Dogs should be happy now - school’s almost out!!!
For many dogs, the end of a school year is an extremely happy time!!! They have missed their buddies who have been school bound for the last 9 or 10 months. When these dogs miss the kids, it results in a type of separation anxiety. In fact, you can refer back to a prior entry on separation anxiety by clicking here.
When a boy named Daniel, who is 11, went back to school last fall, the family’s 4 month old puppy seemed truly depressed. They had played all summer long and the dog really missed his good playmate. According to Daniel’s Mom, the dog began to perk up when he figured out the schedule and would anxiously await Daniel’s arrival home. It is not unusual for dogs to exhibit this type of behavior. They are creatures of habit and also pack animals, so when members of their “pack” are not around when the dogs expect them to be, it causes anxiety, depression, or general malaise in the dogs.
In a related article, the author mentioned that when she left for school several days after returning from summer vacation, her dog would jump their stucco wall and arrive at the school a short time later to be found outside the child’s classroom. The only way that the dog would leave is when the child’s mom came to the school and escorted the dog home.
My father often tells the story of their dog Teddy, who was a collie mix. In those days, the kids walked to school as they lived in the city and there was no bus service. Teddy would walk the kids to school, leave and return at lunch time. Back in the 1920’s and 30’s there were no cafeterias, so the kids would go home for lunch. Teddy would escort the kids back to school after lunch, leave again and return to the school when it was time for the students to be dismissed. Teddy did this on his own without the slightest teaching or training. Remarkable.
Dogs have the same type of devotion today as Teddy did for my father over 75 years ago. So keep in mind when your kids leave for school, or longer, for college, you dog will need to adjust. Keep the dog active, have other members of the family try to interact more with the dog, and perhaps the separation won’t be so difficult for your dog!!
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