Coping with Covid-19

By now, many of you are weeks or even months into a "Stay Home, Stay Safe" mandate.
For myself and my Wingman, We're on day #27. Some things have changed for us, but some have remained the same.

I am still working, but my job duties and hours have changed. I'm currently unable to teach lessons and share my love of horses and riding with my students. I miss them very much and I'm sure they miss me and the horses. I've been charged with riding a few lesson horses 3 days a week keeping them in shape. I still help out with scheduling and billing, but the requests are far fewer then before. Two days a week I am a groom, helping another trainer with grooming and saddling horses for her to ride. My hours went from about 30 per week down to about 12. I'm thankful I'm able to go to work and be around horses and have some semblance of routine.

This leads me into the theme of this blog, Routine. We all thrive on routine, including Fido. Everything has changed drastically, and it will be sometime before we return to what we once new as "normal". Whether your working from home, not working at all, or struggling to keep kids learning remotely, we need a routine. This new routine will be different, but the sooner we can find a routine, the less stress we will all feel, including Fido. Some tips to getting into a routine to help alleviate stress for everyone.
1. Wake up at the same time each day
2. Create a Schedule: work, house chores, dog walks and even down time
3. Find a hobby: meditate, read, craft, sew, write

Don't forget Fido in your routine:
1. Daily walks are great, but vary the route.
2. Prep for our departure: Remember that one day we'll be back to work, So don't forget to keep Fido comfortable with being alone. Many dogs will suffer from separation anxiety unless we prep them for our inevitable departure.
3. Training: We've all got extra time in our days, add training to your schedule to bond with your wingman