Signs Your Dog Feels Neglected – Don’t Let Him Be!
We all have those days when we become super busy with work, and when we finally come home or finish work, we will just plonk ourselves somewhere and fall asleep.
And you might even be at home but couldn’t spare a second to even glance at the most loved creature in your home, your puppy. When the situation of the day is going like this, our dogs, unaware of our hectic daily schedule, will naturally feel lonely or neglected.
So what are the apparent signs your dog feels neglected? Some of the most common signs are looking to be too tired or too active, whining, chewing at things around, getting aggressive, and getting into your garbage bin. These are much more prominent when the pet and the owner share a much closer relationship where most of the day is spent together.
While neglecting your pet affects hard on the relationship shared between the owner and the dog, sometimes, we face events where there is nothing else for us to do.
There might be chances that the owner was forced to commit to some other engagements and has no time to spend with the pet.
While your pet might feel the space you are creating between the two of you, an occasional situation like this will not disrupt the relationship entirely.
But you cannot say the same when you neglect the pet continuously without spending a second to spend time with him and tend to your dog’s needs.
While you might get busy some days, it is important to glue the cracks appearing in the pet-owner relationship.
So, even at night, after getting rid of the hectic day’s work, spending at least 5 minutes with the canine, playing with him, petting, and sharing a laugh may make a considerable change in your canine’s day. It will become the best thing that ever happened during his day.
While it is true, it is equally important to pay attention to these signs that your dog feels neglected. They might be subtle and easily missed, but knowing what to look out for may help hold your pet with you.
Most Common Signs Your Dog Feels Neglected
- Distance himself
When a dog feels alone and neglected, many dogs may distance themselves from everybody around, find a corner, and lay there with a sad face.
But, a minority of these dogs around the world will go ballistic and turn on their destruction modes. They will rip out anything and everything they may get their paws on.
- Being quiet
These are coping mechanisms, and they vary according to the personality of the dog. A silent dog may be typically seen rather than a chaotic doggo. But believe us, when a dog goes quiet, there is something wrong.
- Rejecting foods
The next thing you will notice in a dog when he’s feeling lonely is that the doggo is rejecting food. We all know how dogs love to gobble down anything edible.
So when we see a doggo refusing his tasty kibbles, it naturally raises a big red flag to the owners. And the reason, as we know now, is that the owner continuously neglects to interact with the pet.
- Being lethargic
Depression and other mental situations may quickly start heading to the surface, and you will feel that the canine is more tired looking, lethargic, and uninterested in anything, unlike on other days.
- Being destructive
Going through your garbage bin, being destructive, and ripping anything and everything he can get his paws on are two of the other most typical signs your dog feels neglected.
They do this to cope with the loneliness they feel when the owner is not there to interact with the dog and keep him amused.
Whining, barking, and avoiding everybody around are some others that you should keep your eyes peeled out for.
My pet, Sparkles, does the same thing when I’m out of the house. He will find a quiet corner and lay there until I get back home. He will not pay attention to anyone around and show a sluggish appearance.
Individual dogs cope with being neglected by their owners in different ways. So, it is really important that you keep your eyes open and pay attention to the dog every time you can.
Even the littlest, lightest head stroke on your way throughout the house, even if you are super busy, will make his day. And it doesn’t take more than a second to do that.
How To Keep Your Dog From Feeling Neglected?
Dogs love being the centre of attention every single day. They love getting belly rubs, playing with their alphas, going on walks, interacting with doggo friends, etc. And above everything else, they love being loved by their owners.
While you may want to make your four-legged best friend feel loved whenever the pet starts showing signs your dog feels neglected, at the same time, you might also want to keep your house in one piece. So let’s see how you can save the dog from feeling neglected.
It is quite simple, actually. All you must do is dedicate a few hours of the day, which you get 24 hours, for your pet.
You may allocate this time to play with him, have a walk outside, clean him and give him a thorough brushing, feed him, do a little training, and so on and so forth.
Unfortunately, there is no other way you could employ to keep your friend from feeling neglected by you. He needs your attention because you are the centre of his universe in his life.
So no matter how busy you are, at least make sure you sit down and spend a few moments with the one and only living being that makes your life brighter than everybody around.
After all, in my opinion, he deserves to be loved by his owner for all the unconditional love he gives us, don’t you think?
So, this is how you identify signs your dog feels neglected and keep him secure from feeling that way.
When a pet is giving out signs your dog feels neglected, you should immediately jump into action before this feeling causes any damage to the doggo’s mental status and damage the relationship you share with him.
Thank you for reading this post. I hope it answered your burning questions about your dog. Stay tuned with Jack Russell Owner for more interesting posts.