The past year has brought a new reality of social distancing and working from home. A lot of us have struggled with the isolation and turning our homes into our workplace, with Zoom replacing in-person meetings. During the first few months of video calls taking over our lives, comic relief was often had by startled partners accidentally walking into rooms, noisy children barging in or attention seeking dogs crashing meetings, pawing across screens and keyboards or barking incessantly in the background. We have all laughed about funny tales of puppies chewing computer leads and deleting emails and we have heard many stories of dogs providing their owners solace from stress and loneliness.
But how have our dogs (Britain’s most popular choice of pet) faired during lockdown?
Do they mind spending more time indoors and sharing their homes with their families all day? Are they not getting enough attention from their humans who are distracted by worries of an uncertain future or are they getting too much attention and overstimulation with their humans now stuck at home? Do they miss their social interactions with their neighbourhood canine friends as well as their visits to human friends and family?
It is clear that lockdown and the radical changes to our daily routine, have also been stressful for our four-legged friends. Just like us, our pups find the changes difficult to handle. There is a real risk that an overly lively household as well as a lack of exercise and socialisation with others of their kind may cause them to develop behavioural problems, including restlessness, anxiety, excessive barking and whining, biting etc.
Taking early action will reduce the impact lockdown is having on your pooch and will help them feel comfortable, calm and confident again.
We have some simple tips to make sure your furry friend can enjoy their increased time at home with the family while also ensuring they are able to readjust after lockdown without separation issues.
Over the last few months, as lockdown continues to drag on, many owners have noticed their dogs are more clingy, follow them around the house and show signs of stress and separation anxiety.
This is especially the case, if they don’t receive immediate attention or are left alone. Common signs of separation anxiety are barking, whining, howling, pacing, clawing, chewing, digging and “having accidents” in the house.
If your pooch is exhibiting these behaviours, try to address and resolve these issues immediately as they can result in self-injury, house destruction etc.
If you haven’t seen these behaviours yet, you can easily prevent them.
You can start by leaving your dog at home alone whenever possible, i.e. leave them at home or inside when you shop for essentials or spend time in the garden. You can also just leave them in a different room in your house while you are working or doing chores.
If your dog is particularly anxious, start by leaving them alone for a short while at first (e.g. a couple of minutes) and then slowly increase the amount of time you leave them. Switching on the radio, TV or Alexa and leaving a piece of worn clothing, can soothe your dog when they are alone.
You could also try out specific dog calming plug-in diffusers, sprays, edible treats or even collars.
Whilst these are not seen as effective for treating aggression, they have been found to be helpful tools to treat separation anxiety as well as noise phobias. Usually, these products use synthetic dog-specific pheromones (not perceived by humans) designed to mimic those released by their mums to communicate with their puppies which send a strong signal that comforts your doggie.
There is a large variety of calming supplements, essential oils etc available to help calm anxious dogs, among others, products based on naturally sedative herbs like St John’s Wort, valerian, chamomile and lavender.
These not only work on humans but also on our four-legged friends. Even your own bottle of Bach Flowers Rescue Remedy can do the trick.
Don’t forget that our dogs are not keen on constant noise and persistent handling.
Just like us, they also need space – make sure they have their own safe spot that they can retreat to when they crave peace and quiet or just a little nap. Create a comfortable get-away for them in a crate, den or indoor doghouse. At the very least, set up a snuggly bed in a quiet corner or under a table or desk. Throw in pillows, blankets and soft toys for extra cosiness.
Anything goes these days in the very profitable dog industry which offers a vast variety of products in all price ranges , including beds, pens, dens, crates and tents in all colours, materials, shapes and sizes, ranging from dog teepees to anti-anxiety donut beds. If your dog likes to look out to the street, get creative and prepare a window perch, window bench seat or at least a window seat cushion for your pup to relax and enjoy the view.
Most important of all, keep your dog mentally stimulated and entertained.
If there ever was a time to teach them new tricks, it’s now. Play hide-and-seek and tug-of-war but also invent new games to play with them. There are lots of fun ideas for tricks and games to be found on YouTube and online.
Experts state the three activities to ensure your pup is healthy, happy, stimulated but also calm are sniffing, chewing and licking.
If you need ideas on how to incorporate these activities into your dog’s routine, have you considered a scavenger hunt?
Hide toys or food throughout the house or out in the garden and your pup will enjoy and keep busy searching for them.
- chews – these keep dogs busy, allow them to exercise their jaws and clean their teeth
- lick mats – these are, typically, textured rubber mats that you spread food on, making it challenging for dogs to lick and get a hold of the food. You can use any common type of dog-safe snack, such as peanut butter, yoghurt, cottage cheese, honey etc
- snuffle mats – these allow dogs to sniff and search their way through strips of fleece for kibble or treats
- dog specific puzzles including interactive and food dispensing toys – these ward off boredom by giving dogs a task or a problem to solve and typically involve dogs having to pull or push levers, slide compartments open or close in order to find and reach their food or treats.
Last but not least, make sure you’re providing your pup with a healthy balance of exercise and sleep.
Daily walks are essential for their (and yours) mental and physical wellbeing.
Keep things interesting by taking different walking routes.
Don’t forget that dogs need much more sleep than humans, depending on age and breed, between 12 to 20 hours a day. So make sure that your canine friend is getting sufficient sleep and relaxation in their cosy home that you created for them.
We hope our tips will help you and man’s best friend enjoy lockdown together!
Zauberfee Cleaning Services Limited