How to Rid a Dog of Resentment After Vacation

With enough patience, you can make your resentful dog come around.

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Dogs are notorious for giving their owners unconditional love, especially after a long absence. Yet a few of them, like my dog Sawyer, may instead sulk, scoff and ignore you upon your return--hurt that he didn’t get to come along and annoyed you went off to have fun without him. You can rid a dog of resentment after vacation with a soothing nature and a few simple steps.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Resentful dog
Exotic treats
Any treats
Patience
Time
Crocodile tears (optional)

Step1

Even if your dog is giving you the cold shoulder, or snout as the case may be, give him the warmest welcome you can muster after your exhausting plane ride.

Step2

Spend at least 30 minutes lying next to your dog, talking in cooing tones and petting him once you’ve hit home.

Step3

Offer him the best treats in the house, the store or your suitcase to help him come around.

Step4

Pretend to cry. Whenever I’m sad, my dogs usually come to see what’s wrong. Tears, no matter how fake, may kick to dog into “unconditional love” mode as he saunters over to soothe you.

Tips & Warnings

Sometimes the dog may just need time to sulk, as Sawyer did. Sure, he didn’t speak to me for two hours, but by the time I went to bed, he joined me as he usually did.
Get back into the normal routine as soon as possible. This helps makes the animal forget you were ever gone.
Don’t push it. If your dog wants to be cold, let him get it out of his system. If it goes on for more than a week, you better call a trainer or a vet.