Here is what you missed…
Dear Pet Parents,
What an awesome LIVE coaching call we had today:
“What social distancing means for you and your dog – the DO’s and DON’T’s while home with your pet during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
It was fun for me to talk with many dog owners at one time over a virtual platform. Thank you to those who made time to participate. Your feedback from the call will help me curate more content for dog owners just like you!
For those who couldn’t make it today, I wanted to share the key takeaways and resources from our call with you.
HERE IS WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP YOUR DOG BE HAPPY & BALANCED DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
DO PRACTICE
#1 ROUTINE / STRUCTURE
PLEASE never lose sight of the importance of routine and structure with your dog.
It is so comforting for your dog to have the simple routines that you can maintain right now. This means don’t change meal or walk times or even how long those activities last. Don’t shorten anything right now. Keep as much normalcy as you can.
#2 MENTAL STIMULATION – CHALLENGE YOUR DOG
- Obviously obedience training is key to providing mental stimulation to your dog and remember, it doesn’t always have to be outdoors
- Do place work indoors and outdoors, using an underground parkade or empty parking lots
- Skills to practice – recall, place work, touch, look, leash skills/heeling
- Engagement games – treat dispensing toys, puzzles, hunting games
- Take it / Leave it – this is a wonderful game you can build on with your dog. You can even even start making your own obstacle course and hide items outside and practice walking by
#3 HEALTHY SEPARATION – A MUST!
- Have a “Go to your bed” or place command
- Crate training
- Don’t take your dog everywhere because you can
- Have a solid down-stay command. This will allow you to move around the house without you creating a “shadow” dog who never leaves your side
DON’T PRACTICE
MORE AFFECTION AND LESS OF EVERYTHING ELSE
- Your dog is not a emotional security blanket
- The risk of over affection leaves you with a less balanced canine
- Affection isn’t leadership
- Place your dog’s needs above our own. It is about trust and respect. We must meet their needs to have them feel our love and respect
- Affection isn’t bad, it just can’t be the only thing you are sharing with your dog
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR YOU
Watch Cheri’s video on “Unearned Affection.”
Cheri Lucas is a dog behaviourist in California. Click on the photo to hear Cheri’s message of the danger that unearned affection can play in the relationship with your dog.
ARTICLE: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CORONAVIRUS & YOUR DOG
ARTICLE: DR. KAREN BECKER – COVID-19 AND YOUR PET — WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
HELP! YOUR FEEDBACK IS NEEDED.
As our world changes rapidly in these uncertain times, I am committed to finding new and exciting ways to help you and your dog through the use of a virtual platform.
To do my part to help ‘flatten the curve,’ I will be moving to a virtual coaching platform only for my coaching programs. As such, I am welcoming all suggestions on what content you feel is most useful to you. The more feedback I get, the better I can prepare and help not just you, but so many other dog owners near and far who are struggling.
So the best way you can help me is to go ahead and hit the reply button now to let me know what I can do for you!
Stay safe and healthy and take care of yourself and those you love.
Thank you for your continued support.
Drew Warner
Lead Trainer
