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Just as modern life impacts our own health, it can affect the lives and routines of our dogs, too. Spending more time at the office or working longer hours results in our dogs spending more time alone, which can lead to separation anxiety and boredom-related behaviours.
We also take more (and longer) holidays away, which can also deprive them of human company and affect their physical and mental wellbeing.
Dogs that suffer from separation anxiety often have an over-attachment to the owner, and so longer periods of time alone with no social contact can produce behaviours associated with this condition, from destructive behaviour within the home to self-inflicted trauma, inappropriate elimination (house soiling) and excessive vocalisation (generally whining, barking and howling).
Owners sometimes use walks as an opportunity to return calls, but this often results in less interaction with our dogs.
For busy owners, dog walks are also an opportunity to reply to a few messages or emails, or return phone calls. The problem is that this normally results in shorter walks (where the dog is just walked around the block on a lead), or if the dog is taken to a park for exercise, owners can be so pre-occupied with their phone that they show little or no interaction with their pets.
It is no wonder that our dogs can find modern life stressful. With less time being exercised, dogs will soon become bored, and this can produce behaviours such as bin raiding, a rise in hyperactivity and excitability when the owner is at home.
When out walking and off-lead, dogs can display excessive predatory and social play, which in turn leads to play biting and rough play with other dogs.
There are many ways in which we can help our dogs in modern society and prevent some of the behaviours mentioned above. Here are just a few:
Jackie Murphy is one of the UK's leading dog behaviour specialists with over 10 years' experience in behaviour training. She runs the Specialist Dog Training and Behaviour Centre in Borden, Kent.
Find out more about Jackie Murphy.
Healthspan pet supplements are not intended to replace a well-balanced diet for your pet.