November 13, 2025 • 10 mins
Did your dog grow up during lockdown? You’re not alone — and you’re not imagining it if your once-happy puppy now struggles with anxiety, fear, or reactivity.
In this episode, Amy explores why so many “pandemic puppies” are showing emotional challenges as adults — and what you can do to help. Learn how to recognize early signs of fear, build resilience through safe socialization, use desensitization and counterconditioning effectively, and support your dog’s emotional well-being day-to-day.
Whether your dog hides from strangers, panics when left alone, or just needs a little more confidence, this episode will help you understand what’s going on — and give you the tools to create lasting emotional stability.
💡 Plus: Don’t miss our Socialization Class, taught live via Zoom this Saturday! It’s included for all members — visit our website for details.
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Facebook @TheOnlinePuppySchool
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Join our membership here.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Does your dog show signs of fear, anxiety, or maybe
you have what's called apandemic puppy who didn't get
properly socialized?
Today we're talking about thatand how to help.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Fella, the online
puppy school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
(00:23):
experience raising a puppy.
From training tips to practicaltricks, all aimed at fostering a
happy, well-behaved dog whotruly feels like part of the
family.
So if you are ready to enjoy thejourney and strengthen the bond
with your dog, let's getstarted.
Welcome back to the puppytraining podcast.
(00:43):
I'm Amy Jensen.
I'm a certified professional dogtrainer.
And today we are diving into areally important topic, one that
affects more dogs than you mightthink.
So let's talk about thesepuppies or dogs that have grown
up during the pandemic, and nowit's years later.
They're going into their adultyears, and they might still
struggle with some fear,reactivity, or separation
(01:05):
anxiety, and it's notnecessarily their fault or
yours.
So don't put that on your back.
But let's look at why thishappened, how to recognize early
signs of fear and anxiety inyour dog.
Maybe it's not even pandemicrelated.
Maybe your dog just has signs offear and anxiety.
And then what you can do rightnow to build some resilience in
your dog, no matter their age.
So let's get started.
(01:25):
During the lockdown of thepandemic, families all over the
world brought home new puppies.
It made perfect sense, right?
We were home, our routines haveslowed down, and dogs offer
comfort during an uncertaintime.
But here's the challenge (01:38):
those puppies missed out on normal
early socialization experiences,things like meeting a variety of
people or seeing other dogs,hearing traffic, visiting new
places, or just staying homealone while the family was out.
There were so many of us thatwere just home all of the time
that that was a problem.
Now, a few years later, we'reseeing some ripple effects.
(01:59):
So we're starting to see dogswho panic when they're left
alone, puppies who might bark orlunge at strangers or dogs.
By the way, teenage dogs do thistoo.
So you might have a pandemicpuppy or you might just have a
teenager.
Uh, there's nervous reactions toeveryday sounds or changes in
the environment, maybe somestranger danger.
If this sounds familiar, you arenot alone.
These are learned emotionalresponses.
(02:21):
And the good news is they can bechanged with the right support
and training.
And that's what we're here for.
We want to help your dog feelbetter about the world that they
live in.
Now, before behavior problemsgrow, there are often small
signs.
These are what I call thewhispers before the shouts.
Your dog is telling you thingsthrough their behavior, right?
So things we can watch for wouldbe body language.
(02:42):
Tucking their tails, pinningtheir ears, a lip licking, that
might not be one that you thinkof regularly, but yawning, okay,
when they're not necessarilytired.
They're just relieving somestress.
Even that shake off.
You know, when a dog gets out ofthe shower and they shake off
all the water.
If your dog does that whenthey're dry, they're starting to
tell you, okay, I'm relievingsome stress.
I'm taking a deep breath.
(03:02):
I'm trying to manage myemotions, right?
There might be some avoidance,maybe turning away from things
or refusing to take food ortrying to leave a situation.
Now, when they're on leash, thatgets kind of tricky and dogs can
get frustrated about that.
There might be some vocalizing,maybe whining, barking, or even
growling if they're uncertainabout someone or something.
(03:23):
Your dog might freeze, meaningthey stop suddenly or they
refuse to move on leash.
If your dog is showing thesesigns, it's not defiance.
It's usually discomfort.
Your puppy is saying, I'm nottoo sure about this.
So listening to those whispersearly helps us prevent the
louder problems down the road.
