Covid Puppies and Back to School Transitions
The back to school transition can be really difficult for dogs, especially the covid puppies raised during the height of the pandemic, as these puppies are not as familiar with or prepared to deal with big routine transitions. It is always best practice to catch problems early, so some early warning signs you can look for to indicate your dog is having a hard time with the transition of kids going back to school include
Pacing, especially in the location or time where the kids and their routine would have been, even if the dog doesn’t directly interact with the kids. Related warning signs include frustration when you try to stop this behavior (starts demand barking or being naughty - opt for offering calming enrichment instead). Panting + pacing is a level higher in stress
Increased rude greeting/space crowding when people come home or strangers come over. The stress of the absence may increase the dog’s desire to greet and anxiously information gather with over the top licking/sniffing and trying to jump
Increase in destructive behavior. Destructive behaviors from stress often are duration activities - chewing a hole in the carpet, wall, or door, peeing on a specific person’s clothing items over time, etc.
Ask questions, join the conversation, and post pictures of your crate set up in the Facebook group!
𓃡 𓃩 𓃡 Human End of the Leash 𓃡 𓃩 𓃡
Ask questions, join the conversation, and post pictures of your crate set up in the Facebook group! 𓃡 𓃩 𓃡 Human End of the Leash 𓃡 𓃩 𓃡
Prevention and Management
Being proactive and implementing management and prevention is key for a smooth back to school transition, especially with covid puppies. It is especially important to prepare your dogs for what their routine is going to be in school while the kids are still home. Here are some tips to help you do so:
Place your dog in their crate with enrichment during the times they will need to be crated such as when the kids get ready and leave in the morning or when you go to pick them up
Decrease high arousal activity to a level sustainable through the school year. If you currently walk or bike 4 miles in the morning but you know last year you mostly only managed 1 mile a day, slowly decrease exercise over a couple weeks and increase enrichment and relaxation
Increase management around high arousal transition times during the day such as the kids coming back home or friends coming over. *When you increase management, always increase enrichment as well!*
Always make sure management is in place while offering enrichment as well, especially if you have young kids in the home, so the dog doesn’t feel any pressure to guard their enrichment or become stressed.
Covid puppies specifically typically have less regulation tools, less practice dealing with big schedule changes, and more difficulty with strangers, so expect a bigger reaction to this transition than you may have experienced with previous dogs!
