Assignment 1

COVID-19 lockdowns had a significant impact on the behavior of dogs. Some dogs developed separation anxiety and became overly attached to their owners. Common behavior problems included increased vocalization, reactivity to loud noises, and difficulty socializing with other dogs. Stress, caused by changes in routine and less exercise, played a major role in these behavior changes. Puppies born during lockdown had increased fear and aggression due to lack of socialization. Even after the lockdown, many dogs continued to exhibit fearful and aggressive behaviors. To help stressed dogs, remove them from stressors, provide a quiet environment, and engage in regular exercise. Understanding dog communication is crucial for owners to interpret their behavior correctly. Hi, I'm Brittany, and today we're going to be talking about how COVID-19 affected the behavior in dogs. In March of 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, and countries not long after began to implement lockdowns. The lockdown not only limited human interaction, but pet interaction as well, more specifically dogs. The social change that came with the pandemic affected dogs' behavior both positively and negatively. This behavioral change had a big impact on dogs' owners in the past couple of years as well. It created more love, but also stress, and even resentment in some cases. Although there was an increase in emotional bond between dog and owner reported, 5.8% of owners reported a deterioration in their relationship. So how exactly was dogs' behavior affected? Well, dogs that had separation anxiety prior to lockdown developed even more problems during lockdown. Simply because they got so used to their owners being home all the time, often owners couldn't even be in a different room without the dog following them or doing something for attention. The most common behavior problems reported that got worse was an increase in vocalization, reactivity to loud or unexpected noises, and a worsening of social interactions with other dogs when outside. Some dogs even retreated from their own family. 5% reported a deterioration of social behavior and an increased aggressiveness. A major factor that plays into the role of all of these behavior changes is stress, and stress comes from a change in routine, like less exercise. As we've learned, stress-related behaviors are including but not limited to shaking, hiding, aggression, excessive barking, digestive problems, and excessive licking lips. Let's change gears a little bit and talk about puppies. Puppies have three different stages. The one we're going to talk about is the socialization process. During this process, it is imperative that puppies are exposed early to other animals, different objects, various sounds, and textures, as well as different kinds of people of different age, race, and gender. This is important because as the puppies get older, they will learn not to be fearful of these things, but just expect them in everyday life. When we're talking about COVID puppies, the puppies born and raised during COVID had a significant increase in personality traits related to fear and aggression in their socialization period during these lockdown restrictions, simply because they were just not getting the exposure that they needed. This further supports how strongly the pandemic impacted the behavioral development in dogs. After the lockdown was lifted, an interview was conducted in 2022 to see if any of these behaviors were long-lasting. Fifteen owners of 18 dogs were asked about behavioral changes in their pets. The majority of them, unfortunately, did report that the more fearful and aggressive behaviors were still occurring. So how do I help my dog and my friend's dog with any of their stressors? Well, firstly, you want to try to remove your dog from the suspected stressor and get them someplace quiet. I know it's hard, but overly comforting your pet may make them even more stressed. A great stress relief is exercise. It will help expel any energy or anxiety that they have and will just overall relax them and make them calmer. If you notice that your dog is not calming down and is anxious all the time, then it's best to take them to the vet in case they need anti-anxiety medication. Overall, there was a greater owner dependence over the pandemic. This created a domino effect because the increased dependence became more frequent stress for dogs and with more stress comes behavior changes from excessive yawning to more aggressive reactions. It's important for owners to do research about dog communication because a lot of their behavior may be misinterpreted and that's not good for the owner or the dog. Our dogs didn't understand why we were home so much. They were just happy we were. Now it's our job to make sure the effects of lockdown on their behavior aren't long-term.