After the Pandemic: Keeping Our Dogs from Going Crazy When Life Shifts Again

​We’re all socially distancing right now and doing much of our work and schoolwork from home.  In some ways this has been a stressful time – balancing phone calls and video conferencing with school lessons and homework and kids and dogs that need to be entertained.  And in other ways this pandemic has shown us what’s really important – spending more time with our family, both 2-legged and 4-legged, and making this time together count.
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Many of our dogs have been thrilled to have us home!  They are social creatures and enjoy our company.  But what is going to happen to our dogs when sooner or later COVID-19 is behind us and things go back to “normal”?  It is my worry that many dogs, especially those that are a bit anxious to begin with, will be shell-shocked and the sudden change in routine that’s awaiting us all will send them into a spiral down the rabbit hole – unless we take these steps now to help them cope...

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​Give your dog something else to do. 
Just because you’re home doesn’t mean your sole purpose is to entertain your dog.  If your dog becomes dependent on the attention of you and your children to stay occupied, he’ll really be in for a surprise when you go back to work/school and now he’s bored and frustrated because he has no idea how to entertain himself.  So while you’re sitting in your home office or the kids are doing schoolwork, give your dog one of the following:

​Chews.  

• Dogs take a lot of their emotional energy out through their mouths and the act of chewing releases dopamine in a dog’s brain – which is why even when he doesn’t have the right items on which to chew a dog will find something to chew regardless.  Not all chews are created equal however – there are many items available in our pet stores but some are smarter and healthier choices than others.  Some are long-lasting and extremely durable (like femur or knuckle bones, antlers, goat horns or Nylabones - Durachew variety) and some are edible chews that your dog will eventually consume (such as bully sticks, cow ears, beef tendons and back strap).  Both can serve a productive purpose and your dog will likely have preferences – what one dog likes another may not.  I always recommend natural animal products that are dried without chemicals versus items like rawhide (which is made with bleach and formaldehyde) or dental chews (which typically include a lot of artificial ingredients and crumble up easily because of how they are formed). 
• It’s always important to supervise your dog with any new item so you can witness his chewing pattern.  Any item can pose a choking hazard at any time (just like how an 80-year-old could be eating for all his life and still choke on a piece of food), but if you watch you can make sure your dog is chewing the item methodically and not just trying to swallow it.

Puzzle Toys. 

• The point of these toys is to stimulate your dog’s mind by offering him a problem to solve – i.e. how do I get this food out of this ball?  By rolling it, tossing it, picking it up and dropping it, etc.  There are many puzzle toys on the market – some more practical for dogs than others.  I prefer puzzles that can be adjustable, so you can start out easier when first introducing it to your dog and then make it more complicated as your dog becomes proficient. 
• You want to challenge your dog and get his mental juices flowing, but you don’t want to frustrate him – which means he has to be able to get the treats out of the toy using his mouth and paws.  If the only way to get the treats out of the toy is to use your fingers, your dog will have one heck of a time (since he obviously doesn’t have fingers) and he may give up or try chewing the toy to bits out of frustration.  
• Most puzzle toys are meant to be interactive only and are not built to withstand strong chewing (as some are made of hard plastic that can crack and shard if chewed on too much) so it’ll be important to supervise your dog when you first give him a puzzle toy – maybe have him closed in the room with you so you can still keep an eye on him while you’re doing your work, and then you can notice when he empties the toy whether or not he leaves it alone (preferred) or tries to chew it up (in which it must then be taken away after it’s empty). 
• Warning: you may become distracted by watching your dog play and problem-solve!

• Here’s a list of some of my most recommended puzzle toys and chews, many of which you can find on Amazon through my Supply Shop page…  Got Toys? Puzzles and Chews That Provide a Good Outlet for Dogs.

Stuffed Kongs: 

• The KONG Classic toy can be a very versatile toy – you can put a few treats in it if you just want to occupy your dog for a few seconds while you bring the garbage out, OR you can stuff it full of healthy tasty stuff, freeze it, and then let your dog lick away at it for a while as he waits for all the yummy contents to thaw so he can enjoy them!  The action of licking is a pacification for dogs so laying down in his crate or dog bed and working away at a stuffed frozen Kong can help your dog settle on his own without needing any attention from you.  For ideas on how to stuff the Kong, see The Amazing Frozen Kong! Recipes for Relaxation.

​Once you DO go back to work, it’s a great idea to keep incorporating these items to give your dog the proper mental stimulation while you’re away.  You can feed him half of his breakfast in a puzzle toy while you’re getting ready for work/school or when you leave instead of giving it all to him in his food bowl.  Or if you/a dog walker typically come home in the middle of the day to let the dog out, give one to him when you leave again to occupy some of his afternoon.

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Stick to a schedule. 
When working from home it’s easy to let your dog out in the yard or take your dog for a quick walk on breaks between meetings or during your lunch hour.  But these opportunities are going to go away when you go back to the office. When routines and schedules change, it can often result in urinary indiscretions on the dog’s part – either due to lack of opportunity, or the stress or frustration that comes with the timing change or being left alone. 

