References
COVID-19: implications of self-isolation and social distancing for the emotional and behavioural health of dogs
Abstract
As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps across the world, governments are taking unprecedented steps to achieve control and reduction of its affects. Although the potential mental and behavioural health challenges of social isolation for the human population has been widely discussed within the media, less has been said of the concurrent challenges faced by the companion animals that are also experiencing the regulations associated with ‘lock-down’ and ‘self-isolation’. This article considers the immediate consequences for dogs of reduced access to environmental and social stimulation outside the home and increased social exposure within the home, as well as considering some of the potential long-term effects of such measures.
At the time of writing, the human population is restricted to one session of outdoor exercise per day and it is inevitable that these exercise restrictions are going to affect the canine population that are used to a routine associated with exercise opportunities and/or social exposure to the wider human family. The British dog population is not yet as restricted as pets in European countries, nor is there any mention of regulations as draconian as those of South Africa, where outdoor exercise is altogether banned for the next 3 weeks.
With so many dog owners living in towns and cities and many without access to gardens, the sudden change in a dog's routine will inevitably leave it confused, frustrated and distressed.
It is the opinion of this author that it is inevitable that the above changes to the life of dogs in Britain will have profound implications for their current emotional and behavioural health, implications that are likely to extend into their future welfare.
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