What problems did lockdown cause in dogs?

Lockdown and dogs.

Lockdown has affected many people and their dogs and the outcomes have not always been positive ones. People have got puppies and have been reaching put for help as their puppies are showing behaviours that owners don't know how to cope with and older dogs are having their problems addressed because the owners have been spending more time with them.

These have been both physical visits and Zoom sessions, some people are not in a local lockdown and I can still visit because I am working, not visiting where as if a local lockdown is in place, Zoom sessions continue to help protect people and help them feel safe whilst still getting the help they need with their dog.

I have clients in London and in Scotland whom I help via Zoom so there is no barrier to getting help.

When you spend a lot of time with your dog, it is inevitable that there will be some issues arising for many different reasons. Our dogs love having us around and they love the attention that we given them when we are around and dogs are quite happy to interrupt whatever we are doing just to get attention, and we tend to let them interrupt us which can make working from home much more difficult because we can end up getting less and less done as the number of interruptions increases.

Spending more time at home with our dogs can also make separation more difficult and our dog can become distressed when we do leave them alone, because they are so used to us being there all the time and having our attention on tap.

I teach you how to very effectively share your attention with your dog so your dog is not dependent on being in close proximity to you to get your attention.

It is this belief in your dog that they have to be in close proximity to you and they can interrupt you to get your attention that can cause separation anxiety because when you are not there, your dog is not in control of your attention.

When you control your attention and give your dog a more consistent flow of attention, then you dog will become far less dependent on being close to you and will not have to interrupt so will be more relaxed when you are not at home.

If your dog has a foundation behaviour of calm, relaxed and away from you, your dog is more balanced and happier. If you base your dogs foundation behaviour on excitement for attention, you will potentially have problems with your dog when being left behind.

There is a balance you need to strike and that balance will be unique to you and your dog and you might need help in achieving that balance and that is where I can help you. either in person or via zoom, where ever you are in the world.

If you would like to have a chat about your dog's behaviour and learn more about how I work, please comment or give me a call.