Coronavirus and Dogs - What You Need to Know [April 2020] | Pupford

*DISCLAIMER: Please refer to the CDC's website for the most up to date and current information about the coronavirus and dogs. (This episode was written/recorded on April 5, 2020.)

The coronavirus and dogs have brought up a host of questions in recent months!

Many people wonder if their dog can get coronavirus, if they can walk their dog during coronavirus, and so much more.

In these trying and often confusing times, we wanted to provide you with information about the coronavirus and dogs, specifically COVID-19.

Podcast Episode of Coronavirus and Dogs

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Full Transcript of Coronavirus and Dogs Episode

Hello and welcome to today's episode of The Perfect Pup Podcast. In today's episode, we are going to be talking about coronavirus and the dog's, COVID-19 more specifically, and dogs. This is obviously a very important topic right now, as this is being recorded, and we just wanted to give some insight as to how you can approach the current situation when it comes to dogs, and dog training and your dog's health. So I'm excited to do this episode today.

By the way, it's just me. My name's Devin. I work at Pupford. We'll be doing some episodes with both Mike and myself. We're going to be starting to do some interviews as well, some episodes where it's just me. So it's going to be a mix of different guests, and different, what is it called? Anchors. I don't know if that's the right word, it sounds cool. It makes you sound like a news anchor. But different people on the podcast essentially.

So, coronavirus and the dogs, and I don't know why I keep saying no dogs, and dogs. There's a lot of questions that have gone around, and I think that there's a lot of misinformation that is out there on the internet, and that's the case with any situation. But I just want to read, I'm going to talk about things particularly from the CDC, the Center for Disease Control, that is the United States governing body for medicine, disease control, those sorts of things. And, a lot of these things that are not just from the CDC but also from the WHO, the World Health Organization. So, I just wanted to read some things verbatim from what the CDC is telling us about some of the most popular questions about the coronavirus and our dogs.

So the first question, I think the biggest question that people have is can our dogs get the coronavirus? So there is a very, very small number of cases that have been reported outside of the United States, of dogs getting the coronavirus. Again, it's a very, very small number. And most of those dogs were in very close contact with people who had COVID-19. Here in the United States, there have not been any reports of dogs getting the coronavirus. So essentially, the basic answer is not really, not in the sense that you would really need to be worried about it a ton, about your dog getting COVID-19.

And then, another question that goes right off the back of that is, can dogs give the coronavirus? So, if a dog hypothetically were to get COVID-19, can they give it to someone else? And basically, the answer is no as far as they know. And again, COVID-19, it's such a new thing and there's still so much research and information that's being done. And there are people working around the clock to find solutions to this, to find answers to this for the sake of humanity really.

But as it stands right now, there is no evidence that pets, or dogs in particular can spread COVID-19 to people, or that they might be a source of the infection in the United States. And this is one that is often, people wonder, because it is believed to have originated at a place that sold, where animals were in close contact with humans. Sorry that was a mouthful for me to get out for some reason. And I think that's where a lot of this confusion comes in for this question.

If you are sick, and I think this goes for, in general with being sick at all, but specifically for COVID-19, if you do have COVID-19 or you believe you might, or you are showing symptoms that are similar to it, just use caution around your dog. Less snuggling your dog or letting your dog lick your face, or those types of things just to protect your dog as much as possible. And like I said, the CDC is saying that there isn't a huge risk for our dogs, for getting COVID-19, but the few cases where it was reported outside of the United States, it was people who had serious cases of COVID-19 and then were around their dogs.

So, if that happens to be the case for you, then just as much as you can, don't come in contact with your dog, just like you would with any humans if you were sick. You would wash your hands more often, you would be just more careful. Avoid, if you're dealing with their food, make sure you wash your hands before and after. All those things, just to be extra careful. Another general thought, and I think this goes at any time, but specifically when we're in the midst of a global pandemic, like the COVID-19, is just to practice proper care for your dog. Like their hygiene, and yours as well of course, but this podcast is more about dogs, not human hygiene.

But just to pick up after your dog. Clean up, clean out their bowl at least, their food bowl and their water bowl at least every few days. At a minimum once a week. Wash your hands after handling any dog food or dog treats, or whatever it might be. Just be extra careful and make sure that you clean up after your dog. That is a topic in itself, there's a lot of people who don't pick up after their dogs when they take them on a walk and that can cause other health issues, and it's a nuisance, honestly. So just do those things.

Which leads to the next question that so many people have is, can I walk my dog during... So many places, I can speak in particular for the United States as it stands right now, it's April 5th as I'm recording this. And I think over 50% of the United States is on some type of lockdown or stay at home mandate. And there's a lot of confusion around can I walk my dog? Can I go outside with my dog?

