In the doghouse: Owners leave 1.5 million pooches to fend for themselves at home

By Paul Sims


Unhappy: Owners are closing the front door and leaving their pet dogs to look after themselves


As man's best friend they will loyally follow you to the ends of the earth.

But woe betide those owners who close the front door and leave their dogs behind to fend for themselves during the day.

New research claims an estimated 1.5 million pooches in Britain are currently suffering from Home Alone syndrome.


Known as separation distress the condition can leave dogs feeling as traumatised by the whole experience as a young child would be.

As part of one study researchers placed video cameras in the home of 20 dog owners who believed their pets were happy to be left alone.

In fact, the resulting footage showed many of the dogs pacing in circles around the doormat, panting heavily and whining.

One dog was left so distressed by the experience that it had to be sent for a consultation with an animal psychologist, they claimed.

In another study the scientists observed seven litters of Labrador retrievers and five sets of border collie puppies.

Stressed: Puppies suffer from separation distress if their mother's leave the litter for too long


More than half the Labradors and almost half the collies displayed signs of separation distress.

‘Such numbers suggest a real and ongoing crisis for dogs,’ said John Bradshaw, director of the Anthrozoology Institute at Bristol University.

Mr Bradshaw, who has spent 25 years studying behavioural patterns of pets, has detailed the experiments in his forthcoming book, In Defence of Dogs.

The book, due to be published next month, reveals how his own dog Bruno, a black Labrador, also suffered from the condition.

When left home alone his pet chewed up his bed, furniture and even the wallpaper.

Although very rare some dogs have been known to carry out self-harm, such is the ordeal of being left behind.

Often, owners make matters even worse when they return home to find the damage and punish their dog with a smack on the nose.

For their pet will have no idea what it is for.

‘They have a different kind of memory,’ explained Mr Bradshaw. ‘They are not good at thinking backwards and forwards in time.

‘They can remember their litter mates years afterwards when they meet again, but they are not good at reasoning.

‘They cannot think back and realise what they did an hour ago is the reason their owner is cross with them.’

Nevertheless, Mr Bradshaw insists dogs have a range of ‘settings’ for handling their owners that makes them better at understanding of humans than any other species, including chimpanzees.

Dogs are capable of grieving and can identify those in the family who like them the best and offer them the most attention, he claims

Victoria Stilwell, who has become an animal behaviour counsellor in America and even has her own television series, It’s Me or the Dog, said: ‘We mustn’t devalue the capacity that animals have to feel.

‘We should give them the benefit of the doubt.’

There is, however, a cure for Home Alone syndrome. Owners should begin by leaving the dog at home for short intervals, rewarding them when they get back, each time leaving the dog for longer until they can be left all day.


source:dailymail