Introduction
When dogs are boarded they will often miss their owners. Unless a dog has a cognitive disorder, chances are that your dog will not forget you.
Helping Your Dog Cope With Your Absence
Anyone who has worked at a veterinarian clinic will testify that dogs miss their owners when they are boarded. Dogs tend to do better at a boarding facility when they have mementos from home such as toys, blankets, and a shirt or blanket that carries their owner’s smell. Many dogs mope for the first day or so of their boarding, and they may not eat as much as they normally do. Boarding facilities that offer a lot of individual attention and plenty of exercise and play time can help to reduce a dog’s feelings of depression or anxiety when they are being boarded.
The Reunion
When dogs are reunited with their owners, whether they have been boarding for one day or one month, they display a huge amount of happiness and excitement when they see their owners again. Dogs often hear when their owners come into the clinic by recognizing their voice or footsteps, and they begin to bark or try frantically to get out of their kennel. Once they are freed, it’s all the dog can do to reach their owners open arms.
Pet owners that have to board their dogs for an extended amount of time should not worry that their dog will forget them. Dogs that have been separated from their owners for years still remember their owners when they see them again. This has been documented time and time when pet owners are reunited with their lost dogs.