention to other species’ pain or suffering,” Ogata says. “I have hope that people are getting better, slowly.”
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