​Many dogs are creatures of habit, after all, and thrive on predictable patterns.  That’s not to say we don’t want to teach them to be adaptable to changes in schedule and routine – we do! – but we want them to learn that gradually by incorporating small changes in routine (like dinner being served a half hour later than usual) and not cold turkey involving big changes in routine (like being stuck at home for weeks then all of a sudden you’re gone all day every day). 
So while you’re all still home:

• Keep to a regular potty/outdoor schedule – don’t let your dog go in/out every half hour just because they sit at the back door. 
• If your dog is used to going to doggy daycare, still bring your dog once or twice a week to get some exercise and see his doggy friends (and still support your local small business in the process). 
• Still start your day close to the same time you would when going to work – a half hour or so difference isn’t a big deal, but don’t sleep until 10am when you would typically wake up at 6am. 
• Don’t let those puppy dog eyes con you into feeding him dinner at 4:30pm if you typically wouldn’t feed dinner until 6pm – otherwise your dog will get frustrated when 4:30 rolls around and you’re still at work.

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Make those walks/outings a regular thing. 
We’ve all seen the various memes about how many walks dogs are getting by every member of the family right now because it’s all we can do to get out and about.  But unfortunately too many of us will slide right back into the old pattern once we go back to work/school and those 3 walks a day will turn back into 1 – or none.  And the fastest way to a dog's behavior problems is the lack of mental and physical stimulation and productive outlets for emotional energy.  So if you’re giving your dog regular walks now, or taking him on car rides or visits to the park, be sure to continue that new tradition once the pandemic is over. 

​Yes, it may mean building extra time into your schedule. You may have to wake up a half hour earlier so you can get your dog out for that stroll before the kids wake up and get ready for school.  Or you make dinner a half hour later because the first thing you do when you get home from work is take the dog (and kids) out for a walk and some fresh air.   Bring the dog with you on a car ride when you’re driving-through to pick up your coffee or medication.  Carry on with the new “carry-out” policy and eat a meal picnicking in the park with your dog as company rather than at home on the couch in front of the TV.  Your dog can be a good date if you just make an effort in showing him how to be!

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Make excuses to leave your house. 
Some of us aren’t going out at all – we even have groceries, food and medical supplies delivered to our doorstep.  But this further attaches your dog to your presence and doesn’t give him a healthy dose of separation – which means once you do go back to work, your dog can develop separation anxiety if he doesn’t already exhibit it.  Now is actually the best time to work on decreasing separation anxiety, since you don’t actually have to go anywhere or leave your dog for long – you can practice frequently in short enough sessions to help your dog be successful.
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Even though we’re still socially distancing, find reasons to get out of your house for a bit and leave your dog at home – it doesn’t mean you have to come in contact with people.  Maybe take a ride out to a friend’s house to drop a “feel-good” note in their mailbox or an “I miss hanging out with you” package on their doorstep.  Take a drive through a wildlife refuge or walk the trail at the state park that’s still open – you may never pass another person, but you can wear your mask anyway if you feel like it!  Go out just to pick up coffee or ice cream at a drive-through.  Instead of ordering items online and having them delivered, call-in an order to a pet or grocery store that offers curbside pickup and will bring the items out to your car so you never have to set foot inside the store.

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Spend time separate from your dog. 
Just because you’re home doesn’t mean you have to be with your dog.  Do you always spend all your time in the same room as your spouse or kids? Probably not.  So it’s completely OK (and even important) for your dog to be in a separate space from you even though you’re both home at the same time.  If your dog was typically crated during the day when you were at work prior to this pandemic, still have your dog spend some time in the crate while you work in another room of the house for a few hours. Or close your office door/gate off your dining room so your dog naps in his usual spot on the couch (where he would be if you weren’t home) rather than at your feet under your computer desk or dining room table.  If your dog doesn’t get used to being with you all day, it’ll be easier for him to spend time alone again when you go back to work.

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Give your dog adequate down time.  
There may be much more activity going on in your home right now on a daily basis than usual, but don’t forget – dogs spend much of the day sleeping (usually 12-14 hours for healthy adult dogs in their prime and as many as 18 to 20 hours for puppies and older dogs).  If there’s a lot of stimulation at home between you and the kids, your dog may not be getting the amount of down time that he needs to stay emotionally balanced. 

Make sure your dog has time away from the kids to just relax and decompress without interruption.  If your dog is sleeping, take that as an opportunity to get more work done or complete some chores around the house rather than waking the dog up to play or walk. Maybe even take this as an opportunity for YOU to just lounge with your dog and do nothing for a bit – like meditate to practice gratitude or snooze with your dog in the sun on your screened porch.

"Can I PLEASE take a nap now without you bothering me??"

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If you incorporate these ideas into your day-to-day now, your dog can have a much easier time adapting to life once it goes back to normal and we all can get out and about again. It’s easy to forget about our dogs’ needs when we have so many other things on our plates, but I assure you – when your dog’s needs are met through this process, we’ll ALL be happier in the long run! ​