Studies Show Bittersweet Reality of People Who Adopted 'Pandemic Puppies'
At the height of lockdown we were all in turmoil. Everyone was working remotely, kids were at home doing schoolwork, and this strange, scary, uncertain times made a lot of us turn to the comforts of adopting man's best friend. We were spending more time at home, thus we had more time to spend with training a dog.
Well, Research by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has added to growing concerns that many owners who acquired a dog during the height of the Covid pandemic were having issues with their dogs’ behavior as they reached 21 months, meaning we may not have spent as much time training these pups as we thought.
The Guardian reports that among the findings a fifth of owners surveyed reported their dog had eight or more problem behaviors at that age, such as pulling on the lead, clinginess or aggression, while 33% of owners found training their dog harder than expected – something that was more common among first-time owners.
Even though these findings were reported from a survey in the UK, I'm sure many of us know pandemic puppy owners who are still struggling with basic obedience commands and their dogs. The article states out of more than 1,000 UK dog owners, 97% reported their dog had at least one problem behavior from a list of 24, while on average owners reported five problems. The most common problem the article stated dogs was pulling on the leash – reported by about two-thirds of participants – with jumping up and poor recall in second and third place respectively.
Overall, control problems were the most common type of trouble – being reported by 84% of participants – however 25% reported their dog had aggressive behaviors.
More than 23 million American households — nearly 1 in 5 nationwide — adopted a pet during the pandemic, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The good news is that 90% of the dogs adopted during the pandemic are still with their owners.
So even though our dogs are poorly behaved, we still love them beyond sense and logic.
Can You Teach An Old Dog New Tricks?
Despite the old adage about not being able to teach an old dog new tricks, a dog at any age can learn positive behaviors.
The most effective way to train any dog, regardless of age, is with positive reinforcement and lots of treats. Most dogs are very food motivated, and not just the same old dog biscuits you give them on a daily basis, but for the really special treats, a tiny bit of hot dog or some steak, and with a lot of patience you can teach your dog new commands.
You want to start with basic commands like sit and stay to build a foundation for your dog of basic obedience skills. Once your dog has these down it will improve his muscle memory and he will start to associate performing these basic commands with getting a treat, thus making him more eager to learn new commands.
Reward your dog when they do something right, redirect them when they do something wrong, and make sure you are being consistent with their training.
You can also check with your local veterinarian or pet supply store to see if there are trainers or classes in your area which specialize in teaching dogs beyond puppy age basic obedience skills.
The good thing about this study is that it shows so many dog owners, who fell in love with pups during the pandemic but maybe didn't do the best job of training them, are not alone. Keep loving those dogs, work on training some more, and before you know it your dog can learn new skills.
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