If you’ve ever been a dog owner, you know how difficult it is to spend time away from your pup. Routine separation as a result of everyday life is inevitable and becomes manageable over time. You may be wondering, however, about the effects a lengthy separation might have on your relationship with your dog.
Sometimes, life puts you in certain circumstances that, unfortunately, force you to rely on long-term boarding options for your pooch. It’s understandable for you to worry about whether your bond will suffer from the prolonged distance. You can rest easy though, knowing that the evidence suggests your dog will not soon forget their favorite human!
Research indicates dogs can remember their owners after long periods apart.
Scientists have recently begun to study in greater detail how our canine friends form memories. Unlike humans, who have an episodic memory based on time, dogs create memories through association. Your pup remembers people, environments, objects, and even certain situations based on what happened in their presence and how it made them feel.
For example, if your dog sees you pick up their leash, they get excited because they know when you put their leash on it’s time to go for a walk.
Dogs recognize people primarily through sight and smell.
Just like us, dogs rely heavily on facial recognition to identify humans they remember. That’s why they gaze at you so intently all the time, aside from unconditional love, of course—to familiarize themselves with your distinctive features!
Of course, like most animals, your pooch can recognize you and other familiar people based on scent. A dog’s sense of smell is about 40 times stronger than ours, giving them an incredible olfactory memory bank in which they can file away your scent.
You can tell if a dog remembers you based on their behavior.
Reading your pup’s body language is the key to determining how he’s feeling. That’s why we can observe a dogs’ behavior and conclude that he recognizes someone. Abused dogs, for example, have been known to react fearfully or aggressively when in the presence of people with similar physical characteristics of their abusers—such as a ponytail or combat boots.
Similar, but positive, observations are frequently made when soldiers return home from deployment. You’ll often come across a heartwarming video on social media of someone in uniform being tackled with kisses and affection after reuniting with their four-legged best friends!
Provide your dog with a place of comfort while you have to be apart.
Life can often be unpredictable. If you find yourself in a situation that requires you to leave your dog for an extended time, leave them in the most loving and well-equipped hands available.
At Silver Streak Kennels, we it is our priority to make every dog feel right at home for as long as they need until you can be reunited once again. Trust the professionals at Silver Streak to care for your pooch, so you can feel confident that you’ll pick up right where you left off!