Top 5 Lockdown Tips for your Pets
With over half of the Australian population currently in lockdown, it’s time to take a paws and give yourself a massive high five for how well you’re doing. Lockdown is hard. Really hard.
Most of us at any one time are veering between being a model employee, attentive parent, loving partner, focussed and supportive teacher, motivational personal trainer, master chef and… well you get it.
For pet owners, there are additional challenges associated with the extended lockdown. We’re having to find way to entertain our pets which aren’t always aligned with the way our human kids need to be entertained.
While we can’t help with the home learning, we have put together our top five ‘lockdown essentials’ to help you support your fur babies.
1. Quiet Time
Pre-pandemic most of our pets were used to lots of free time to lie in the sun, napping away the day or pottering around doing whatever it is that pets do when we aren’t watching. All of a sudden, they are forced to share their spaces with an assortment of humans who just can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves.
Cats especially might find it stressful having you home all the time. Most feline zen comes from not having to interact with people that aren’t their intellectual equal. Having you around all the time can be tiring. Be sure to create some space for them to be alone as and when they choose.
While dogs seemingly adjust much more easily to having their humans around, their routine has totally changed. They are now walked a lot and never left alone. It’s important to allow them time on their own as well to minimise any separation anxiety they are likely to experience when your routine returns to ‘normal’.
2. Keep Up The Training
Extended lockdown invariably impacts our daily routines and good habits. While some of us have taken up new hobbies perfecting sour dough or learning French, most of us have let things slide at least a little. If you’re wearing your PJ bottoms during Zoom meetings, it’s definitely you we are talking about. It can’t be just us, can it?
When it comes to your fur babies, it’s important to keep up the good habits. While you don’t need to necessarily teach an old dog new tricks, you might want to take advantage of Doggylicious Training Drops or Freezy Paws Treats to keep them motivated as you hold them to a far higher standard of behaviour than the humans in the house are modelling!
For those of you who have apartments or are trapped indoors due to adverse weather, you might need to be working on lapses in toilet training. The Rufus And Coco Posh Pee Pads are a great way to keep them on track and the Rufus And Coco Wee Away Spray is a excellent way to get rid of the urine smell that comes with your pets marking their patch after an accident.
3. Stay Stimulated
The lack of opposable thumbs prevents our fur-babies from binging on repeat viewings of “The Secret Life of Pets” while their humans are working away at their jobs or education.
So how else can you keep them stimulated and happy?
For cats, toys like the Bat-a-bout which moves about unpredictably triggering hunting and stalking fun. As the toy is motion-activated, it keeps your cat highly engaged for ages.
Both cats and dogs will put the effort into treating themselves which is why the Lickimats are so good. These are based on a challenge/reward-based treat delivery system that engages pets over a long period of time while only delivering small portions of their favourite treat. As an extra treat for your dogs, fill it with Doggylicious Peanut Butter.
We are also finding that our dogs are loving The Kong Genius Leo. It is specifically designed to stimulate a dog’s curiosity and hold their attention. It’s great for combating boredom and alleviating separation anxiety.
4. Keep on top of Grooming
While we have almost come to terms with the re-emergence of the mullet as the hairstyle of choice for our human children, we know deep down that our dog’s dignity would be horribly tarnished if we were to take them to dog park with some dodgy 80’s styling. Nobody but nobody wants to be seen on the ‘gram with the hashtag #homegroomingfails. That’s why we put together a handy guide to DIY grooming for your pets which we hope you find helpful.
5. Everyday Essentials
Keeping your cupboards stocked with food, flea treatments, shampoo, conditioner and other daily use items is really important. Sure, it means that your pets are never going to be going without. But more importantly taking advantage of online ordering to have these essentials delivered regularly means that you aren’t and about. We suggest you pop a fortnightly or monthly reminder into your calendar to make sure you’re keeping on top of it.
To help you care for your pets during lockdown, we have put together a Lockdown Essentials collection – everything you need to keep your pet groomed, trained and entertained during lockdown. Check out it out today.
Stay safe,
The WONDERPETS Team xx
1. Quiet Time
Pre-pandemic most of our pets were used to lots of free time to lie in the sun, napping away the day or pottering around doing whatever it is that pets do when we aren’t watching. All of a sudden, they are forced to share their spaces with an assortment of humans who just can’t seem to keep their hands to themselves.
Cats especially might find it stressful having you home all the time. Most feline zen comes from not having to interact with people that aren’t their intellectual equal. Having you around all the time can be tiring. Be sure to create some space for them to be alone as and when they choose.
While dogs seemingly adjust much more easily to having their humans around, their routine has totally changed. They are now walked a lot and never left alone. It’s important to allow them time on their own as well to minimise any separation anxiety they are likely to experience when your routine returns to ‘normal’.
2. Keep Up The Training
Extended lockdown invariably impacts our daily routines and good habits. While some of us have taken up new hobbies perfecting sour dough or learning French, most of us have let things slide at least a little. If you’re wearing your PJ bottoms during Zoom meetings, it’s definitely you we are talking about. It can’t be just us, can it?
When it comes to your fur babies, it’s important to keep up the good habits. While you don’t need to necessarily teach an old dog new tricks, you might want to take advantage of Doggylicious Training Drops or Freezy Paws Treats to keep them motivated as you hold them to a far higher standard of behaviour than the humans in the house are modelling!
For those of you who have apartments or are trapped indoors due to adverse weather, you might need to be working on lapses in toilet training. The Rufus And Coco Posh Pee Pads are a great way to keep them on track and the Rufus And Coco Wee Away Spray is a excellent way to get rid of the urine smell that comes with your pets marking their patch after an accident.
3. Stay Stimulated
The lack of opposable thumbs prevents our fur-babies from binging on repeat viewings of “The Secret Life of Pets” while their humans are working away at their jobs or education.
So how else can you keep them stimulated and happy?
For cats, toys like the Bat-a-bout which moves about unpredictably triggering hunting and stalking fun. As the toy is motion-activated, it keeps your cat highly engaged for ages.
Both cats and dogs will put the effort into treating themselves which is why the Lickimats are so good. These are based on a challenge/reward-based treat delivery system that engages pets over a long period of time while only delivering small portions of their favourite treat. As an extra treat for your dogs, fill it with Doggylicious Peanut Butter.
We are also finding that our dogs are loving The Kong Genius Leo. It is specifically designed to stimulate a dog’s curiosity and hold their attention. It’s great for combating boredom and alleviating separation anxiety.
4. Keep on top of Grooming
While we have almost come to terms with the re-emergence of the mullet as the hairstyle of choice for our human children, we know deep down that our dog’s dignity would be horribly tarnished if we were to take them to dog park with some dodgy 80’s styling. Nobody but nobody wants to be seen on the ‘gram with the hashtag #homegroomingfails. That’s why we put together a handy guide to DIY grooming for your pets which we hope you find helpful.
5. Everyday Essentials
Keeping your cupboards stocked with food, flea treatments, shampoo, conditioner and other daily use items is really important. Sure, it means that your pets are never going to be going without. But more importantly taking advantage of online ordering to have these essentials delivered regularly means that you aren’t and about. We suggest you pop a fortnightly or monthly reminder into your calendar to make sure you’re keeping on top of it.
To help you care for your pets during lockdown, we have put together a Lockdown Essentials collection – everything you need to keep your pet groomed, trained and entertained during lockdown. Check out it out today.
Stay safe,
The WONDERPETS Team xx