Pandemic pups get separation anxiety: Dog trainers to rescue

Canine coaches and trainers share more enquiries are coming their way and the demand for dog behaviourists in the city has doubled in the past few weeks.

From a full house with unlimited play time to being mostly alone during the day as pet parents resume full-time jobs — the easing of Covid-19 curbs has not come as a good news to pets. As their separation anxiety remains at an all-time high, the demand for dog behaviourists in the city has doubled in the past few weeks.

Canine coach Adnaan Khan, say the biggest problem has been with those who did not see the importance of a behaviourist till the problem became too much to handle. And now they want instant results.

Take for instance East of Kailash-based lawyer Ishita Bhardwaj, who adopted Hukum in May 2020. “When he started displaying some resource guarding traits recently, we took the help of a trainer,” says Bhardwaj, adding, “The behaviourist trained me rather than training Hukum, with an approach that did not use punishment. We re-created situations in which Hukum would resource guard, and I was taught how to make it fun for him to return the object. Since he hadn’t ventured out much, we also wanted to better his basic obedience in distracting environments like a dog park.”

Delhi-based trainer Dikshit Wadhwa, says lack of socialising with other pets has led to many dogs becoming dependent on their humans a bit too much.

Canine coaches and trainers share more enquiries like these are coming their way. “Lack of being left alone or socialising with other pets has led to many dogs becoming dependent on their humans a bit too much,” says Delhi-based trainer Dikshit Wadhwa, adding, “The need has gone up mainly as a lot more dogs were adopted during the pandemic. And, first-time pet parents have not got enough guidance on how to raise the pups amid all the curbs.” Varun Anand, another Delhi-based dog trainer, lists separation anxiety as one of the main reasons. “People were mostly at home before and now, they are heading out for work. It is leading to separation anxiety issues in the pets. Anxiety issues of pets are not something the owners can tackle themselves. We teach dogs not to act destructive when alone,” he adds.

Even requests for in-house residential dog boarding and training have now increased, informs Adnaan Khan from K9 School India. “My school in Delhi has been booked for up to two-three months. We train handlers, and the dog comes in and receives training for two months as we transform them,” says Khan. But, the challenges of this sudden rush are ample too. He says, “The biggest problem has been with those who did not see the importance of a behaviourist till the problem became too much to handle. And now they want instant results. A lot of people are calling us and asking things like ‘How long will it take’, ‘How much is the cost’, as if it’s laptop repair! Some even threatened to leave the dogs here.”

Canine trainer Ambika Singh teaches command tactics to a pet.

Sharing the methods they adopt to help the pet, Ambika Singh, another city-based trainer, says, “We tell the parents to begin leaving them alone for half an hour and subsequently increase the time if they have to, so that the furry buddies don’t feel sad. Currently, I have seven to eight training sessions in a day, and charge ₹6,500 for 12 sessions that include three classes of 50 minutes each. I teach potty training, and command tactics. Koi pets chaar se paanch mahine lete hain training, aur kuchh saat aath mahine laga dete hain seekhne mein.”

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