How To Properly Treat Your Dog When Leaving & Upon Entering Your Home
Dogs who must face long periods of time alone should be greeted and left calmly. The owner should not make good-byes dramatic or prolonged, pleading with the dog not to chew or bark. When the owner returns, the dog should be greeted simply but affectionately. Over-dramatic hellos and good-byes often keep dogs on edge. After the owner leaves, the dog is still excited from being petted and cuddled, and possibly pleaded with to "be good." The owner may leave feeling better, but the dog may be on the edge of emotional collapse. Greeting and leaving scenes must not be the high points of the dog-owner relationship.
When it comes to entering your home after being gone, to burst into the house or apartment laden with special treats and then effusively greet the dog may be alleviating some of your own guilt over leaving the animal isolated, but it's a disservice to the dog. The dog's psychological alarm clock tells it when to expect the owner home. The dog gears itself up for the happy moment, the treats, the play session. If, by chance, the owner is late, as is often the case because of subway, bus, or traffic delays, the dog's anticipation can turn into frustration, and its frustration into destructiveness, whining, or barking.