The goal isn't to make your dogfearless, it's to build
resilience.
That means that they have theability to recover quickly from
(03:47):
new or uncertain experiences.
Now, here are three foundationalsteps you can start today with
your dog.
Number one, safe socialization.
We want to introduce newexperiences gradually.
Think quality, not quantity.
We want to let your dog observefirst from a distance that
they're comfortable with.
That distance is key.
And then we reward calmcuriosity.
(04:08):
So if they are willing toexplore or look at something or
go check it out, we reward that.
Now we watch people or dogs fromafar, so we keep our distance.
Anytime our dog looks in thatdirection, reward them.
We can visit new environmentslike parks or pet stores during
quiet hours.
Maybe we pick one of thoselocations and we go there more
frequently.
So not necessarily introducing abunch of new locations to your
(04:30):
dog, but just pick one newlocation and work on that
location.
And then once they'recomfortable in that location, we
can add another one.
And going again during quiethours or when there's fewer
people, that will allow you tocreate that distance so that
your dog feels comfortable andsafe.
And of course, we want to paireach new experience with things
your dog loves.
So that could be food, it couldbe play, it could be appraise,
(04:54):
okay, just saying good dog, goodboy, right?
These all create positiveassociations with the world.
Now, predictability and routineis important.
So anxious dogs thrive onpredictability.
So keep feeding, walking,bedtime routines as consistent
as you can.
The holidays are coming up, so Iknow things are going to get a
little bit off track, but doyour best.
(05:15):
It just helps your dog feel safeand know what to expect.
Pandemic puppies grew up withconstant company.
So independence training will bereally important.
We want to start teaching themnow that alone time is okay.
So if you're starting with anolder dog, even that struggles
being away from you, we canstart slowly.
We can start with seconds, evenif we need to, and then we can
work up to minutes, and then wecan work up to hours.
(05:37):
So we want to practice shortseparations, just walking out of
the room for a minute and comingback and doing that repeatedly
so that they build up trust.
Oh, she's coming back.
Uh, we want to leave somethingspecial with them that they
love, like a toy or a foodpuzzle.
Uh if you know your dog'sfavorite item, or maybe you have
a bone to work on, or it'ssomething that they love to chew
(05:59):
on every day, save that forthese moments when you're going
to practice this alone training.
And then we'll build durationgradually as your dog can handle
it.
These small steps will helpprevent separation anxiety and
increase your dog's confidence.
Now, when a dog is afraid ofsomething, say strangers, a
vacuum, or being alone, we canuse two powerful tools to change
how they feel.
(06:19):
Number one, we call itdesensitization, which means
introducing the trigger at a lowenough level that your dog stays
calm and relaxed.
That's really important.
If we're trying to desensitizethem, it's not helpful to go to
a high level that our dog'salready stressed at.
The learning can only take placeif the level is low enough that
our dog is not feeling thatintense emotion.
So that's where the distancecomes in, right?
(06:41):
Next is the counterconditioning,and that means we're pairing a
trigger with something our dogloves, like food or play or
praise.
For example, if my dog is afraidof strangers, I'm going to have
a person appear far away that'sfar enough that my dog's
noticing but not reacting.
And then I'm going to feed themsome food rewards.
The stranger disappears and therewards stop.
(07:03):
Over time, my dog is going toassociate, oh, strangers make
the food appear.
Maybe they're not so bad.
Now, this approach helps shiftthe emotional response from fear
to anticipation of good things.
And that's the heart of modernforce-free behavior change,
which we love here at Baxter andBella.
Now, while you're workingthrough training, management is
(07:24):
important.
We don't want to work againstourselves, okay?
That means we want to set ourdog up for success by preventing
overwhelming experiences.
That might be avoiding puttingour dog in situations that
trigger big fear responses.
We want to create that distancewhere they feel safe and can
still learn.
And then over time we candecrease that distance.
We want to give them a quietspace to retreat to.
(07:45):
Always give them an escape.
Let them retreat.
Teach them that walking awayearns rewards, right?
They don't have to confront orface their fear.
We don't want any of thataggression to start.
So just teach them they can, ifthey're nervous about something,
they can look at it and walkaway.
Maybe that's a crate or a cozybed if you're in your house.
Maybe that's if you're on aleash walk, just walking the
(08:05):
opposite direction.
We also want to use enrichmentactivities daily.
