Did you take our puppy kindergarten class where we handed you a pair of bunny ears or a silly hat and asked you to wear them for part of class?  Maybe you dressed in a parka in July so your pup wouldn't be frightened of the odd looking wear come November.  These are great ideas for socialization that we try to cover when our pups are young... but maybe we didn't think about face masks months or years ago. Maybe, like me, you thought your dog was pretty comfortable with new looks until you walked out of the bathroom wearing a charcoal skin mask and your dog barked at you while it dried! Uhoh - why do things like this matter to our dogs?  Because we look different! While humans tend to rely more on verbal conversation to communicate, our dogs are constantly reading body language and looking for visual cues to help them understand the world.  Now that half of a human face is missing, they have lost some telling body language and that can make them uncomfortable.  

We are now living in a world where people are regularly venturing out wearing face masks. So what do we do? Can an old (or older) dog learn new tricks? Yes, they can when we take appropriate steps to help them!

We want to help you get your dog comfortable with face-mask wearing people they might encounter on walks, at the vet's office or even you returning from running errands.  We have outlined the steps below to desensitize your dog to people wearing face masks.  Some dogs will take to the new look easily and others will be much more concerned by the change. If your dog is struggling, please contact us for help!

It is VITAL that your dog shows no discomfort before you move onto the next step.  

Desensitizing your dog to Face Masks:

1. Show your dog the mask from a distance (start with 6+ feet).  Feed a treat, no matter your dog's response.  Periodically repeat this step during the day until your dog lights up when you show them the mask! This means he has a great feeling about the mask itself - it means wonderful food is about to come!
2. Put the mask on the ground and reward your dog when he checks it out. Do NOT put the mask on your dog!
3. Bring out the mask and hold it near your face for a brief moment, then give your dog a treat.  If your dog backs up, looks away, or seems uncomfortable at all, you will need to break it down even further - gently move the mask around and treat - repeat until your dog is happy to see the mask moving!
4. Begin to put the mask on and treat your dog. If your dog is happy and confident, seemingly unphased, you can leave the mask on and go about your business.  Speak gently to your dog while wearing the mask and practice easy cues with him. Please do NOT go for a Darth Vader "Luke, I am your father" voice while chasing your dog! 
5. Practice with different family members.  
6. Take it outside!  Bring high value treats on all your walks and reward your dog for looking at all the face-masked people you encounter.  

If you struggle with any of these steps, or your dog is uncomfortable with strangers regardless of their mask, we can absolutely help you virtually!  

With stay-at home orders and social distancing in place for several weeks now, our lives may be looking a whole lot different.  In this new normal, our days have changed in some significant ways, and maybe some ways that seem less so.  Maybe we are working from home, spending a bit more time petting our dogs, letting them outside in the sunshine, perhaps sneaking in a couple extra walks during the day.  You may also notice a lot more foot traffic outside.  Does your dog seem more settled by these changes or is he constantly on alert, following you around, not really resting and napping like he would if you were not home?  

Are the kids home all day and is your dog their best bud, their go-to playmate?  For some dogs, having their people home all day long is a dream come true!  But if you are noticing at week 3 that your dog is  less happy-go-lucky, maybe a bit jumpier, barkier, generally a little less easygoing, you may benefit from making a few simple changes to this new normal.  

If your routine has changed, so has your dog's.  Most households leave their dog alone for periods of time during the day. It may be for several hours, or perhaps just to run to the grocery store or post office for a few minutes.  Maybe one person is home most of the day, but that is what our dog is accustomed to.  If a family of four is now home all day, the dog is likely much more involved in everyone's activities.  He is resting less, or at the very least, resting less deeply (maybe he lays down, but is very aware of who is where and what snack they are fixing!).  This impacts his behavior over time!  You know how you have a bad night's sleep and the littlest thing your spouse does causes you to speak a little harshly towards them?  Sleep begets restoration and lack of sleep does not!  My husband always tells our dog he's a lazy guy, sleeping the day away, but in actuality, dogs require more sleep per day than humans!  So when our new schedule is interrupting our dog's normal nap times, it can cause them to not feel so great about their interactions with us!  

So what to do? We can't just tell Coronavirus to go away so we can go back to the office and restore our dog's normal naptime (but wouldn't that be nice?!).  But we can change a couple of things that will have a big impact on our dog's rest.  

1. ​Implement a nap time!  If you have kids, choose a dog nap time, where you let the dog rest undisturbed.  If your dog has FOMO (fear of missing out!), maybe a separate room, a crate or resting with just one person is the best choice.  I know for my dog, all I have to do is sit on the couch and hold up a blanket and within seconds, Harvey will have curled up waiting to be covered up for a nap.  If I'm in the kitchen however, in and out of the fridge, that nap will NOT happen!  Strategically plan your dog-naptime so that it won't be interrupted by your dog's greatest joys - food, the kids playing outside, the neighborhood dogs being walked by, etc.  
2. Give your dog opportunities to be by himself - watch him - does he go to a room no one is in? Calmly praise him (unless that will interrupt him!) and let him be. Remind your kids and spouse that he is resting. 
3. Have meaningful training time to mentally stimulate your dog - pick a fun trick and work in short sessions to teach it to your dog.  The key is that it needs to be fun for both of you!  If your dog is stressed by our training or frustrated, we need to make it simpler and easier for him.  We have some fun blog posts coming for simple enrichment ideas to work into your lives, so make sure you check back for those!  
4. Playtime - play is vital to a dog's well-being.  Spend some time each day playing with your dog, if they want to play fetch, play fetch; if they want to play tug, play a bit of tug; if they want to play another game, maybe try hide 'n seek!  Wait til your dog isn't watching then hide in a simple spot and whistle or call your dog - then throw a party when he finds you!  Gradually make your hiding spot more challenging.  You can take the game outside in a fenced area or have multiple people hide!  Remember, don't scare your dog when he finds you!  
5. Take note of signs of stress - if you notice your dog doesn't seem himself, do not hesitate to contact a professional for help.  We would love to work with you via video or phone consult to improve you and your dog's quarantine life.  

Thanks for reading! Up next - scary masked people and how to make your dog more comfortable with them!