Dogs in lockdown: how to keep pets happy while you are at home

Yet again I find myself asking everyone - how are we all doing?

Another week has passed by and it feels like time is merging a little. After the initial shock, some of us are adapting and others are struggling. How are our pets managing in all of this?

I have still been able to continue with online puppy classes and behavioural consultations. Problems that we were having before the virus hit everyone’s lives, are still at the forefront and will still continue. What can we do and how can we help our pets not to be upset by our disruption?

First of all, those pets that can’t get enough of us are probably thoroughly enjoying our time at home, for those of us that are not key workers. The down side of this is that they can get a bit tired of us!

Impossible, you think.

In fact, dogs and cats sleep for a great deal of the day, so being petted, cuddled and snuggled because we are there when we would otherwise not be around, can be quite stressful for them. Yes, it makes us feel better to have a furry pal around, but do they actually want us to bother their normal naps?

This is especially important if you have children at home. Make sure that the lesson you teach them about kindness during this period is ‘Let sleeping pets lie’.

If your children are failing to respond, or are desperate for a cuddle, adopt a teddy from every child’s massive collection (or your own) and ask them to pretend it’s their special pet.

Give them tasks to do with daily care for the teddy, and make it fun. Explain that this is a teddy, and that your pet is not a teddy, they are an animal deserving of rest and time alone just as much as they need food and other care. Anything to give your own dog or cat a break. Don’t take advantage of your pet’s patience.

Secondly, those of us that are key workers may not have the pet care support that we used to have.

Dog walkers, daycare and so on may be no longer available, so what happens?

We may have dropped the dog round to our parents place, or asked someone to pop in and feed the cat. Not any more.

If you’re having these kinds of issues, try to set up a camera or similar using your laptop, or any other form of webcam, so that you can check on your pet if you are forced to leave them when you otherwise would not.

There aren’t easy answers for any of us right now, but try and think about how hard our pets might find this too. You’ll be helping them
hugely.

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