The pandemic left us with a new kind of isolation to deal with. It has affected all of us in ways that we’re not even aware of. Countless people turned to dog adoption as a way to cope with it. Some adoptions were planned while some others may have made a more impulsive, but positive decision. But now that life is slowly going back to normal, the biggest question that arises is how you can help your dog gear up for life after pandemic.
For dogs who have been with the family since before the lockdown began, it’s just a matter of time before they get used to their previous routine. However for pandemic puppies, ie, dogs adopted during the pandemic, constantly being around humans is the only way of life they know. Turning these dogs around to live a more independent life will require some amount of work.
Getting your dog used to an empty house during the day
The good news is that dogs are highly adaptable. However, adapting them to a certain kind of lifestyle for a while and then changing it altogether is not the best idea. During the lockdown, our dogs have had us around almost 24*7. Naturally, when our lives get back to normal and we start going out, it’s going to come as a little bit of a shock to our dogs.
To help your dog deal with your absence better, you need to start getting them used to cope on their own from now. We’re already on the brink of mass availability of vaccinations. It’s now or never.
Take baby steps. Start with 10 minutes at a time, multiple times a day. If you start by leaving your dog alone for several hours, he is going to have a negative association with isolation. This will give rise to complex issues like isolation distress and separation anxiety. Remember these pointers when teaching your dog to be alone for extended periods of time –
- Tire your dog out before leaving him alone, so he can sleep through most of it
- Leave him with interactive toys with food inside
- Teach him to love his crate
- Don’t make a big deal about leaving him alone and coming back to him
- Puppy proof the area in which he’ll be spending time alone
- Consider leaving an audiobook or TV on. In some cases, human voice helps with stress in dogs
Steps to take to prepare your dog for life after pandemic
Don’t spend all day, every day with your dog
Being able to spend 24*7 with our dogs at home is a dream for most of us. I don’t know about you, but playing to my heart’s content with my dog, pampering him with treats, toys and attention the whole day, taking endless walks with him, going for a trek and exploring new activities and places is my definition of a life fully lived!
However, as delightful as it sounds, getting your dog accustomed to having you around all the time is a bane rather than a boon. By doing so, you’re just painting a rosy picture to him that you’re not going to be living up to in the future. And once life gets back to normalcy, guess who’s gonna have the toughest time?
Start taking your dog out for daycares and other places where you’d be dropping him off once you get back to work
It’s important for your dog to get used to places and people that he’d be spending time with in your absence. This also gives you enough time to choose the facilities that your dog truly enjoys, rather than settling for something at the last minute.
Keep walk and play timings same as before pandemic to make life after pandemic a lot easier
Dogs are a creature of habit. They can tell the time better than we do; I’m sure you must have noticed that by now. Staying at home has disrupted everyone’s routine. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. As much as you’re going to feel bad about it, random walks during the day with your dog are going to be a distant possibility once you start going to work.
Keeping daily walk timings fixed is a part of an effortless transition to life after the pandemic. Walks are your dog’s highlights of the day. When everything about the day changes, your dog and you are going to be glad that there are some things that remain constant amidst all odds.
Self-stimulation activities
This is one of the most important steps to making your dog independent and capable of functioning for a few hours on his own. Constant human companionship can make your dog dependent on your attention even when the slightest boredom strikes. Signs like unnecessary whining, vocalization, repeated zoomies, excessive chewing of walls and furniture are all signs of boredom. If not dealt with in time, these issues will only increase fourfold in isolation. Behavioral issues arising from boredom can be avoided altogether if you teach your dog to stimulate himself with better activities to release that pent-up energy.
Some activities that will help your dog keep himself occupied are-
Feeding only through interactive games, feeders and snuffle mats
Spending time on mentally stimulating toys and puzzles
Interactive ball launchers
Stick-on tug toys
Dino bones, also known as Backyard bones (under supervision)
Hanging bungee dog toys
Is getting another dog a good idea?
It’s natural to feel bad about leaving your dog alone for long hours. Often, pet parents end up getting another dog so that they don’t end up with a bored, cranky dog. Do you know, a lot of times, what happens? They end up with 2 bored dogs. Sometimes, they also end up with 2 dogs that just won’t get along with each other and keep getting in fights every now and then. Managing a multi-dog household is a lot of work. It’s double the effort of training, playing, walking, feeding and bonding. Furthermore, it’s imperative that the dogs have an excellent relationship with the owners before each other, failing which the owners will keep getting canceled out time and again. Leaving the two dogs with each other without the presence of humans will only facilitate the latter.
I’m not saying getting a second dog is always a bad idea. I know so many multi-dog households that have peaceful co-existence with excellent training and communication between the humans and the dogs. However, the pet parents have put in a lot of time and work to get these results, something which you might not be able to once you start going out regularly for long hours.
You can read HERE to understand if you’re truly ready for another dog while getting your life back to normal after pandemic.
Getting over the guilt of leaving your dog alone
Leaving this face behind every day can be heart-breaking, I get it. But you know what’s even more heart-breaking? The fact that many pet dogs have absolutely no clue on how to deal with small periods of isolation. It’s a fact that dogs are pack animals. But that, in no way, means that your dog needs to be surrounded by humans or dogs every second. A domesticated dog is raised to act differently as compared to wolves or street dogs who need to follow pack structure to survive in the wild.
Dogs who are domesticated and taught to live with humans need to be trained to productively self-stimulate themselves when left alone, failing which they have the potential to become extremely destructive to their environment causing damage to the home and themselves.