Dog's Help

Having a pet at home is no less than bliss. But, due to work schedules and hectic lifestyles, people find little time to enjoy the blissful company of their pet. The result? They end up locking their dogs while they are away for work. Even though latchkey treatment may become inevitable for pet owners, it does more harm to your pet than you can actually think of. Let us take a look at some of the negative consequences that your dog has to bear with due to latchkey treatment.

Though latchkey treatment can have several negative effects on your pet, separation anxiety is the worst of them all. Dogs suffering from separation anxiety show wild behavior. They may get extremely anxious on even the slightest indication of getting separation from their owners.

Besides, the dog may even go into depression. This happens as a result of prolonged loneliness. Dogs suffering from depression due to latchkey do not mingle well with others or even their owners. They may not eat properly or even peep or poop just about anywhere.

Dogs that are restricted to solitary confinement for a long period exhibit aggressive behavior. Latchkey dogs tend to get aggressive at the slightest of thing. In some cases, the dogs may even tend to get violent. They even may bite or growl at their owners or others around.

Destructive behavior is another harmful effect of subjecting your pet to latchkey treatment. Dogs that are left alone in the house tend to damage property and things around them. Some pet owners even find their furniture torn or things broken when they return home.

Compulsive barking is also a common trait of latchkey dogs. They tend to bark at anything and everything. Their excessive barking may even become a cause of annoyance for neighbors. If the latchkey treatment is continued for prolonged periods, excessive barking may even culminate into growling.

The socializing behavior of dogs is also affected if they are met with latchkey treatment for a long period of time. Since these dogs have struggled with loneliness, they find it difficult to interact or mingle with others. Such dogs only restrict to themselves and are usually low. They do not exhibit any signs of playfulness.

With this, it would not be untrue to say that latchkey treatment affects your canine quite negatively. Thus, it would only be a wise option to consider other alternatives to latchkey treatments such as doggie day cares, pet sitting services, pet dating and the like.

Try not to make your pet a latchkey dog because this not just affects your pet physically but mentally and psychologically as well.