Pet Peeves

For all our human woes, the pandemic has been a pretty good time for dogs. Not only have there been more of them, thanks to a surge in COVID puppies, but the lockdowns have dished up more attention, walks and trips to the dog park than ever before.

However, as we transition back to offices and life outside the home, many of our furry friends are struggling to adapt to the change in pace and our increasing absences from home. So, after two years of lockdown bubbles and tummy rubs, how do we help our pets adjust to a different kind of ‘normal’?

Local dog hubs around Paddington have noticed a rise in concerns around pet behaviour and separation. According to Rachel Holmes, of the Dog Club, which opened on Paddington’s Oxford St in August last year, owners are increasingly feeling the pressure of leaving pets at home, especially as they return to work.

“Owners either feel guilty about leaving their dogs or are worried about their behaviour,” she says. “We get a lot of people coming through our door looking for advice on how to both prevent separation issues or help to correct.”

Holmes says that post-lockdown pet behavioural changes, especially in older dogs, can be triggered by a surprising cause — a lack of sleep.

“Adult dogs who had previously been left alone to sleep the majority of the day, were suddenly surrounded by noise and distraction during the pandemic, resulting in much less sleep than they previously had,” she says. “A lack of sleep leads to a range of issues.”

Ian Shivers, founder of Bondi Behaviorist, who works closely with The Dog Club, agrees that a lot of separation issues have been caused by overstimulation and increased engagement, which leads to sleep deprivation and adrenal fatigue. On average, our dogs need much more sleep than we realise: 12 hours of deep sleep and 7.2 hours of rest. So they’re only meant to be awake and active for 4.8 hours a day.

Shivers is not surprised by the increase in separation issues.

“Everybody’s routine changed and has changed multiple times so there’s no predictability in our dogs’ worlds right now and that exacerbates stress,” he says. “We’re seeing a lot of dogs who are hyper-attached because they haven’t built any resilience to being left alone.”

Sharon McCarthy, who opened local institution Paddo Pets in 2005, has also noticed the impact of the past two years on younger dogs, especially COVID puppies.

“The dogs are now used to having people around 24/7,” she says. “And because in-person puppy schools had to stop during the second lockdown, there’s a whole lot of dogs who missed out on that early training altogether.”

Caroline Depledge, from The Dog Sessions, who runs the puppy school at Paddo Pets, agrees many new pet owners missed the opportunity to learn routine training and health information.

“A lot of dogs are suffering from ‘isolation distress’ which looks similar to ‘separation anxiety’ but rather than being a professionally diagnosed disorder, it’s simply that they haven’t learned to be OK alone,” she says.

As we transition back to the office, Depledge advises to start leaving dogs alone at home for short departures and gradually build up the intervals over time. Ensuring they have ‘boredom buster’ toys as well as things they can chew and pacify themselves with will encourage independence and feelings of safety.

“Be careful not to overstimulate your dog just before you leave,” she says. “It’s OK to exercise them beforehand but make sure you factor in time to calm them down and feed them before you walk out the door.”

A common piece of post-lockdown advice for transitioning back to the office is to engage a dog walker, once or a few times a week, to help break up longer periods of isolation. And if owners are concerned about changes in their dog’s behaviour, such as barking excessively when left alone, or hyper behaviour when they sense you’re about to leave, seek help sooner rather than later.

Holmes advises her clients at The Dog Club to “seek professional advice from trusted, reputable trainers and make sure your values align. This industry is not regulated so the contrast in methods trainers will use or recommend is vast.”

It’s also worth finding a trainer who looks at ‘both ends of the leash’ and creating a plan that works for the whole family. Most of the time it is us as the pet carers who need to do most of the learning and a better understanding of our little furry friends,” says Holmes.

McCarthy from Paddo Pets agrees: “It’s as much about the owners as it is the dogs. Don't be too hard on them or yourself. It’s a process. You have to be patient and keep experimenting to find what works.”

There’s no doubt that for many of us, our dogs have been a remedy for the isolation and challenges we’ve faced during the past two years.

“I have so many people come in and say they don’t know what they would have done without their dogs,” says McCarthy.

Now it’s up to us to return the favour.