There was a massive spike in dog adoptions and purchases this past year during the pandemic. People everywhere saw the writing on the wall when global and national health agencies set out social distancing guidelines. As a country, our social futures were uncertain and in many places governments instituted shelter-in-place orders. To counteract the anticipated feelings of loneliness caused by not being able to spend time with our best friends, many people turned to “man’s best friend” for relief.
The swell in dog adoptions and sales this year, has led to a boom in new pet parents. These newly adopted and purchased pups can be classified as ‘pandemic puppies.’ While it’s amazing that shelters and rescues have had an easier time finding homes for the dogs they care for, and so many families are enjoying their first puppy, there are unexpected issues that have emerged for people with pandemic puppies.
Dogs require regular socialization in order to develop healthy and acceptable social behaviors toward people and other dogs. With social isolation preventing these pups from meeting new people and closed dog parks preventing them from meeting new dogs, these pups on average have lower social skills than better socialized dogs.
There has been research done to indicate that a large number of dogs adopted during the pandemic have barely spent any time outside of their homes or alone without their family. This is slightly concerning considering we are moving steadily closer to a return to a pre-pandemic lifestyle and many of these dogs will encounter situations that they are utterly unfamiliar with.
As a responsible dog owner of a pandemic puppy it’s important to ease your pup into the new normal of post pandemic life. If your dog has never been alone and experiences separation anxiety when you return to work, make sure to seek out resources for helping your pup adjust. This could mean training them yourself using online resources or reaching out to a local trainer for assistance. The same goes if your dog shows aggression with people or other dogs.
It’s amazing to know how many people leaned on canine companionship to help them navigate the pandemic. Now that it’s time to start thinking about adjusting back to a more normal way of life, it’s important to note that some of these pups don’t know what that means. As much as these dogs have been there for us during our time of need, we need to be there for them, showing patience, empathy and love. We need to make sure they make the transition successfully and happily into the new normal which can’t come soon enough.
