Your dog misses you when you are away, do you know why?

Those who have a dog or have ever had a dog will know perfectly well that when they get home their pet is waiting for them. If you are one of the lucky ones who has been able to benefit from the company of a dog, this is sure to sound like you, Well, when you open the door of your home, you see him arrive from the living room, hurried, to be able to launch you.

Dogs are excellent company and, although some may not understand it, they create a close relationship with their caregivers. To the point of giving his life for him. But does a dog really miss its owner when he is away? What happens inside his furry little head when he's away? In today's article you will find out.

How dogs understand the absence of their owner

Surely on the internet you have seen thousands of videos that have gone viral in which you can see dogs behaving like humans. Some cry when they hear sad songs, others even sing to the rhythm of the melody.

But do you really seem to understand that the song you are listening to is about the 

heartbreak? Are dogs as smart as humans? Possibly not, but this behavior is the result of associative learning.

Dogs have the same emotional competence as a three-year-old

Scientists have proven that, like humans, dogs have a greater capacity to remember when there are emotional ties in these memories. And it seems to be, at least the researchers say, that dogs have the same emotional competence as a three-year-old child.

They are capable of feeling emotions such as happiness, love or anger, and, as you have surely seen yourself, they are surprised and afraid. However, according to the same study, they are not capable of feeling some socially complex emotions, such as pride.

Regarding the topic we are addressing today, Dogs may not fully understand their owner's absence, but they are likely to miss him. According to Stanley Coren, professor at the University of British Columbia and author of the book The Wisdom of Dogs: “The emotional life of dogs is very similar to that of a child of two or three years. Children at these ages show love, enjoyment, fear, anger or surprise, but they do not usually show emotions of a higher level such as shame ”.

Dogs receive their owners more intensely when more time has passed

It is clear that the dog is excited when he sees his master arrive. But if you are not there, do you know how long it has been? The truth is that dogs can tell the difference between 10 minutes and 10 hours without having a watch.

That affirms a study carried out in 2011 by Therese Rehn and Linda Keeling. In their research they found that, after 2 hours, the dogs acted more intensely when they saw their owners. This suggests that dogs do miss their owners when they are not around them. However, there were no significant differences between the 2 and 4 hours of absence of the owner.

A special relationship between dogs and their owners

And it is that the relationship between a dog and a man is not just any relationship. Affection is visible on many occasions. But it is surprising that this relationship even goes further for many individuals: it becomes a therapeutic relationship.

The dog is the most used animal within the Animal Assisted Therapies (TAA)Since it is a close and easily educable animal, it can help patients from different groups: children, adolescents, the elderly, the mentally ill... individually and in groups.

The benefits of dog therapy

The dogs, therefore, They are useful in this regard because they help improve the health and well-being of patients and provide them with a very valuable company. In order to Boris levinson, a psychologist who has conducted research to learn more about the benefits of dog therapy, affirms that “dogs are not only a pleasant therapy, but also have benefits on a physical, psychological and Social.

Therefore, patients who benefit from this type of therapy show:

• A better state of mind
• Increased attention
• Less depression and monotony
• Less feeling of loneliness
• Lower levels of anxiety and stress
• Greater social and physical contact
• They have an incentive and motivation
• They perceive the therapy as pleasant
• They develop leisure skills
• Greater mental stimulation

If you want to continue reading about this form of therapy, you can read our article: "The benefits of dog therapy".