A lot of people worked at home through the pandemic, and now that they are back at work some of their pets, especially dogs, have developed separation anxiety.
Being with their family all day every day, to suddenly being alone for eight or more hours a day, is a big change.
Dr. Leeanne Bargen from PetVet says this large structural change in a dog’s day-to-day life can often cause separation anxiety.
“Especially if they were acquired as COVID puppies, then it is really hard to expect them to be good at staying home alone the whole day when they haven’t been used to it.”
It is hard for these dogs to be calm and relaxed when they are left alone since they are used to being around people all the time.
Dogs born before the pandemic knew what it was like to be away from their owners during the day, so coming back into that pre-pandemic routine, they are less prone to separation anxiety.
For dogs born during the pandemic, all they have ever known is having non-stop attention, so it can be very unsettling when the constant stimulation goes away.
This is why dogs who were born during the pandemic are more likely to have separation anxiety than those born before or coming out of the pandemic.
“The real problems came for puppies that were born and then purchased during that isolation period and didn’t get the same sort of social structure that puppies born four years earlier would have had.”
There is some good news: owners can actually help relieve this anxiety in their pets.
Separation anxiety isn’t always permanent and can usually go away after some time, depending on the individual and the measures taken.
How can I get rid of my pet’s anxiety?
There are a few techniques you can try, such as settling into a good routine.
“So just like with people, good nutrition, good exercise, and good routine are all really important, so have a normal bedtime and a normal feeding pattern.”
You can also go through some behavior modification steps. You can seek the help of a trainer, behavioral specialist, or work with your pet through resources you find online.
“I often tell people to do back-to-basics training. Some sit, some stay, some down, and then we remember how to listen to those things,” she says. “Then we extend that into waiting and rewarding the relaxation behaviors. Every time you reward a relaxed behavior, your dog is more likely to provide you with a relaxed behavior.”
She notes it can be quite a long process.
“If your dog has been wired pretty tight for a year or two, it’ll take probably a year or two to get you right back to neutral.”
The key is to be consistent and reward the relaxation behaviors that you see in your pet.
“We don’t want to ever tell someone that we can fix this in three weeks, cause Rome wasn’t built in a day and it would be also impossible to clear it out in a day,” she says. “It takes about as long to make something as it does to undo it, when you talk about behavior.”