Most people who own dogs tend to shoot their pups a quick video call via FaceTime whenever they’re away from home.It’s a widespread assumption among pet caregivers that hearing their own voice can calm their lonely dogs down.Yet animal professionals have pointed out this common daily practice may backfire and make certain pets feel more anxious than before.

Pet care platform TrustedHousesitters released relevant data reflecting a notable shift among American animal owners.Over the past three months,Google queries regarding pet separation anxiety have jumped by as much as 482%.The organization also ran a nationwide survey,and the results revealed two telling statistics:one-third of US dog owners regularly video chat with their pets during trips,and up to 61%of respondents care more about how their dogs are doing than enjoying their own holiday time.

Dr.Alex Crow,a practicing vet working with The Net Vet,offered a straightforward explanation for why these well-intended video chats do more harm than good.Contrary to popular belief,catching their owner’s voice without seeing them in person fails to soothe dogs;instead,it leaves them confused and disoriented.

A scientific study carried out in 2019 and published in Biologia Futura shed light on dogs’unique voice recognition skills.Researchers set up a dual-choice test for canines,playing plain audio recordings of different people from behind an opaque barrier.The test results showed that dogs were able to pick out their respective owners solely from vocal characteristics,easily telling them apart from unfamiliar individuals.The research team concluded that vocal hints are sufficient for dogs to recognize their masters,which also accounts for why phone and video calls easily make dogs yearn for an immediate reunion.

Though this innate biological skill seems adorable to us,it carries an unforeseen downside for dogs’mental health.Once a dog picks up their owner’s voice but fails to spot the person nearby,their emotions will swing negatively due to unmet expectations.

Canines don’t process audio signals separately from other information.For every dog,a familiar voice stands for something positive,including intimate touches,company or being reunited with their owner.When a video call awakens this inner expectation yet cannot deliver the corresponding face-to-face contact,dogs will grow agitated.What was supposed to be comforting ultimately turns into a frustrating experience for them.

The Root of Increased Anxiety Post Video Calls

While these virtual check-ins can help owners ease their personal worries for a short while,they create unfulfilled hopes inside a dog’s mind.As shared by Dr.Crow,dogs will automatically wait for their owner to show up the second they hear the familiar voice.When this wish never comes true,they get puzzled and frustrated.This behavioral change can be seen in various actions:wandering restlessly across the room,waiting by doors for long periods,staying overly alert,or whining and barking constantly.

A single video call only causes fleeting stress for the majority of dogs.Even so,repeated calls pose huge risks to dogs that already struggle with separation anxiety.It creates a destructive cycle where the pup constantly feels excited about a potential reunion,only to end up disappointed every single time.

“All canines develop habits and perceptions based on repeated events and mental connections,”Crow commented.“If the sound of their owner’s voice continuously triggers excitement without any positive payoff,sensitive dogs will gradually develop adverse reactions toward this specific sound.”

Canines’Diverse Reactions Toward Virtual Chats

It’s worth noting that video calls won’t trigger stress for every single dog.Multiple elements determine how a pup reacts to hearing their owner’s voice remotely,such as their natural character,emotional attachment level,past life experiences and overall emotional sensitivity.

Dr.Crow further elaborated that laid-back and independent dogs will simply register the familiar voice and carry on with their daily routines.In comparison,dogs that grow overly attached to their owners or have anxious personalities are far more prone to emotional fluctuations.Dog breeds also play a pivotal role:breeds cultivated to be human companions pay closer attention to voices and social behaviors than independent working breeds.Additionally,young puppies are more likely to get baffled by virtual interactions,as they are still in the learning stage and haven’t fully understood human-related social patterns.