As life begins to get back to normal after the festive season, we have seen a return to daily telephone calls from members of the public who are concerned that neighbours’ dogs are being left on their own for too long.

The callers say that they can hear the dogs barking for hours at a time, and that they sound as though they are in distress.

There is no legally enforceable time limit for leaving a dog on its own, provided they have water and shelter, but a generally recognised period is four hours.

If you are out at work all day, and your dog is at home for seven or eight hours, you really need to consider whether this is appropriate.

Either you, or someone you know, should take the dog out at lunchtime for a walk or you need to consider some form of doggy day care.

Certain dogs, and certain breeds, cope with being separated from their owners better than others, and while some will bark incessantly, others will show destructive behaviours.

A dog’s past experiences will also affect their ability to cope with separation.

So, while you can’t undo the past, there are things you can do to help your dog cope when you leave them. Here are some suggestions:

Never punish your dog, no matter what they did when you were out.

Ignore your dog when you return until they are calm.

You may take them outside but do not touch or speak to them until they are calm.

Similarly, don’t make a fuss when you leave your dog. Leave-taking should be unemotional.

Work out what cues your dog associates with your departure.

Picking up a set of keys is a common one, and so ’desensitise’ your dog to this cue by picking up the keys and staying seated, and do this repeatedly until your dog no longer becomes anxious at the sound.

Putting on a coat or shoes can be other cues.

Make sure your morning routine includes sufficient time for a walk that allows your dog to burn off energy, making them more ready for a snooze when you go out to work.

Dogs generally sleep better when they have full stomachs, and so consider making your dog’s breakfast their main, largest meal of the day.

Give your dog just one toy when you leave them, instead of giving them lots of toys which lose their appeal more quickly. The best toys are hollow rubber ones that you can place food or treats inside.

Leave a radio or television switched on while you’re out.

This behaviour modification training takes time, weeks or even months, but an owner’s consistency and determination will pay off eventually.

We rehomed six dogs just before Christmas, but Jeff is yet to find his loving new family.

He has perfected the ’worried look’, as you can see, but he is now a much more confident and well-socialised dog than he used to be.

He’s a big boy, and can be strong on his lead, but other than that he is well-mannered and fun to be around.

Jeff would love to live with an active and outdoors-orientated owner, and to walk and run with them for hours at a time.

He’s only four years old and so he has plenty of ’miles in his legs’.

We hope he won’t be with us for too much longer, and that he is given the opportunity to be a loyal and devoted companion.

If you want to find out more about Jeff, or you wish to meet him, call the kennels team on 851672, option 1, and leave a message if there is no-one available to take your call straight away.