Life has changed as we know it not just for us but for our dogs as well. A lot of people have reached out to me asking me why their dog is acting different during this Corona Virus Quarantine. First off, dogs are like us. They like a routine. All of the sudden everything is thrown off and the family is acting weird. Stress levels are high and the pooch is acting different lately.
WHY?
As your stress level changes so does that of your dog. They pick up on your energy and you can actually add to their stress. I am going to give you an example. Have you been around someone who is panicking? All of the sudden even though you were totally normal your state of mind changes.
Another example I use often is little kids. If you have three children playing they feed off of each other. If one is acting all energetic and bouncing off the walls usually the other two begin to do the same… Right? Yep!
Now, tie that back to your dog. You are acting different. You are home all of the sudden when you are usually at work or driving the kids around. Now there are multiple people home all the time. Little kids running around? Bored or going stir crazy? You may be working from home? All of these things are not normal to your pet.
You may be uncertain about your work or just nervous because none of us have ever experienced this in our existence…. Moral of the story is your dog is like what the beeep is going on. Why are they acting weird? As a result, your pup starts acting different. Then you start to freak out thinking why is he/she acting this way. Now you really begin to act different around your dog and your pooch is really getting confused. It’s a revolving cycle and you can actually add to your dog’s stress level.
Ways to Reduce your Dog’s Stress during the Quarantine:
The best thing I can tell you is do your best to act calm. One of the best pieces of advice I received from a mentor was to not treat any situation different. This has stuck with me since I have heard it and I attribute that mindset to a lot of my success training dogs. Like I mentioned if tensions are high your dog will sense that. Below I will give you a few things that have helped dogs I have trained when stressed.
Do something you know your dog enjoys.
Take your dog for a walk to get some fresh air. Personally, I am being careful with this as I am trying to limit my exposure to people given everything going on. With that said letting a dog run or burn off some energy can be beneficial. I have taken my dog to fenced in areas where no one is and have let him run. He loves it and at the end he is worn out.
Remember dogs like routine and they are very in tune to your behavior so try to keep somewhat of a schedule and do you best to not stress and act normal.
Play fetch in the backyard. I actually have been playing with my lab, Yeti (click here to see his Instagram) in the house to limit exposure to outside germs.
TRAIN YOUR DOG! This is one many people overlook yet has great benefits. Not only does it build mutual respect and obedience but it builds a stronger bond between you and your furry friend! Taking 15-60 minutes throughout the day can yield great results. The best part about this is that with social distancing recommended, you can train your pup in your house! You can work on things such as sit, come, down and stay for starters.
I will leave a link below this to my online dog training courses where I send you videos of me instructing you how to train your own dog incase you want to learn. Courses are currently on SALE due to COVID-19. My goal is to help as many people as I can so I have reduced prices for a short time. If you want to check out my online video based course click on them below :)!
Basic Obedience Online Dog Training Course for Dogs 4.5 months and Older
Puppy Imprinting Training Course for Puppies 8-15 weeks old
Questions For Me?
If you are having trouble with your dog during this time you can contact me and I can answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability. To access my schedule CLICK HERE!
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