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How To Help Anxiety In Dogs Caused By Social Distancing
- 04/05/2020
Social distancing, the only prevention we seem to have today against the novel Corona virus, is causing us to stay indoors, maintaining physical distances, and good hygiene. While we are already suffering because of our lives confined to our physical spaces, we might neglect the state of our pets, who are also facing the brunt of these social restrictions. Social disconnections are a silent blow to our emotions and it holds true for our furry friends too. The current scenario where the essential rule to spread the COVID-19 contagion is to limit the physical distances is unfortunately causing anxiety and stress in dogs, which they cant even express.
If you feel that the sudden change in your dog’s daily routine, those lesser and shorter walks outside, is causing behavioural changes in your dog, it could be his anxiety. Anxious dogs show various symptoms such as pacing with uneasiness, excessive barking, shivering, attempting to escape, refusing favourite toys or treats, etc. If you feel that the social distancing is getting harder to cope for your pet, you can try several ways to make them feel happy and help them adjust to the demand of this critical situation.
Indoor activities
While you are quarantined in your home with your dog, take it as a golden opportunity to establish that enviable bond of friendship and love with them. Spend more time with them, even if you are working from home. You could simply add different games to their routine, an extra grooming session, introducing a new trick, or just all of those things. By introducing a mixture of physical and mind games, you can not only keep them busy but also help in coping up.
Online Consultation
With your veterinary doctors’ unavailability, simple situations may feel urgent. You may just get all the more stressed at mild symptoms or simply changes in your dog’s antics. In these times, you can ask a veterinary doctor online and discuss all the problems. You may also understand from the vet how you can ensure your pet’s sound mental health during the quarantine and social distancing.
How to Help in Stress in Dogs
Pets understand routines and live by them. After your usual office routine of 8 to 10 hours, when you suddenly stay home all the time, dogs do get confused and it is a fact that their routine has changed. Such changes drive their different behaviour where they may appear suddenly more whining or needy. Amidst the pets showing intense signs of more love and care, there are certain ways by which you can maintain a normal atmosphere at home.
Patience
Dogs in this time may be utterly confused and may just unknowingly drive you crazy. Whenever they want to take an extra round of walk for no reason, or their favourite treats at an odd time, remember they are not deliberately trying to create a mischief. Trying to grab attention? Well, yes, but more so because their daily routine is suddenly altered.
New Routine
We don’t know when scientists and the medical fraternity world over will come out with proper drugs and vaccines for the virus. For now, staying indoors seems to be our only preventive option. However, that does not mean that you cannot have a new routine. Start afresh and establish a new eating, playing, walking routine. Now when you already know how you can keep them mentally and physically busy, you can also be proactive and make them involved in games before an online meeting.
Safe home environment for pets and children
With our busy schedules, we could always give only a limited time to our family pets and children. Now when everyone is living together for 24 hours seven days a week, we can understand better how intense taking care of kids and pets can be. If you have little children and elderly at home, you will need to take extra care of the kind of games they are playing with the dogs and how risky those might be. You must not ever leave infants or even little children alone with the pets. You may also consider establishing a small corner or gated area for your pet, which can be his comfort spot.
Post quarantine prep
Having spent all this much time with our pets, would surely strengthen the loving bond, specially because it is an opportunity for us to understand our pets better and connect emotionally with them at a deeper level. However, when the quarantine ends, there would again be a sudden change when the pet parents would start working from their original workplaces. It is important for the parents that they make that transition easy for themselves and the pets, preventing the anxiety issues that may again ensue. To make this happen, you will need the start making preparations already. Keep spending some time alone and allow your pets to also have their alone time.
We often heard our elders tell us that difficult times bring out the best in us. It makes us stronger to not only achieve what we want but also fosters in us a deep sense of empathy to understand people and emotions around us. So far into the COVID-19 pandemic, we have understood that our dogs need much more than basic necessities of food, shelter, and water. In return, they have much more to give us, unconditional love, trust, and companionship. By enabling them play various games, we help stimulating their brain functions. Their proper sleep helps in their general health while their exploratory instinct is a good exercise for their senses, making them connected to the world in a confident way. Pets’ companionship for human beings has been proven in several studies to be highly beneficial in the latter’s mental health. Our involvement in the activities related to our pets keeps us mentally and physically busy, and healthy.
If the medical professionals, frontline workers, and police force are fighting at the forefront for the COVID-19 warzone, our innocent pets are no less than silent warriors. They endure, with or without our support, giving us all they have. Their well-being must be our priority.
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