A lot of people added pets to their families during the pandemic, but quite a few "pandemic puppies" lack proper socialization. If you fit in that category, you can get some relief by taking your dog to a training facility.

Heather Gillihan is a certified professional dog trainer with Zoom Room. It's an indoor dog training gym with locations nationwide.

"I could train your dog really well," Gillihan said. "That's not going to do you a bit of good if you don't know how to follow up, right? So we believe that it's more important to empower the owner to train their dog."

Gillihan says the first step to building a bond with your pup is having some empathy for their feelings.

"Think about it from his point of view," Gillihan said. "So he's on the leash. He knows he can't run. Dogs, when they get nervous or afraid, they have two reactions: fight or flight. The fact that the leash is attached means his only option is to fight. So he's not an aggressive dog, but he doesn't know what's coming at him. So his point of view is 'I am stuck. I can't run. So I better sound scary because what if he's a bad dog?'"

If you show frustration with your dog, Gillihan says that makes the situation worse.

"He's already nervous and afraid, and now the person he loves most in the world is fussing at him," Gillihan said. "So it just makes that dog even more scary."

Gillihan says the good news is that you can retrain a dog's brain to like other animals.

"Let him know you have some really good food, like some barbecue, something that he has never had before, but smells amazing. Let him know you have it. But he doesn't get it until we see a dog. So as soon as he sees a dog and before he can react, you say, 'Yes!' and give him that barbecue. Think about what happens in his little brain now. 'Hey, mom, there's a dog. Can I have my barbecue? Because there's one right there.'"

The other common trait with pandemic puppies has been separation anxiety as people return to the office. Gillihan suggests you get a camera in your house. If your dog is panting, sniffing and soiling the house, that's separation anxiety. Otherwise, they may simply lack coping skills, and you can help with that.

"No big hellos or goodbyes," Gillihan said. "Make it non-eventful. You're just walking out. There are things you can do to help them, though, if you're going to be gone for a while. Such as toys, stuff about you, toys, puzzles."

If it is separation anxiety, Gillihan suggests you visit a dog behavior specialist with a veterinary background who can use medications to help your fur baby.

"What those dogs need more than anything is to be able to settle the brain so that they can be retrained," Gillihan said.

Gillihan says it's possible to have a well-rounded dog at any stage in their life. She notes it just may take a lot of practice and dedication through a training regimen.
 

Restaurants were one of the first businesses forced to close when the novel coronavirus outbreak began in the United States, and now they are one of the leading industries with businesses announcing permanent closures.

“What we have seen over the last three weeks has been nothing short of a tidal wave,” said Sean Kennedy, who is with the National Restaurant Association. “3% of all restaurants have already announced they are closing their doors forever.”

That number, according to the National Restaurant Association, could jump as high as 11% in just the next few weeks.

“We are a $2.5 trillion driver for this economy, employing one out of every 10 workers,” said Kennedy, “More important than that we are such an institution for local communities, we drive up real estate, housing prices, we are the anchors for so many communities, and we want to make sure we can continue doing that but it is going to be a real struggle moving ahead.”

The National Restaurant Association is calling on Congress to tailor specific help to the restaurant industry in the next stimulus package, because while many restaurants are trying to stay open, through offering take-out and delivery, most cannot survive this way much longer.

“Virtually every restaurant is adopting some type of carry out or delivery model, even if they never had one before,” added Kennedy. “At the same time, 70% of operators have already laid off their workforce, a lot more layoffs are going to occur.

Kennedy explained the restaurant industry has had to lay off 3 million people already and that number is climbing steadily. The National Restaurant Association believes at this rate, it could be as much as 7 million jobs lost in the restaurant industry, if there isn’t an immediate response from Congress.

In the meantime, the National Restaurant Association has been fundraising, and has announced a grant program to help restaurant workers laid off or financially impacted by the pandemic. Restaurant workers who need help can apply for the grants at

RERF.US

.

“So far, we have raised over $10 million for this program. It is a series of $500 grants,” said Kennedy. “100% of the proceeds that we take in are going directly to affected workers.”

Most Americans, social distancing at home, are cooking on average 21 meals a week. Those who can afford to still eat out once or twice a week could save their local favorite restaurant and thousands of jobs.