Lockdown has brought pets and pet parents closer to each other than ever before. Pets have equally suffered during the lockdown and getting ready for the new normal is going to be a task for them as well. Here are a few tips for Pet owners to prepare your pets for the post-lockdown normalcy phase.

1. Feeding tip:

During the lockdown, you might have fed your pet on time and frequently due to being constantly at home. But with you getting back to work, these timings may change. So it is important to gradually shift one current meal time to the desired meal time. Don’t shift all the meals together. Start with one meal and then plan the rest around that meal. 

2. Peeing and Potty habits:

Due to the lockdown, going out for walks and providing your pet with outdoor relieving spots must have been difficult. If you had changed the area or surface during the lockdown for them to relieve themselves then changing it again after lockdown might take some time for them to get used to. You can try and stick to their regular timings as much as possible even if you plan on taking your pet outdoors, as that will cause less disruption while they get back to the normal.

3. Getting used to the new attire:

Pets get alarmed when they see people with faces covered. Especially dogs might start barking at people when outdoors. The pets thus, just like us, need to get used to seeing people wearing masks. To make it a new normal for them, try and wear a mask yourself even when you are around the pet, even in your own house, may be for 20-30 minutes every day. You can normalise it by kissing your pet and talking to them through the mask and behaving as you would normally. 

4. Save them from separation anxiety:

24*7 being around your pet for more than just 2 months and suddenly going back to work one day might confuse your pet and make them feel stressed, lonely and suffer from separation anxiety. They might even experience destructive behaviour causing damage to the home or urinating in the home in your absence or continually barking/meowing until you return home. Some might even suffer from depression or hypersalivation. 

You can avoid separation anxiety in pets by training them for the separation at home. Try and spend some time away from them every day--maybe by spending a couple of hours in a separate room without them, or going for a quick stroll outside without the pet so they get used to it slowly.

You might even train them with dressing and undressing cues while going out of the house, or moving to a separate room as they will start associating the exit rituals-- putting on shoes, a jacket and other outfits-- with your absence.