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Is it important for dogs to social distance?




Lockdown measures might have eased somewhat, and I think a lot of us are waiting with baited breath as to what might come next.

Even so, the 2 metre distancing rule applies even now (and if you’re closer, you need extra measures such as a mask).

Are you forgetting the risk of touch transfer on your dog’s fur? It’s very important that we don’t forget that our dogs need to socially distance at the moment, too, unless your dog is part of your family bubble!

Karen Wild
Karen Wild

So, how can we make certain our dogs are still happy when we are out and about?

Have you got control of your dog when you’re in the park, for example? Are you the owner who walks their dog on a retractable lead, allowing it to roam but keeping it safely under control? Are you the owner who has your dog on a short lead, trotting happily next to you? Are you the owner who allows their dog off lead but has it under safe control, returning frequently to your side and then darting a short distance away to have a sniff at a tree?

Maybe you are an owner who meets up with your family’s ‘Covid-secure bubble’ dogs in the park, where they are asked to sit first before playing with one another, being called back to you occasionally for a reward, then being allowed to play again until you call them to happily run back to you. Remember - this is only for dogs that are allowed to be in contact, in the same way that you might be under the current laws.

Dogs are part of your 'bubble'
Dogs are part of your 'bubble'

It might sound extreme but if you aren’t one of these owners, your dog may be a problem.

Of course, picking up dog poo and disposing of it very safely, is absolutely essential at all times, not just now there is a touch infection risk. After all these years of available poo bags, and if a bin isn’t available, take it home with you and dispose of it. Hanging a full poo bag on a hedge is a very strange choice indeed, plus you have touched it. Who do you think will take it away? I wish there was a ‘dog poo bag collection’ fairy that leaves a pound coin behind in gratitude, but sadly there isn’t.

Back to the dogs and their habits. Dogs are a reflection of our own values and attitudes. I don’t mean the ones I see with behaviour problems, because sometimes these problems aren’t anything to do with an owner. However if you are asked to keep your dog on a lead in a public place, make sure your dog can do it happily without
pulling.

This sounds like perfectionism but it is really down to risk assessment. If you think there is a risk that your dog won’t do exactly as you ask, train them until they will, or keep them under close control.



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