Animals Miss Socialization Just As Much As Humans

Dogs are, by nature, social creatures but there is a concern that social distancing will result in a generation of pets that don’t know how to socialize with humans and other animals.

Dr. Lynne Bodell from Lynne Bodell’s Vet Clinic says that between the ages of 8 and 18 weeks is an essential time for teaching pets the correct way to interact with others.

“What often happens when you have these dogs that aren’t socialized, they see another dog and they’re pulling on the lead and they start barking and getting agitated… they just don’t know how to socialize” Dr. Bodell said.

The same can be true of dogs that aren’t socialized with humans, they can become aggressive or stressed when meeting new people.

There has been an increase in the number of people who in this time are adding a furry friend to their family and Dr. Bodell has some advice for those who are at home with their dogs at the moment but will eventually go back to work.

“They have to have separation time where they actually put the dog or puppy at this stage, away from them, they have to have timeout by themselves so they learn some independence”.

If a puppy becomes reliant or clingy to their owners there is a risk of developing separation anxiety which can sometimes get so bad it requires medication.

Dr. Bodell says that it is never too late to socialize a dog, but the longer you wait the harder it will be.

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