Notice What He Has Actually Lost
An only dog who plays over the fence, meets the same companions at the park each morning, and trades scents along the street has a real social routine — he just does not live with it. When several neighbours holiday at once, that routine can disappear in a single weekend. Some dogs shrug it off. Others mope at the gate, patrol the fence line, sleep more, eat less, or become clingy indoors because the most interesting part of the day has quietly vanished.
Give it a few days before worrying. A dog who still enjoys walks, food, and games with you is adjusting, not suffering. Appetite loss, restlessness at the usual play hour, or new whining and destructiveness that persists beyond several days suggests he needs the gap filled rather than simply endured.
Borrow a Social Life From Further Afield
The most direct fix is other dogs, sourced differently for a few weeks. Ask a friend whose dog yours already likes to swap garden playdates, drive to a park outside your immediate street where the regulars are still in town, or book a session or two with a reputable daycare or group walker whose playgroups are supervised and matched by size and temperament. One or two good sessions a week usually restores the sparkle far better than daily forced greetings with unfamiliar dogs at close quarters.
Choose introductions carefully during this patch. A dog who is under-socialised and frustrated can come on too strong with strangers, so favour parallel walks — side by side, moving, no face-to-face pressure — before off-lead play, and favour dogs whose owners you can talk to about how the meeting went.
Fill the Rest of the Gap Yourself
Much of what neighbouring dogs provide is novelty, and novelty can come from you. Take a different walking route so the scent picture changes, scatter part of breakfast in grass for a searching game, teach a small new trick in short sessions, or rotate toys so a forgotten favourite reappears. A sniff-heavy twenty minutes tires most dogs more honestly than a longer march along the same pavement, and it gives a dog waiting at an empty fence something better to think about.
Keep his anchors steady while you experiment: same meal times, same bedtime, same morning routine, and the same greeting at the door when you come home each evening. An only dog unsettled by an emptier street settles faster when home itself has not changed at all.
Build a Wider Net for Next Time
Holiday season will come around again, and a dog whose friendships all live on one street will feel the same dip. The longer fix is a broader, thinner network: a couple of playdate contacts in other neighbourhoods, a daycare he already knows and likes, a trusted walker, and neighbours who can help each other out across the year. In KinsLe, Circle of Love links free accounts into a wider local network of pet lovers, so finding a nearby walk companion or playdate for your only dog does not depend on the three houses closest to yours.