We must prepare pets for life after COVID
It's time to prepare our pets for a post-pandemic life
It might seem too soon to begin preparing pets for when humans return to offices and schools. But according to animal expert Zazie Todd, author of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy, the eventual separation will be easier for pets “if you make changes gradually, starting potentially a long time beforehand.”
So, in the spirit of doing what's best for four-legged family members, we asked several experts how to prepare our pets for the inevitable.
They include Clive Wynne, psychology professor and director of the Canine Science Collaboratory at Arizona State University and the author of
Dog Is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You, and Monique Udell, an associate professor in the Department of Animal and Rangeland Sciences at Oregon State University who has done research on cats and dogs. We also emailed with Alexandra Horowitz, who runs the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College and whose most recent book is Our Dogs, Ourselves.
Will my pets be OK when our house is empty during the day?
“The good news,” Todd said, “is that probably they will be OK for things to go back.” But if you've been with your pet 24/7 and are suddenly going to be gone for a large chunk of each weekday, she added, “that's a huge change” that should be introduced gradually. Pets relish routine, Todd said.
If you're a cat owner who thinks none of this applies to you, think again. “I would say that cats may often actually have a stronger emotional or behavioural response to change than dogs,” Udell said. “Cats can be very social, and they can engage in a lot of deep social interactions with people, whether that be petting and cuddling or play.”
What steps should I take to prepare my pets for this change?
Establish a routine close to the one you will keep when life goes back to “normal.” Think about when you wake up and go to bed, when you feed them — even, Udell said, the temperature of your house and the light-dark cycle. Gradually include some alone time for your pets.
“In a worst-case scenario, it might be going and sitting in your car or going for a walk for half an hour, just so that your pet gets some time on their own,” she said.
Your pet might not be as devastated as you fear. Wynne noted that although pets enjoy interacting with people, they also need to sleep about 12 or 14 hours a day. “So if a dog has been in such a busy household that it's overstimulated,” he said, “it's probably just going to be grateful to get a bit more sleep.”
What about pets purchased or adopted during the pandemic? This is all they know.
“... Most likely they will have a harder time, because they haven't experienced those routines before,” Todd said. That means you need to expose them to being alone even more gradually than the pets you owned before the pandemic, she said. “Don't just go out for a two-hour walk and leave them home alone when they've never been left home alone before.”
“Start with pointless walks around the block without your dog — just 10 minutes,” Wynne suggested. Then start building up the length of time you leave the dog alone.
Both Todd and Udell counselled the once-common advice to ignore your pet when leaving or returning is out of date. Making a fuss over your dog or cat upon your return does not cause separation anxiety, Todd said. “What your animal needs,” Udell said, “is for you to be accurately responsive to their needs.”
As for pandemic kittens, Udell says they may be OK, because they've had such intensive socialization. “Meeting those needs early in that relationship and being very available and present might actually help develop a more resilient cat that does better in your absence,” she said.
What if my pet barks, urinates or chews things when I'm gone?
“I would reduce the intensity of what you're trying to do,” Wynne said. “If your dog is so distressed, even by you going out for 10 minutes, just go out the door, count to 10 and come back in. And once that works, go out the door and count to 20 and come back in. Baby steps.”
Horowitz suggested ensuring dogs get their exercise before you leave. “And give them something to do when you're gone. `Chewing' happens because they don't have anything interesting (and permissible) to chew on.”
And if I try these suggestions and the behaviour continues?
“If your dog or cat is soiling while you're out, it is not necessarily separation anxiety; it could be a medical issue,” Todd said. “So, it is important to get them checked at the vet,” because there are other issues that will need to be ruled out, too, including boredom. “If a vet diagnoses a separation anxiety, very often they will want to prescribe medications for the pet.” Treatment for separation anxiety can take a long time, she said.
Wynne warns to be cautious about advice. “Anybody who's watched a TV show can claim to be an animal trainer, an animal behaviourist.” That means doing your due diligence to ensure the person is certified through a respected organization, such as the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.
Is getting my pet a companion pet a good idea?
“This depends on the animal. Some are very attached to their people; others get a lot of pleasure from” other members of their species, Horowitz said.
Todd and Udell cautioned, however, against thinking a companion pet will cure separation anxiety. Research is showing “that the other animal may play a role, but it's likely not the same role as the owner,” Udell said.
Whether one pet will welcome a second depends on your pet's nature and its age, as well as the age and species of the companion. “Many dogs will get on with another dog in the home, more so than cats,” Todd said.
“Once an animal is adult, it can be very difficult to get an animal to accept a member of a new species as a friend, as a companion,” Wynne noted.
If you are considering a second pet, Horowitz said, have the pets meet each other, and find out everything you can about the new animal. “Also be sure that you have the time to acclimate the new animal to your home” before resuming pre-pandemic life. If you are unsure how your pet will react to another animal in the household, Todd suggested looking for a foster-to-adopt program, so you can return the dog or cat.
How can I get over my guilt and sadness about leaving them?
“I think it's only natural to feel a bit sad,” Todd said, pointing out that we increasingly think of dogs and cats not as pets but as family members. Rather than feeling guilty, Horowitz said, make sure your pet has some companionship. “Maybe you can bring your pet, under some circumstances, to work. Find a dog walker or community doggie daycare you like and trust. If you can, go home in the middle of the day. And when you're home, spend quality time with them.”
Wynne, however, isn't convinced that guilt is entirely without merit. In general, he thinks we Americans expect our dogs “to put up with being on their own for longer than is conscionable.” Although he doesn't necessarily advocate adopting the Swedish law that says that dogs can't be left alone at home for more than six hours at a stretch, “it's a good rule to live by.” There are ways of working around it, such as hiring a dog walker or getting a companion pet, he noted. But dogs have highly social and loving natures, and “it's just not fair, not reasonable, to ask them to cope” with our long absences.
Both he and Todd said they hoped the general success of the country's forced experiment with remote work will encourage employers to continue offering it as an option. “I hope that more people, after the pandemic is over, will at least have the option of working at home some of the time, some days of the week,” Wynne said. “That could be a silver lining to come out of the miserable times that we're in.”