How to Handle Separation Anxiety During COVID
Dogs are creatures of habit, and thrive with an established routine.
Coronovirus (COVID) has drastically altered your puppy or dog’s routine, and it may have separation anxiety.
What is separation anxiety? It is when dogs are overly attached to their owners, which can result in self-injury or household destruction.
Rewind back to 2019
People were going about their normal day. You wake up, feed/walk your dog, go to work, come home, feed/walk your dog, and then spend the night with your dog. Or, you might even go catch a movie in theaters, or run an errand at the mall.
Your puppy or dog was behaving great when you were away!
Now
You are spending nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with your dog! You wake up, and then hang out with your dog for the rest of the day. You are thinking “this is great - I can spend all this quality time with my puppy or dog!”.
While this is truly fantastic, it is good to still practice some level of separation.
Fast forward to 2020 or 2021
The country is slowly opening up, and is relaxing the shelter-in-place rules. You might be going back to work or start traveling. Your dog will be confused, thinking “we spent every minute together, and now my owner is leaving the house without me. Where are they going? How long are they gone for? Are they going to abandon me?”.
Your puppy or dog may adapt some level of separation anxiety.
What can you do to prevent separation anxiety during COVID?
Methods:
Leave your home. Try leaving your house for at least 10 minutes every day (the more the better). Go for a walk, or get some groceries. We recently picked up stargazing at night. Having an indoor camera helps you know if they are barking - otherwise, sit by the door and do a crossword, sudoku, or garden! Indoor camera recommendations here.
Doggy daycare. Drop your dog off at a doggy day care or with family or friends for either half the day, or the whole day. This way, your dog learns that you will come back for them, and are happy to go to day care! Plus, this helps with socialization.
Sleep in separate room. If you were sleeping in separate rooms prior to COVID, continue doing this. It may be harder to get them to sleep in a different room if they get used to sleeping in the bed, or in the same room.
Establish routine. Continue to feed and walk your dog as if shelter in place did not happen. It is one less item for them to change when you start transitioning back to your previous routine.
Quiet time. Your dog should sleep a good amount during the day, and away from you. Perhaps in their dog bed in a different room, or in their crate.
How do you know your dog has separation anxiety?
Common signs are:
Crying, howling, barking, or pacing when you are gone
Destroying things when you’re gone - furniture, rugs, walls
Peeing or pooping inside when they are already potty trained
To learn more about how to prevent, detect, and correct separation anxiety, click here.
