For over a year now, we have been home cuddling and playing with our dogs while we work and take classes from the comfort of our own homes. Now that vaccines are becoming readily available, and many of us are starting to resume back to how our lives were before coronavirus, transitioning to being alone for periods of time while we go back to work and school might be an adjustment for many dogs.
Lauren Rubin, BA, KPA CTP, CPDT-KA, the owner of Creative Canine Solutions, has been training dogs for seven years. She provides services such as behavior training, basic manner training, puppy training, and virtual group classes. Here are some tips and recommendations from her on how you can start to prepare your dog!
Start now! Make short trips without your dog, such as running errands to ensure they’re comfortable with you leaving. Being away from your dog for short periods of time is an excellent way to make sure they’re comfortable home alone.
Increase your time away slowly. One critical method in preparing your dog for extended periods of your absence would be to start slow when first leaving the house. Immediately leaving your home for over five hours at a time can shock your dog and can cause them to start acting erratically. However, leaving the house for short periods allows your dog to get accustomed to being in solitude, which puts less stress on the dog and yourself. By slowly increasing the time away by around 10-20 minutes each trip, your dog will eventually understand that you’ll return and the solitude will come as little surprise
Restart your routine. Because of the major setback that Covid placed over the entire world, the transition of going “back to normal” is starting right at square one. That goes for everything, especially in the retraining of your pet to make them comfortable to renew the shift, as well as for yourself! Getting up and getting ready for work to mock your actual workday and what your pet should expect is a great way to prepare them for the reality of the real world again and how it will begin to function as it did before. You certainly don’t have to stay away, but if you typically leave for work around 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning, start showing your dog what their new days will start like to prepare them for the beginning! You could do this by leaving at your usual morning start and take a quick spin around your neighborhood for a few days in a row (probably for a week or so straight), and this will start to retrain your dog to understand how they will begin their regular days once more.
Know the signs. Knowing your dog’s signs of distress will be extremely helpful when you prepare to go back to a routine away from the house. Below are some behavioral signs to monitor:
- Cries for more than a few minutes after you leave.
- Drools while you’re gone (check your dog’s chest and neck for wetness)
- Paces constantly while you’re gone
- Attempts escape (look for claw and chew marks near doors, windows, or other points of exit)
- And/OR injures themselves (look for raw spots from licking/chewing, mouth or paw injuries from attempting to escape crates)
If you see any of those signs, stop immediately and contact a professional as they can be signs of a much more severe issue.
For more tips and information, check out https://creativecaninesolutions.com/ and @creativecaninesolutions on Instagram and Facebook!