So things that will mentallyexercise our dogs, especially as
we enter these colder months andwe're inside more often.
Get out those food puzzle toys,right?
When you do take your dog outfor a walk, let them sniff.
Set some training goals and sothat you have something to work
on each day and your dogsengaged in activities where they
(08:25):
have to think and do.
Maybe you set a goal to achieveyour dog's AKC K9 Good Citizen
title this winter, or maybe youget on our website and you have
a goal to go through all of ourgames and activities, or we have
a just for fun section with sometricks.
Teach your dog some fun tricksthis winter, but get them
mentally engaged.
That will help.
Remember, there's no rush.
(08:46):
Emotional growth takes time andgentle consistency.
If your dog's anxiety feelsunmanageable, like they panic
when left alone, they'regrowling at family members, or
they can't seem to settle ontheir own, don't wait.
Please reach out to us for help.
We are happy to coach youthrough these issues.
Also, it might be a good idea tocheck with your veterinarian,
make sure that their health isgood overall, and then they
(09:08):
might have a veterinarybehaviorist that could help you
as well.
Getting help early does make allof the difference.
Now, pandemic puppies didn't getthe start we hoped for, but they
can absolutely thrive withunderstanding and support from
us.
So start where your dog istoday.
Listen to their signals,celebrate small wins, every calm
walk, every relaxed moment,every new experience handled
(09:29):
with curiosity instead of fear,that's progress.
You're helping your dog learnthat the world is safe, and
that's the most powerful giftyou can give them.
All right, you guys, thanks forbeing here today.
If you'd like more hands-on helpbuilding your dog's confidence,
check out our socializationclass.
We teach this live via Zoomactually this Saturday.
If you're listening to thispodcast as it comes out, if
(09:50):
you're late to the party, that'sokay.
It's available in ourmembers-only area on demand
anytime you want.
We also have a reactivity class.
So if you're struggling withleash pulling, barking, lunging,
you're noticing your dog isnervous on walks, that
reactivity class is a good one.
These are all included in ourmembership.
So visit our website fordetails.
I hope to see you in class.
(10:10):
And then thanks for listening tothe podcast.
I hope you have a great rest ofyour week.
Happy training.
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a little patienceand consistency, you can create
a loving bond and a well-behavedpup who's a joy to have in your
(10:32):
family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review, and share itwith fellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visit Baxterand Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
Does your dog show signs of fear, anxiety, or maybe
you have what's called apandemic puppy who didn't get
properly socialized?
Today we're talking about thatand how to help.
Welcome to the Puppy TrainingPodcast.
I'm Amy Jensen, founder ofBaxter and Fella, the online
puppy school.
Here we are all about helpingyou create the best possible
(00:23):
experience raising a puppy.
From training tips to practicaltricks, all aimed at fostering a
happy, well-behaved dog whotruly feels like part of the
family.
So if you are ready to enjoy thejourney and strengthen the bond
with your dog, let's getstarted.
Welcome back to the puppytraining podcast.
(00:43):
I'm Amy Jensen.
I'm a certified professional dogtrainer.
And today we are diving into areally important topic, one that
affects more dogs than you mightthink.
So let's talk about thesepuppies or dogs that have grown
up during the pandemic, and nowit's years later.
They're going into their adultyears, and they might still
struggle with some fear,reactivity, or separation
(01:05):
anxiety, and it's notnecessarily their fault or
yours.
So don't put that on your back.
But let's look at why thishappened, how to recognize early
signs of fear and anxiety inyour dog.
Maybe it's not even pandemicrelated.
Maybe your dog just has signs offear and anxiety.
And then what you can do rightnow to build some resilience in
your dog, no matter their age.
So let's get started.
(01:25):
During the lockdown of thepandemic, families all over the
world brought home new puppies.
It made perfect sense, right?
We were home, our routines haveslowed down, and dogs offer
comfort during an uncertaintime.
But here's the challenge (01:38):
those puppies missed out on normal
early socialization experiences,things like meeting a variety of
people or seeing other dogs,hearing traffic, visiting new
places, or just staying homealone while the family was out.
There were so many of us thatwere just home all of the time
that that was a problem.
Now, a few years later, we'reseeing some ripple effects.
(01:59):
So we're starting to see dogswho panic when they're left
alone, puppies who might bark orlunge at strangers or dogs.
