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suggests. “Wear it when you feed, play and cuddle Expand your dog’s horizons
with your dog – at times when the dog is comfortable If there are other people in your household, they
and happy. Very soon the mask will be a positive should interact with your dog while wearing masks,
thing, and the dog will quickly conclude that the too, so the dog understands the mask is not unique
mask is a just new part of life.”
to one person. Similarly, expose your dog to different
What about the doubters? colors and styles of masks, as well as over face
coverings such as bandanas and ski masks.
Dogs are individuals, and some might not take
readily to you wearing a mask. Some breeds are Some masks might be more triggering than others.
also naturally more visually oriented or attuned to For example, “those pointed black masks and
changes in the status quo, and might need more time respirators that look like dog muzzles seem like a
to get comfortable. really bad idea to me,” Watkins adds. “To a dog, it
looks like a Rottweiler’s muzzle on a person’s head.”
In such cases, “the most important thing is not to
force or push the dog,” Ronchette says. “Force cannot Your dog also needs to learn that masks on strangers
help with fear. It will only increase the dog’s anxiety are normal, too. Watkins suggests driving with your
and likely create issues in the relationship between dog to the parking lot of a busy grocery store. Wear
the person and the dog, because the dog’s concerns your mask, and just hang out together inside the
are being ignored.” car, she says. “Let your dog see people go in and out.
Feed him treats, tell him he’s a good dog with your
With these caution canines, go back to basics, signal, and then go home.”
reintroducing the dog to the mask by itself, without
wearing it. Ronchette also suggests little “mask Facing your dog’s fears
games,” like pulling your shirt over half of your face, Dog trainer and Sussex Spaniel breeder Pluis Davern
and then letting it drop while playing or giving treats.
of Royal Oaks, California, who was the AKC’s 2011
One caveat: “If the dog is afraid of the mask, do not Breeder of the year, reminds that as warm weather
try to use food to lure the dog to you,” she advises. approaches, dogs will be seeing even less of our faces.
“This will create conflict for the dog, as he may be “In summer, people will be wearing sun visors and
willing to come close to what scares him just to get sunglasses as well as masks,” she says. “Then the dog
the food.” Instead, go back to a point where the dog can’t read anything on their faces.”
is comfortable, and build on that.
The solution? The same repetitive, low-stress, high-
Signal your satisfaction reward exposure outlined above for introducing the
mask, adding one new element at a time. While all
Watkins notes that wearing a mask curtails this sounds time-intensive, it is well worth the effort
communication with your dog in two ways: It to make your dog comfortable with just one aspect
muffles your words of praise and it prevents the dog of what is quickly becoming the “new normal” in our
from seeing you smile.
human world.
She suggests borrowing a tactic from owners of deaf The AKC is here to help dog owners adapt to the
dogs: Teach a hand command that sends the same ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Find answers to all
message, such as raising your index and middle your coronavirus concerns, plus at-home activity
fingers like a peace symbol and rocking them back ideas, training tips, educational resources, and more
and forth. Just as when you introduced the mask, at our ‘Coping With Coronavirus COVID-19' hub.
pairing that signal with a treat will soon teaches the
dog that it means “Good dog!” Reprinted with permission from AKC.org

When you’re wearing a mask, what goes on above
your nose takes on a greater impact to a dog
scanning your face for clues about your mood. Dogs
are especially attuned to the difference between “soft”
and “hard” eyes. Try to increase your awareness of
tension in your face: When you encounter a stressful
situation, take a deep breath, soften your face, get
your dog’s attention, and praise him with both your
newly taught “good dog” signal, as well as your voice.

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