If your dog does not seem to miss you, when you’re gone, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it. This post will show you a number of possible causes and what you can do about them.
So, why doesn’t my dog miss me when I’m gone? Common reasons why your dog does not miss you when you’re gone are tiredness, depression, injury or illness, or naturally being independent.
There are actually multiple reasons why your dog might have been doing it and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are a number of things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are a number of things you can do about it.
Why your dog does not miss you
Below are a number of possible causes and what would make each of them more likely to be the main cause.
Tiredness
A possible cause is that something has been causing it to be tired when you are away. It might be due to an illness, having difficulty sleeping at night or an issue with its diet. If it is constantly tired, the best option would be to take it to a vet.
It’s not hungry
Often, when dogs miss their owners, it is because they are hungry. The reason why your dog does not seem to miss you might be that it is not hungry. This would be more likely if it does get excited when you arrive home but you have not already fed it.
Depression
Dogs can become depressed and it might be the reason why yours has been seeming not to miss you. This would be more likely if it started behaving differently way since an event that might have caused it to start being depressed such as an owner or another pet dying. It would also be more likely if it has not been getting excited at all.
In this case, if it does not begin to improve over the course of a few weeks, it would help to take it to a vet.
You’re not the one that feeds or walks it
If your dog has been giving more attention to someone else since you stopped feeding and walking it, the cause could be that it is hoping to get food or exercise from the other person. In this case, if you start feeding and exercising it, yourself, again it will likely start giving you more attention.
Injury or illness
Another possible cause could be that it has an injury or illness that has been causing it to be less active. This would be more likely if it has started behaving differently suddenly and if it has been showing other signs of being ill or injured. In this case, the best option would be to take it to a vet.
Nature
It might also be the case that it does not show much affection naturally. This would be more likely if your dog has always not seemed to miss you and it has not been behaving unusually in other ways as well.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider about your dog not missing you while you are away.
It might be the case that your dog does actually miss you
It might be the case that your dog has actually been showing you affection but you have not been noticing it.
Examples of ways that your dog be showing you affection would be if:
- It keeps the pace with you when out on a walk
- Comes to you when you call it
- It follows you around
- It noses you which is where it sniffs you with its nose a lot
- It doesn’t like it when you leave
- It licks you
- It jumps up at you
- It leans on you
What happened when your dog stopped missing you
If your dog has suddenly stopped seeming to miss you, it would help to consider what else happened when it stopped doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it might be due to you intimidating it, illness, injury, you stopped giving it attention, or something causing it to become depressed.
What is different when your dog does seem to miss you
If your dog does seem to miss you sometimes, it would help to consider what is different when it does it. For example, if it does it when a certain person or animal is not around, it might be the case that it is afraid of that person or animal.
What to do about your dog not missing you
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Be the one to exercise and feed it
It would help to ensure that you are the one that feeds it and gives it exercise most of the time. Doing so should get it to pay more attention to you and to be more excited to see you.
Ensure it is not injured
If your dog has been showing signs of being ill or injured or it has started behaving very unusually, the best option would be to take it to a vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your particular dog and to rule out medical causes.
Ensure it is getting the right diet
It might be the case that an issue with its diet has been causing it to feel more sleepy. It would help to ensure that you have been feeding it the correct amounts, that it has not been eating things it shouldn’t be and that no one else has been feeding it without telling you.
Give it attention throughout the day
It would also help to give your dog attention, throughout the day, in the form of training, exercise, and by playing with it. By doing so, it should get your dog to miss you more and to be more excited to see you because it will be hoping to get rewards.