Everything that I have read, and again, I would check in particular with your particular state or city, or wherever you are. But everything that I've read online is that you can walk your dog outside, you just need to practice social distancing. So that means, if you're going on a walk and you see someone, or interaction, just keep six feet apart. Maybe bring a little bottle of hand sanitizer with you. And, if you have to cross the street and touch the little button to make it your turn to walk across the street, sanitize your hands after. Or, just taking those extra steps to be cautious about germs and coming in contact with them. But yeah, everything I've read you, you can take your dog for a walk.

And honestly, I just took my dog out earlier today. I took two of my dogs for a run and then I took my other dog out for just a walk. And man, I don't know about you, but it's tough. It's tough being on, having to stay in your home, and those moments of getting outside and just having some fresh air, and being with your dog and enjoying nature. And, a lot of places around the United States at least, it's starting to get warm. And it's a really good opportunity to bond with your dog and just get some fresh air, and keep your sanity amidst all this amidst this situation.

And then the next question based off of, can I walk my dog? The answer is yes. What about, we get a lot of people in our Facebook Community if you're in there, if not, it's called Pupford's 30 Day Perfect Pup with Zak George. It's based around the free dog training class that we offer. And we had a lot of questions about, okay, well what about dog play dates and what about, I maybe had some training sessions, or group classes, like those types of things.

Essentially, in most places in the United States, those things are being, you're not supposed to do them. You're supposed to stay at home, you're supposed to keep six feet apart. No gatherings of over 10 people, I think was the last thing I heard. But it's really even lower than that, it's those situations. And that's where it's... I don't know, I would say take it on a case-by-case basis, where you could potentially have one other dog over, and you and that dog's pup parent keeps six feet apart from each other. But really, in most cases we're being advised to just stay at home and avoid as much contact with other people. So that would be my advice is, it's all up to your personal decision. But the guidance is to avoid those group gatherings, like any type of group training classes or even puppy play dates to an extent.

And, which brings us to the last point that I want to talk about, which is socialization. There's so many people who have new puppies right now, or they're already planning on getting a puppy, and this is the situation that they're in. They are wondering, how do I socialize my dog? And I've been thinking a lot about this, about socialization in general, it's just extremely important. We have an article on the Pupford website that talks about how to socialize your puppy. We have a checklist of different things you should socialize your dog to.

Related Reading: Puppy Fear Periods

And although human socialization, getting your dog used to different types of people, different genders, different heights, people in wheelchairs, old people, kids, it's a super important thing. But outside of the people there are so many different things that you can socialize and expose your dog to. A lot of the things on that list are different sounds, different situations, different experiences. And that's where, going out on a walk, you can do a socialization walk, and you can maybe go where there is a little bit more traffic, be safe and approach the situation accordingly.

But, give your dog the opportunity to be around traffic, or maybe there's a construction site that you can go have them hear loud noises. There's still a lot of opportunities to socialize your dog outside of people. And then in regards to people, honestly, I wish I had a better answer because I do believe in following a lot of the guidelines that are out there for helping stop the spread of COVID-19. And so, just do as much as you can to get creative, and have your dog be exposed to different people in a safe as a way as possible because socialization is so important.

I hope this was helpful. I know that the COVID-19 situation, it's affected some people differently than others, but I think I can say that it's affected all of us in some way, shape or form. And I think, I just want to put a plug for using this opportunity, if you are in a stay at home situation, use this opportunity to create a better relationship with your dog. This is a great time to train more. You can work on different behaviors, you can work on impulse control, you can work on recall, you can work on so many different things.

Like, even recall, you can still go to a park and keep distance from anybody else that might be there. And get a 100 foot long lead or a 30 foot long lead and just go practice recall for an hour, and get outside. And use this opportunity to improve your dog's behavior, and in turn improve your relationship with them.

So I hope this was helpful. If you haven't already, please subscribe wherever you are listening to/watching this podcast. Whether it's on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, wherever it is. And please leave us a review. We look at all those, and we are appreciative of them and really hope that this provides to you, and hope that it's helpful to you.

So again, just stay safe out there, and use this opportunity to improve your relationship with your dog. And in the show notes, I will include links to the CDC's information about pets and the coronavirus. So thanks again for coming on and have a great day.

Recap of COVID-19 & Dogs

Just a quick recap that as it currently stands, the CDC is saying you should not be worried about your dog giving or getting the coronavirus.

If you are sick, be sure to practice added hygiene safety around your dogs.

Have more questions about the coronavirus and dogs? Ask in the comments below!

And above all, please stay safe!