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Ask the Veterinarian/My dog keeps on wandering to another house and stays there

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Expert: - 3/8/2010


Question
My dog does not stay at home with me! My dog  goes to my neighbor's house and stays there,until I go and take him home
again.I went out two times  to fetch my dog!
My dog spends more and more time at my neighbor's house!
What is the meaning of this behavior? Is my dog sick?
What do I have to do?

Answer
Your dog might be lonely. He is not getting some kind of need met at your house or he would stay home.Are they feeding him? Then go have a nice chat with them and ask them to please stop for the sake of his health. Most dogs will go to the house where the free handouts are.

You might want to build a yard to keep him in. You might want to get him a small playmate. Do they have children? Maybe your dog loves kids.

Some dogs are very independent and will go visiting all over the place if not confined. You need to get him neutered if he isn't and fence him in. He isn't sick, he has an emotional need that isn't being met.

Spend more time with him, take him for walks and play with him. Since you don't say if this is new behavior or it has been this way all along, that is about all I can tell you.

You might want to talk to a pet behaviorist also.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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