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Yahoo
27-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Why Many Dogs Struggle to Learn Being Alone
Being left alone at home can be unfamiliar or even frightening for many dogs. Young or insecure dogs, in particular, quickly develop separation anxiety, which manifests through barking, whining, or even destructive behavior. This can become a burden, especially for single owners, as PETBOOK editor Dennis Agyemang knows from personal experience. A few weeks ago, I adopted my first dog, Paco. He comes from an international animal rescue and is still unfamiliar with many things: neither city life nor its noises, but he's coping bravely. However, he doesn't know how to be alone yet. So, I have to organize my daily life well at the moment. Someone always has to be there to watch him when I need to go shopping or to the doctor. Because being alone isn't an option yet. Taking out the trash has become a real challenge—and surely a sight for the neighbors—when I dash through the stairwell and communal garden with my trash bags at record speed before Paco barks down the whole house. He's quite loud, and my neighbors are noise-sensitive. In short, this can't go on in the long run. But the good news: With gradual training, patience, and the right preparation, any dog can learn to stay alone calmly and relaxed. That's what I hear from various dog trainers online. The key is for the dog to build trust in small steps and understand: 'Being alone doesn't mean anything bad—my human always comes back.' But why is being alone such a big deal for most dogs—at least initially? 'Dogs have a strong need for attachment. Once they have built trust, they want to stay with their social partner—and permanently,' explains dog psychologist Marc Ebersbach. Dogs perceive the absence of their owners not as temporary but as a loss of control. 'In nature, there's no situation where a pack member simply disappears, leaving the others behind. On the contrary, dogs follow when they need closeness.' As a dog psychologist, he often hears the comparison to earlier times when it was no big deal for dogs to be alone. 'The often-cited comparison with the farm falls short: There, the dog is sometimes alone, but never without stimuli. He hears cows, tractors, people. He's in the middle of life—that's calming.' In a city apartment, however, that's usually not the case, explains the dog psychologist. 'Doors and windows are closed, the dog is acoustically and visually isolated. No stimuli, no orientation—he perceives the absence not as temporary but as a loss of control.' For the dog, often a big shock. 'The result: The dog is stressed, often panicked—and in stress, he can't learn. When I come back after five minutes, he can't store the experience as a positive one. That's the core of the problem.' But simply playing sounds against the silence in the apartment is not a cure-all, explains dog trainer Katharina Marioth. 'Of course, it's sensible not to make the apartment completely 'dead'—so leave windows open, play a radio station with soft music or TV noise—the main thing is that there's some kind of stimulus. Because for dogs, being alone is inherently unnatural.' The concentration of scent drops particularly sharply within the first 30 minutes after the person leaves. 'That's the crucial moment. In this phase, it often decides whether the dog relaxes or panics,' says Marioth. Many make the mistake of directly training being alone, says Marc Ebersbach. 'But that doesn't work—the dog must first learn that spatial separation is not negative.' Therefore, he works with structured 'stay' training. 'The dog first learns to stay in a defined place while I move away—visibly. First spatially, then temporally. I work a lot with body language: hand forward, clear signals, repeated confirmation. This way, he learns step by step to endure distance and experiences the separation in a controlled and stress-free way.' Only then can the dog learn that being alone is not threatening, explains the dog psychologist. He managed to take away his dog's fear, who was traumatized by previous owners who often left her alone for hours, through stay training. 'With the stay training, she gradually learned to detach from me,' says Ebersbach. It was crucial that he worked through space, not prohibition. 'I didn't tell her: 'You must not follow me,' but: 'This space is now yours—please stay there.' That's a difference dogs understand.' It's important to proceed gently with training and not to overwhelm the dog, warns Katharina Marioth in the PETBOOK interview. 'The biggest mistake is believing that being alone is about control or 'pushing the dog away.' That's complete nonsense. It's about learning—and learning security in a completely unnatural situation.' Many dog owners make the mistake of quickly closing the door and leaving the dog alone without mentally preparing him first, says the dog trainer. Training based solely on commands or punishment doesn't work, Marioth knows. 