Why Our Pets Have Become Super Needy During the Pandemic

A few weeks ago we published a story about how you should prepare your dog for your possible return to the office. Many, many people read it (we’ll assume it wasn’t the dogs), so we figured we’d do a follow-up to answer another question on pet owners’ minds: Why is my animal acting out these days? “It’s important to remember that your pet isn’t giving you a hard time—she’s having a hard time,” says dog trainer Pat Miller, owner of Peaceable Paws in Fairplay, Md. Here are some other pet problems likely butting their noses into your day, and what you can do about them:

“Owners never leave,” Miller says. “The dog isn’t given any downtime. Their routine, for years, was to relax and hang out a lot.” Overstimulation can be particularly acute if children are involved. And not only with dogs—cats suffer, too. “They’re like, ‘How come you’re invading my space all day? You’re supposed to be gone.’”