A dog is for life

There has been a lot in the press recently about anxiety in dogs, in part as a result of the current pandemic. The combination of more puppies, more owners, many of whom have never owned a pet before, and fewer opportunities for normal socialisation has taken its toll, not just on us humans, but on our companion animals as well.

A colleague once said to me ‘I would be a great dog owner, I would take it out for walks, and feed it and everything’. It made me smile — the throw away ‘and everything’, without any real idea of what dogs require for a happy, stress-free life.

‘And everything’ includes introducing dogs to other animals, exposing them to cars and buses, introducing them to people both young and old… the list goes on! These introductions early in a dog's life are essential to enable the dog to cope with life in a human world. But, dogs also need to learn to be alone.