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Reducing Stress in Pets – And Why Your Pet May Be More Stressed Than You Think Right Now (HomeoPet)

2020 has been quite a year thus far!  Above all, Covid-19 has altered our lives and our ‘normality’ in a rapid and surreal way.

As pet owners, we are already quite aware of the impact this has had/continues to have on our dogs/cats/birds/etc etc.  Their ‘typical’ routine has been disturbed.  Their guardians are around much more than normal and, in some cases, their brothers and sisters are at home as educational institutions have closed.

Amazing!  Your dog gets to enjoy every member of their household all day (or most of) and has plenty of love, interaction and stimulation readily available at all hours of the day (and vice versa!).

However, with lockdown gradually easing, and in September, educational provisions potentially reopening, our lives will change once again, quickly and quite dramatically.  This will affect all of us and, as a pet business particularly, we are keen to inform, help and support pets and our clients through these transitional stages we are facing.  Dogs are being asked to adjust to lots of different things, sometimes quite rapidly.  We cannot explain in words what is happening to help support them or prepare them for these adjustments and, as such, we may expect dogs to exhibit new/different behaviours as their family begin to spend less time at home, etc.  Separation anxiety can manifest in many ways and tasks that they may have been in a routine of going to (6 weekly grooms, half-term boarding, 6 monthly vet check-ups, dog walkers popping in, etc) will have stopped suddenly, restarted again suddenly and this can all be most confusing for our dogs and other pets.

I found this article to be informative and to have a few strategies to help you prepare for, or at least think about how you will plan for your dog when these transitions occur:

Reducing Stress in Pets – And Why Your Pet May Be More Stressed Than You Think Right Now.

There is a lot of other information available, I will continue to share any information I find that I feel is useful, but dog charities, vets, other animal organisations will also have information online for you to read through.

I think it is important for us to prepare our furry friends for the imminent changes as otherwise, for some, it will be a sudden shock to the system, through nobodies fault.  I quite liked the idea of having a space for the dog so that they can take themselves off for quiet time during busier times (Ruby takes off to her bed!) and I was reminded of the different behaviours that we could potentially expect (ones that I had not considered) and the reasons for why these may happen.

I hope this link helps you in some way.  Always ask us if you have any questions and we will help as much as we can.

Happy Summer Holidays x

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