By the way, teenage dogs do thistoo.
So you might have a pandemicpuppy or you might just have a
teenager.
Uh, there's nervous reactions toeveryday sounds or changes in
the environment, maybe somestranger danger.
If this sounds familiar, you arenot alone.
These are learned emotionalresponses.
(02:21):
And the good news is they can bechanged with the right support
and training.
And that's what we're here for.
We want to help your dog feelbetter about the world that they
live in.
Now, before behavior problemsgrow, there are often small
signs.
These are what I call thewhispers before the shouts.
Your dog is telling you thingsthrough their behavior, right?
So things we can watch for wouldbe body language.
(02:42):
Tucking their tails, pinningtheir ears, a lip licking, that
might not be one that you thinkof regularly, but yawning, okay,
when they're not necessarilytired.
They're just relieving somestress.
Even that shake off.
You know, when a dog gets out ofthe shower and they shake off
all the water.
If your dog does that whenthey're dry, they're starting to
tell you, okay, I'm relievingsome stress.
I'm taking a deep breath.
(03:02):
I'm trying to manage myemotions, right?
There might be some avoidance,maybe turning away from things
or refusing to take food ortrying to leave a situation.
Now, when they're on leash, thatgets kind of tricky and dogs can
get frustrated about that.
There might be some vocalizing,maybe whining, barking, or even
growling if they're uncertainabout someone or something.
(03:23):
Your dog might freeze, meaningthey stop suddenly or they
refuse to move on leash.
If your dog is showing thesesigns, it's not defiance.
It's usually discomfort.
Your puppy is saying, I'm nottoo sure about this.
So listening to those whispersearly helps us prevent the
louder problems down the road.
The goal isn't to make your dogfearless, it's to build
resilience.
That means that they have theability to recover quickly from
(03:47):
new or uncertain experiences.
Now, here are three foundationalsteps you can start today with
your dog.
Number one, safe socialization.
We want to introduce newexperiences gradually.
Think quality, not quantity.
We want to let your dog observefirst from a distance that
they're comfortable with.
That distance is key.
And then we reward calmcuriosity.
(04:08):
So if they are willing toexplore or look at something or
go check it out, we reward that.
Now we watch people or dogs fromafar, so we keep our distance.
Anytime our dog looks in thatdirection, reward them.
We can visit new environmentslike parks or pet stores during
quiet hours.
Maybe we pick one of thoselocations and we go there more
frequently.
So not necessarily introducing abunch of new locations to your
(04:30):
dog, but just pick one newlocation and work on that
location.
And then once they'recomfortable in that location, we
can add another one.
And going again during quiethours or when there's fewer
people, that will allow you tocreate that distance so that
your dog feels comfortable andsafe.
And of course, we want to paireach new experience with things
your dog loves.
So that could be food, it couldbe play, it could be appraise,
(04:54):
okay, just saying good dog, goodboy, right?
These all create positiveassociations with the world.
Now, predictability and routineis important.
So anxious dogs thrive onpredictability.
So keep feeding, walking,bedtime routines as consistent
as you can.
The holidays are coming up, so Iknow things are going to get a
little bit off track, but doyour best.
(05:15):
It just helps your dog feel safeand know what to expect.
Pandemic puppies grew up withconstant company.
So independence training will bereally important.
We want to start teaching themnow that alone time is okay.
So if you're starting with anolder dog, even that struggles
being away from you, we canstart slowly.
We can start with seconds, evenif we need to, and then we can
work up to minutes, and then wecan work up to hours.
(05:37):
So we want to practice shortseparations, just walking out of
the room for a minute and comingback and doing that repeatedly
so that they build up trust.
Oh, she's coming back.
Uh, we want to leave somethingspecial with them that they
love, like a toy or a foodpuzzle.
Uh if you know your dog'sfavorite item, or maybe you have
a bone to work on, or it'ssomething that they love to chew
(05:59):
on every day, save that forthese moments when you're going
to practice this alone training.
And then we'll build durationgradually as your dog can handle
it.
These small steps will helpprevent separation anxiety and
increase your dog's confidence.
Now, when a dog is afraid ofsomething, say strangers, a
vacuum, or being alone, we canuse two powerful tools to change
how they feel.
(06:19):
Number one, we call itdesensitization, which means
introducing the trigger at a lowenough level that your dog stays
calm and relaxed.