'Because if the dog is in panic, no 'sit' or 'stay' helps. We have to train the first 30 minutes when the dog loses his orientation. Ignoring this condemns the dog to constant stress.' That's not a sign of 'bad obedience,' but of being overwhelmed, warns the trainer. 'You have to see being alone as a process that must be learned step by step—with a lot of patience and careful observation. And you must not treat it as a one-time command but as a real challenge for the dog, which you systematically build up with stimuli and short absences.' Stimulus Decoupling:Put on a jacket and shoes several times a day to erase expectations. Open/close the door without leaving—this removes the ritual's significance. Relaxation before training:Daily targeted body massage at the resting place with a drop of lavender oil for 5–10 minutes. This releases oxytocin—a hormone that promotes relaxation. Build 'Stay' training:Keep the dog in place with clear body language. Initially move away for only a few seconds, gradually increase—but always stay within the success range. Reinforcement through ritual:Begin and end each exercise with a long massage. In between, short touches as a reward. At the end, give a chew item to reduce stress. Observation with a camera:Leave the apartment only when your dog is relaxed—and return before he shows signs of stress. Only then can he store positive learning experiences. Start training in the evening:Begin exercises in the evening when the dog is tired—this lowers the arousal threshold and makes learning easier. It's always important to consider that being alone is not natural for dogs, emphasizes dog trainer Katharina Marioth. 'Being alone is a human invention. No dog is made to be alone for hours.' Therefore, the first half-hour after the person leaves is the most important training phase. 'During this time, the human's scent is strongest, and the dog still feels 'connected.'' Here, you must work positively, such as with special food toys or calming rituals. Additionally, regular massages, linked with scent anchors like lavender oil or even the administration of CBD oil, can help the dog relax, says dog psychologist Marc Ebersbach. It's important to discuss the latter with the treating veterinarian beforehand. 'Anyone who simply pushes their dog away without allowing this learning phase shouldn't be surprised if the dog goes crazy. That has nothing to do with a loss of control but with a completely missing learning opportunity,' Katharina Marioth concludes. The post Why Many Dogs Struggle to Learn Being Alone appeared first on PETBOOK.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Feed Cats Only Twice a Day? Why This Harms Their Health
Many cat owners feed their pets twice a day: in the morning before leaving the house and in the evening when they return. However, this routine could have health implications, as cats in the wild consume many small meals throughout the day. PETBOOK editor and biologist Saskia Schneider explains whether you should feed your pet more frequently and what to consider when doing so. Let's be honest: If your cat could decide how often you feed her each day, it would likely be more than once or twice. When cats were still keeping homes and farms free of rodents, this question didn't arise. Today, many people seem to align feeding times with those of dogs: once or twice a day. This schedule fits well into the daily routine of working individuals. However, it doesn't align with a cat's natural behavior and could potentially have health consequences, as veterinarian Dr. Dominique Tordy warns in a post. But what does the scientific research say? Should we really feed our cats more than twice a day? How often a cat eats in the wild depends on various factors, primarily the availability of food. Observing the lifestyle of wild cats, their daily routine can be simplified as follows: sleep, hunt, eat, groom, sleep. This cycle can repeat several times a day–even at night. Studies have shown that even cats kept under controlled laboratory conditions typically consumed eight to sixteen meals throughout the day. But what does this mean for our house cats? Would it really be better to feed them eight times a day? Or can we assume that cats adapt to our rhythm and habits? In an Instagram post, Dr. Dominique Tordy, veterinarian and founder of the Medical-Security platform 'Pet Royalz,' recommends feeding cats more than twice a day. The cat's body is designed to digest small prey throughout the day. If cats receive only two large portions a day, a large amount of nutrients is absorbed at once, Dr. Tordy explains. The kidneys have to work hard, and many electrolytes are produced in the urine. These can form crystals or even larger stones in the bladder, potentially triggering the dreaded FLUTD. The disease, known as 'Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease,' is an umbrella term for various conditions affecting the lower urinary tract of cats. It affects the bladder and urethra, often making it difficult for cats to urinate. Often, only a few drops come out, causing cats to frequently visit their litter box. Surveys suggest FLUTD is one of the main reasons cats visit the vet. 1, 2 Notably, indoor cats are usually