By: Anjali Jhangiani
PUNE: Puppies brought home during the
pandemic
are keeping dog trainers and behaviourists busy in an attempt to correct their behavioural issues.
The lockdown last year gave many the opportunity to adopt a pet as working from home provided them more time. To overcome loneliness and help with mental health, many people adopted puppies when they had to be away from the rest of their family and friends. Now that the puppies have grown into adults indoors, there is a high demand for dog trainers and behaviourists.
“I adopted an American Pitbull puppy last year and it is well-behaved inside the house, but he isn’t used to being around people or other dogs. It is a great trouble to take him for his walks as he tends to get aggressive with other dogs and people. I had to seek help from a dog trainer to correct this behaviour before it could escalate into a dangerous or an unfortunate incident,” said a pet parent.
City-based canine behaviourist and trainer Priti Chauhan pointed out how human actions during the pandemic — avoiding hugging or touching while greeting, refraining from socialising — has rubbed off on their pets.
She said, “It has been difficult to de-sensitise the
pandemic pups
to traffic or other people due to restrictions brought on since they were young. I get several calls for such issues every day.
A big problem for pet parents while hiring a dog trainer is that there is no standard qualification or certification for the profession. Namratha Rao from Delhi, who has been a practicing dog trainer for over seven years, said, “Before hiring a dog trainer, pet parents should ask questions like what methods do they use or what school of thought they believe in regarding training techniques, what courses they have done or certifications they have, and do some research on their work.”
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