How the COVID pandemic can affect dog behaviour

The COVID lockdowns are long gone now, thank goodness. Sadly, this dreadful virus has left us a long-lasting legacy, not only of lost and physically disabled loved ones, but long-term psychological damage to the mental wellbeing of not only ourselves, but also our dogs.

Dogs are very flexible in their outlook on life and quickly become accustomed to the patterns of life that we create for them. To so many dogs, lockdown meant constant companionship from their people, no social contact and a quiet home environment. They thought it was forever. Even dogs who were adults before the pandemic hit society were inclined to change the way they viewed the safety of the world, and Major is one of them.

Life is good for a dog living with loving and caring people, especially when living in a beautiful and peaceful Monmouthshire village. Major was always a little concerned about some dogs but not so much that it really worried him or his owners. However, after he had spent several months in their constant company, seeing very few people and dogs, he started to worry about social encounters. He’s no lightweight and has a deep, loud bark that he used to great effect to tell dogs to keep their distance. Being a big, handsome boy, he is a magnet for attention and loves people. Their dogs, he is not so sure about.

We needed to teach Major that his owners are well able to keep him safe when he goes for his walks. First of all, we were careful not to get uncomfortably close to dogs he didn’t know. We taught him to give his attention and trust to his owners and over time he is beginning to relax. As long as he was able to listen to what they asked him to do, we knew that he wasn’t too worried. Over time he is getting nearer and nearer without over-reacting and can walk past many dogs knowing that his owners have his back, even looking at some of them in passing. He is now a mature 8 year old and will not change his views overnight, but his owners’ consistency and patience are gently leading him to understand that the world is still a great place to explore with his people.