Uk lockdown and dogs

Currently the United Kingdom, along with several other countries around the world are on lockdown due to Covid-19 - Coronavirus.

As of a couple of days ago, we in the UK are only allowed to leave the house for essential shopping, to get medication, keyworkers only are allowed to work, all others must stay home. And we are allowed out once a day for exercise. We are to keep 2m away from others at all times when we do go outside for essentials. Even schools are shut for all but a few certain children to ensure key workers such as doctors, nurses, food shop workers, care staff, bin collectors etc are able to keep doing their jobs and keep the country running, and the most vunerable safe.

This means many people are working from home where they can. But the lockdown means we are unable to take the dogs on their regular group dog walks, to training classes, to the grooming parlour or even go to many parks as they are being locked to prevent people congrigating there and passing on Covid-19 (Coronavirus). This is to try and stop the spread of the virus which has claimed all too many lives already. At the moment it is a 3 week lockdown, and it will be reviewed after this time to see what the next step is for the country. This could be our normal for months if the infection rate does not slow down.

Blaize is rather shocked at the news.

I am classed as high risk as I have severe chronic health conditions including a condition which affects my breathing so am isolated with the dogs at home . Of course they are very pleased with this but it means no contact with the other dogs who are part of their pack (Spike, Yoda and their Aunty Claire) for at least 3 more weeks and they are certainly missing them.

Exercise and Toileting

Only being allowed out once a day for exercise is a major issue in many peoples eyes for their pets welfare. If you own animals which require tending to more than once a day such as horses, this seems to be allowed as its a welfare issue not to but we must maintain distance from other people at all times while doing this.

Many of us have dogs which are used to 2 or more walks a day which is obviously not allowed at this moment. My recommendation is to use your one outsing for exersize to walk the dog somewhere as secluded as possible, ideally somewhere they dont often go, or walk different routes where possible to allow your dogs nose and brain to get a good workout as well as their legs. This will tire them out mentally and help them settle while they are not able to have their regular walks and meet up with others. If you are not lucky enough to have a garden, you are still able to take your pooch out for the toilet outside of your one walk, but these must be kept to a quick pee and poo break then back home. No turning it into extra walks or you not only risk being fined, but more importantly there is always the risk of you picking up the virus. Remember there have been a large number of deaths of people who were believed to be totally healthy before, so please keep yourself and your family safe.

If you have a garden please take advantage of this and use it to let your dog out for their toilet breaks. Safety first. If not, particularly if you have small dogs or elderly dogs, its worth considering using puppy pads or newspaper over a waterproof mat. Many of our puppies were trained using them and in uncertain times like this, its better than them being caught short. You may even want to consider litter training them. For tiny breeds they can be taught to use a litter tray with litter pellets or soil in, or for slightly larger dogs, you can use the base of an indoor rabbit hutch to suit the dogs size. As unusual as it may sound, its actually fairly easy to litter train a dog, and across the world a lot of dogs living in flats and apartments are litter trained and it works great for them. I personally have Puppy Pads down at all times anyway as my elderly crossbreed doesnt always realise she needs to go until its too late to get her outside.

Keeping your pet busy and entertained

Whether you are working from home, isolated, or overwhelmed with work your pet will know things arent the same, and it can stress them out. The very best thing you can do is to keep their mind enterained. Previously I posted a blog about puzzle toys and keeping their mind active, which is ideal right now. I will post more puzzle games and toys you can buy or make to keep them busy and happy over the next few days. You should try and get them used to being alone part of the day even if you are home a lot at the moment to try and prevent seperation anxiety when everything goes back to normal after this crisis.

For now, different and interesting toys, training at home, and games are what your pet needs from you. A tired dog is a happy dog but as going out is not currently an option, tired out their mind. This is the perfect time to work on anything your pet is not great it, or to learn new skills and tricks. There are hundreds of videos on YouTube, and many trainers on Facebook who are running online classes, some free, some paid for, to give you plenty of ideas to keep your pet busy. Working hard with them will also strengthen your bond with your pet. 

Transmission between pets and humans

There is no proof whatsoever that Covid-19 can be passed between pets or that pets can pass on this virus. While there have been a couple of cases of dogs apparently testing mildly positive for the virus, they were not actually infected themselves. It is believed that they had breathed in the virus and it was trapped in their nasal area when swabbed. Meaning that the virus was breathed in as their infected owners were breathing on them, not that they were infected. The current recommendation is to wash your hands as normal after touching your pet, but this is more to prevent you picking up or passing on something that can pass between them and us, not due to Covid-19.