The concept of “social distancing” is one that is counter-intuitive for humans. Whenever humans meet, there is a natural tendency to greet them at close range which can range from a smile to a full on hug. However, we are living in a strange world at the moment with the COVID-19 pandemic reeking havoc worldwide, so I fully support the concept of social distancing as one way of hopefully reducing the spread of the virus.
So let’s see the world from a dog’s perspective. Perhaps even more than humans, dogs go full on to greet their fellow dogs. No subtleties, no messing around but simply a full on sniff. Dogs need to be able to collect data on other dogs so they know how to act and what is permissible by canine convention. By sniffing genitalia, dogs can determine, with their incredible sense of smell, whether a dog is sick or healthy, whether a dog is male or female, whether the female dog is in season and what the mood of the dog is. Tough to do if a dog is practicing social distancing, eh?
Also, social distancing would never work for dogs at play. Humans can enjoy some leisure activities whilst practicing social distancing but not so much for our furry friends. A dog at play is all about touching or chasing and, having chased, then more touching. Even a play bow (“do you want to play?”) is done at close range. The only thing dogs can do at distance with other dogs is to observe their body language to determine whether it is safe to approach the other dog. Once established that it is OK, or even better encouraged to come closer, then social distancing goes out the window and it’s full on sniff and/or play bow.
One misconception people have about the spreading of the COVID-19 virus is that dogs can help transmit the virus between humans. I have spoken to people in the veterinary world and they confirm that 1) dogs have not contracted COVID-19 and 2) they do not act as carriers of the virus between humans. So, if you are at the dog park, please keep 2 meters apart from all humans but it’s OK for dogs to come and greet you in their own unique way.
Talking of veterinarians, if you feel you need to take your dog to your veterinary clinic for any reason, you should check their opening hours as many clinics are opening for shorter hours during this pandemic as a way of reducing the risk of transmission of the virus between humans.
COVID-19 is causing rampant uncertainty in many areas of our life right now. As one of the ways to help reduce the spread of this life-threatening virus, please continue to practice social distancing. As for teaching your dog to not visit with other dogs, if your dog is well socialized, why deprive your dog of the social interaction they so badly need?