That's really important.
If we're trying to desensitizethem, it's not helpful to go to
a high level that our dog'salready stressed at.
The learning can only take placeif the level is low enough that
our dog is not feeling thatintense emotion.
So that's where the distancecomes in, right?
(06:41):
Next is the counterconditioning,and that means we're pairing a
trigger with something our dogloves, like food or play or
praise.
For example, if my dog is afraidof strangers, I'm going to have
a person appear far away that'sfar enough that my dog's
noticing but not reacting.
And then I'm going to feed themsome food rewards.
The stranger disappears and therewards stop.
(07:03):
Over time, my dog is going toassociate, oh, strangers make
the food appear.
Maybe they're not so bad.
Now, this approach helps shiftthe emotional response from fear
to anticipation of good things.
And that's the heart of modernforce-free behavior change,
which we love here at Baxter andBella.
Now, while you're workingthrough training, management is
(07:24):
important.
We don't want to work againstourselves, okay?
That means we want to set ourdog up for success by preventing
overwhelming experiences.
That might be avoiding puttingour dog in situations that
trigger big fear responses.
We want to create that distancewhere they feel safe and can
still learn.
And then over time we candecrease that distance.
We want to give them a quietspace to retreat to.
(07:45):
Always give them an escape.
Let them retreat.
Teach them that walking awayearns rewards, right?
They don't have to confront orface their fear.
We don't want any of thataggression to start.
So just teach them they can, ifthey're nervous about something,
they can look at it and walkaway.
Maybe that's a crate or a cozybed if you're in your house.
Maybe that's if you're on aleash walk, just walking the
(08:05):
opposite direction.
We also want to use enrichmentactivities daily.
So things that will mentallyexercise our dogs, especially as
we enter these colder months andwe're inside more often.
Get out those food puzzle toys,right?
When you do take your dog outfor a walk, let them sniff.
Set some training goals and sothat you have something to work
on each day and your dogsengaged in activities where they
(08:25):
have to think and do.
Maybe you set a goal to achieveyour dog's AKC K9 Good Citizen
title this winter, or maybe youget on our website and you have
a goal to go through all of ourgames and activities, or we have
a just for fun section with sometricks.
Teach your dog some fun tricksthis winter, but get them
mentally engaged.
That will help.
Remember, there's no rush.
(08:46):
Emotional growth takes time andgentle consistency.
If your dog's anxiety feelsunmanageable, like they panic
when left alone, they'regrowling at family members, or
they can't seem to settle ontheir own, don't wait.
Please reach out to us for help.
We are happy to coach youthrough these issues.
Also, it might be a good idea tocheck with your veterinarian,
make sure that their health isgood overall, and then they
(09:08):
might have a veterinarybehaviorist that could help you
as well.
Getting help early does make allof the difference.
Now, pandemic puppies didn't getthe start we hoped for, but they
can absolutely thrive withunderstanding and support from
us.
So start where your dog istoday.
Listen to their signals,celebrate small wins, every calm
walk, every relaxed moment,every new experience handled
(09:29):
with curiosity instead of fear,that's progress.
You're helping your dog learnthat the world is safe, and
that's the most powerful giftyou can give them.
All right, you guys, thanks forbeing here today.
If you'd like more hands-on helpbuilding your dog's confidence,
check out our socializationclass.
We teach this live via Zoomactually this Saturday.
If you're listening to thispodcast as it comes out, if
(09:50):
you're late to the party, that'sokay.
It's available in ourmembers-only area on demand
anytime you want.
We also have a reactivity class.
So if you're struggling withleash pulling, barking, lunging,
you're noticing your dog isnervous on walks, that
reactivity class is a good one.
These are all included in ourmembership.
So visit our website fordetails.
I hope to see you in class.
(10:10):
And then thanks for listening tothe podcast.
I hope you have a great rest ofyour week.
Happy training.
Thanks for tuning in to thePuppy Training Podcast.
I hope today's tips help youfeel more confident and excited
about raising your dog.
Remember, with a little patienceand consistency, you can create
a loving bond and a well-behavedpup who's a joy to have in your
(10:32):
family.
If you found this episodehelpful, be sure to subscribe,
leave a review, and share itwith fellow puppy parents.
For more resources, visit Baxterand Bella online.
Until next time, happy training.
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