I wish more people regarded their family fuzzies as friends, not mere pets. If you spend time and bond with them, cats and dogs can be the most loving and rewarding people you know.
They’re more like kids than friends, since friends don’t usually rely on you to survive. They’re call fur babies for a reason.
I think of my cat as an actual full-grown member of our family…of course she’s older now, but I want her to feel she’s as well regarded and cared about as anyone else. My in laws were just here, and they treat the cat like a pet - meaning, they disregard her presence and never even once noticed her at all. I dote on her, but maybe I’m a bit prejudiced because she’s so cute…!
Nooooo You are just training them to try harder and harder
As cute as that sounds, for dogs, reducing separation anxiety is counterintuitive.
The more emotional both departing and returning is. The more it hurts them when you leave, the more separation anxiety develops.
In an ideal world, when you leave your dog for the day, saying nothing when going and a professionally distant “greetings puppy” when you return will reduce anxiety for a dog when left alone. This doesn’t work by itself; you have to teach them to be alone slowly and carefully.
While I agree with you about the unceremonious departings, I firmly believe that when you’re reunited with pets you should greet them wholeheartedly, on their level with unbridled affection.
This also works well for children.
Lock them in a closet first for extra distance.
Sounds like you’re slowly turning them into a cat.
My cat still has separation anxiety
I’ve had pets for more than forty years and I’ve never had one try to convince me not to go to work. Either:
I’m an asshole and they want me to leave
I’m a workaholic and they know not to bother asking (likely)
I’m oblivious to them making this plea every day
Most pets adapt to your routine quickly, they’ve got a strong internal clock (just try moving their dinner time and see for yourself).
I’ve never had pets beg me not to go, but if they did I’m sure pretending they persuaded me would only make them think they can do it again and for them to try harder.
As Dwight Schrute would explain that Micheal explained to him: “we deceive them to not hurt their feelings, and in doing so, we honor them”