affected, but rarely outdoor cats. The most commonly mentioned issues are bladder grit or a sterile bladder infection of unknown cause–without pathogens like bacteria, supporting Dr. Tordy's thesis. However, there are few studies examining the effect of feeding intervals on the development of FLUTD. Most discussions focus on the composition of the food. Nevertheless, it is recommended to feed small meals throughout the day to relieve the kidneys and prevent stone formation.2 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr. Dominique M. Tordy (@dr_dominique_tordy) If you're thinking, 'Then my cat should decide when and how much to eat,' you're mistaken. Free feeding is also strongly suspected of triggering FLUTD and is a major cause of obesity and diabetes in cats. Only some cats can eat only as much as they need. Even if you observe your cat frequently visiting the bowl and eating small bites throughout the day, most still consume more calories than is good for them. It is estimated that about every second cat in Germany is overweight.3 Besides factors like neutering, age, exercise, and the ongoing debate of 'dry or wet food,' another significant factor determines why cats overeat when given the chance: boredom. Often, house cats do not receive the mental stimulation they need. If food becomes their only pleasure of the day, free feeding can end in disaster, creating a vicious cycle. But how often should you feed your cat? Unfortunately, there is no universal answer. Feeding many small meals a day would most closely resemble how cats eat in the wild. However, it is often not easy to integrate into daily life and carries the risk of overfeeding. An average cat weighing four kilograms needs about 150 to 200 grams of wet food per day. Divided into four or eight meals, this would be less than 20 grams per portion in extreme cases. Even less for dry food. Estimating this amount by eye is hardly possible–everything would have to be meticulously weighed. To add to the confusion: Some clinics and veterinarians even advise feeding the cat only once a day. This is based on a study from 2020, where animal nutrition specialists from the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) and the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) found that feeding cats one large meal a day can help control hunger better. This could lead to less begging behavior. And here lies another key point in my opinion on how often you should feed your cat. This question not only concerns health aspects but also significantly influences our pets' behavior. Cats are creatures of habit. For them, it is crucial that feedings occur at the same time every day–whether two, three, or eight times. Whatever feeding intervals you choose, ensure you can reliably maintain these times. Using an automatic feeder can be helpful. These can be programmed for set times. Fixed feeding times are important not only because a cat's stomach prepares for meals and produces more stomach acid. They also provide security. Especially if you integrate other fixed routines around feeding times. For example: first cuddling, then a wild play session, and then food. Such routines can even provide support during times of change–such as during a renovation or when a new family member arrives. 4 It is important to change feeding times when medically necessary. For instance, if the cat is prone to stomach acid and shouldn't fast for long. Then it's crucial to adjust feeding intervals gradually and not suddenly start a new routine. This could unsettle the cat. While cats love routines, feeding should still be varied. A meal doesn't have to consist only of filling the bowl. Many cats love puzzle feeders. Some studies even show positive effects of food games on cats' behavior and well-being. However, they do not increase the animals' physical activity. So if you think your overweight cat could effectively lose weight with a food ball, you're mistaken. There is no definitive answer to how often you should feed your cat. Looking at the animals' natural behavior, several small portions throughout the day would be ideal. The fact that the risk of urinary crystals increases when the animals' bodies receive a lot of food at once also supports feeding at least three meals a day. However, there is no scientific evidence that cats fed more frequently are actually healthier or live longer. Besides physical health, mental health should also be considered. For many animals, feeding is a highlight of the day. So more should happen than just dumping food into the bowl. Before eating, there is usually hunting. Therefore, it is advisable to have a playtime before feeding or to make the cat work for its food. This also mentally challenges the animals and prevents boredom. About the Author: Dr. Saskia Schneider holds a Ph.D. in biology. During her studies at the Free University of Berlin, she focused on zoology and animal behavior. In addition to training as an editor, she completed training as a behavior consultant specializing in cats. The post Feed Cats Only Twice a Day? Why This Harms Their Health appeared first on PETBOOK.
