Boris announced yesterday that England will be more or less coming fully out of lockdown in the next few weeks. Although from the pictures of beaches over the weekend, I think much of the population thinks it has already ended and believes that travelling 260 miles somewhere when possibly ill is fine…
We’ll be doing something similar soon, though a little more slowly I think.
So now is the time to prepare, especially for our dogs. Dogs do not understand about viruses and pandemics and they’ve just happily accepted that you’re at home all the time now.
But after nearly ten weeks of constant human company, there’ll be a lot of anxious dogs around when owners go back to work. All dogs are prone to separation problems when their routine is suddenly disrupted, so it really is worth doing something about it now.
Here’s a few tips:
– Think about what your back-to-something-sort-of-normal routine is likely to be
– Work out how you can leave your dog on their own for at least some of the time when you’ll be out – leave your dog in the house while you garden or do some outside maintenance, go for a short walk alone, or have a short drive out to the shops.
– Give your dog a comfy bed in a room away from you – a utility room, hall or conservatory and encourage them to use it
If your dog already shows some separation anxiety – following you everywhere, and whining, scratching at doors or barking when left – it’s even more important to start doing something about it now.
Keep safe and keep training
Carol