Separation Anxiety and Returning to Work
With the worst of the coronavirus pandemic (hopefully) behind us here in Australia, the next few months will bring about yet more change as people gradually begin to return to work and some semblance of normal life pre-outbreak. For us, the most important part of this is how it’s going to affect our furry friends- most of whom have likely become much more heavily dependent on us and our presence at home.
Speaking to our clients, we know everyone has done an incredible job over the last few months at helping their pets to cope with such an adjustment - increasing their daily exercise and involving them in zoom calls to name a couple of things! However, with many owners now leaving the house for long days at a time again, this is a critical time for our pets, especially dogs, who (very fairly) may become distressed once left alone. It’s especially important for the owners of our newly coined ‘pandemic puppies’- those who were born and adopted throughout the covid-19 lock-down. These pups have known no existence other than a life of near-constant attention, and have likely had significantly less exposure to the outside world than their pre-corona counterparts. It’s one thing for them to all of a sudden lose their best mates (you!) but then also to have to adjust to a whole new world outside, full of highly stimulating smells, sounds and other dogs.
Below we have tried to compile a list of tips for making the coming transition a little smoother for both you and your pets, and minimising the risk of both emotional distress (no more midday snack and walk breaks!) and physical damage to your household items from bored destructive animals.
Start spending increasing periods of time alone without engaging with your pet.
This may be difficult in a smaller household but if you have a bit more space, try starting with 30 minutes where you are separated from them. Make sure to give them something to keep them busy (a new/interactive toy such as a food puzzle or snuffle mat) so they can start rebuilding those positive associations with alone time! If you physically can’t be in a different room to your pet, consider investing in some baby gates or something that allows you to put some physical distance between you and them.
Start practising your routine of going to and coming home from work.
Pets are HUGE creatures of habit, so by gradually re-establishing your normal routine of leaving for the office at a certain time they will likely also adapt, and not feel like they’ve been abandoned overnight! Do all the normal things you would (bathroom routine, picking up car keys, opening the garage door) without making a big deal of it or saying a huge goodbye. Walk around the block for 10 mins and come back, and try building up to a decent period of an hour or more - hopefully after a few practice runs you’ll come home to a snoozing or relaxed dog. This step is surprisingly difficult, especially for pets who have previously had tendencies towards separation anxiety, so don’t despair if you have a few setbacks here.
When you return home, remember to act calm and leave them alone
As difficult as it is to not praise or greet them (we know!) try and wait until they are also relaxed and not in a state of hyper-arousal before you give them a calm pat and praise, and then move on with your day. The bigger a fuss you make, the more heightened their emotional state will become and you risk making things even more difficult next time you leave.
Keep up the level of exercise and activity
that you’ve been doing with your pets during lockdown. Although the lunchtime (and 2pm! And 4pm!) walks and park visits may no longer be quite as feasible, most dogs have become accustomed to additional playtime and physical/mental stimulation, and a significant drop in this is likely to lead to additional anxiety or destructive behaviours when left alone. Consider investing in a dog walker for during the day or a couple of days at doggy day care throughout the week.
Be extra careful when heading back to social gatherings with your pet.
Just like us, they’ve probably fallen out of certain habits (anyone remember what a gym is?) so don’t forget to lower your expectations with their recall and concentration levels. Bring lots of yummy treats and practice shorter training sessions, and if they haven't been off leash in a while remember their training is probably going to be a little rusty!
Lock-down has no doubt taught all of us a lot of different lessons, and we know for many people one of the most important things to come out of this is how much we rely on our pets emotionally. Many amongst us have been incredibly socially isolated with only a cat or dog for company most days, and it’s been wonderfully gratifying to see the strength of the human-animal bond. We hope that even as we start to return to a new normal, this bond remains as powerful as ever and people will always remember this time with fond memories of their fur children- we owe it to them for getting us through it!