We’re all facing some tough times at the minute so we thought it might be useful to put together some pointers for you and your dogs:
- Follow government guidelines and stay local for dog walks and don’t take any unnecessary trips.
- Each adult in the house can do one dog walk each day as part of their daily exercise. Households where dogs are used to more than one walk a day can walk separately to enable multiple walks.
- Keep dogs on leads in busy areas to enable social distancing. Be very mindful that not all dogs like other dogs and many reactive and nervous dogs have had their quiet and secluded walks taken off them recently as walks are more popular and people are unable to drive to remote places to exercise their dog.
- Use long lines in open places if your dog has poor recall. Be cautious that if your dog runs off and gets lost, you may not be able to go looking for them at the moment. This is not the time to practice off lead recall unless your dog has well established recall already.
- Dogs like a routine which makes them safe, especially in a time when their owners may be giving off vibes of anxiety and stress. Try to develop a routine and stick to it where possible.
- Keep your dog stimulated with canine enrichment at home between walks to help keep them calm and use up their energy. We are posting daily ideas for adopters on our adopter’s Facebook Group. You can also join other local groups such as dog walkers and trainers to get more ideas. Don’t forget to share their posts to help support them once they can open up their businesses again.
- Invest in some new enrichment toys. Here’s some suggestions but please be mindful when making new purchases… order online where possible and only when already making orders for essential items. Support local businesses where you can and see if they stock any toys when you buy your dog food
- Your dog’s daily exercise may have decreased or even increased at this time. Their food intake should be adjusted accordingly to maintain a healthy weight. Likewise, if you are now doing more enrichment activities at home, this should come out of their daily food allowance.
- If you are now working at home, your dog is no doubt loving the extra company, but this could mean they suffer from separation anxiety when you head back to work. Try to spend small spells away from your dog each day (even if it’s only in the house) to ensure they maintain their independence. If your dog is prone to separation anxiety already, try following a separation anxiety protocol such as this one. Now is an ideal time to work on separation anxiety if it’s already a problem for your dog.
- If you contract Covid-19, follow the government advice for you and your dog
Don’t forget to share photos and ideas to help other people and help lift everyone’s spirits!