Is having you home 24/7 good for your dog?

The COVID-19 Pandemic means many people are at home more often, if not all the time, but what happens when you go back to work out of the house?

Is your dog loving having you at home at the moment? Are they following you everywhere? From room to room, to the toilet, to the washing line, to the letterbox?

While having you home may be the best thing that ever happened to your dog right now, when the time comes for you to be out of the house a lot more, your dog may struggle to deal with it.

Things to do while you are at home to prepare your dog:

• Crate train your dog and work up to being able to leave the room for periods of time while your dog is calm and comfortable in their crate.

• Spend time separate from your dog while you are at home. (eg have them in a different part of the house while you are working in your office).

• Let your dog spend some time out in the back garden while you are in the house.

• Go for a walk without your dog sometimes (you will be looking after yourself, but also reminding your dog that you do sometimes have to go out without them and that they can be sure you will return).

• Don't overdo the fuss and the loving. It may make you feel better right now, but if you inadvertently create neediness in your dog, it will make things more difficult when you inevitably withdraw that level of affection when things get back to normal.
  

If you have two or more dogs at home, it is also good to get them used to being separate from each other as well:

• Train them separately and together.

• Walk them separately and together.

• Have one inside and one out (then swap).

• If you use a groomer or dog day care, send them on separate days to enable time out from each other and also they can each get some one-on-one time with you.

Making sure your dog can deal with changes is important. The best way to prepare them for it is to practice various scenarios.

Contact us if you would like some help with this for any other issue.