People who bought ‘pandemic puppies’ are now seeing signs of separation anxiety as more people return to working from the office full-time, an expert warns. 

Lorna Winter, dog trainer and co-founder of puppy training app ZigZag, said owners are facing a double whammy of problems.

Those dogs will also be going through adolescence about now, and their anxiety is likely to get worse, she said. 

Winter said that it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that anxiety-related behavior is problematic (almost 20 percent of dog owners would consider giving up their animal due to it, ZigZag‘s research found).

But in most cases, there are easy steps to take to deal with an anxious dog – whatever the cause of its anxiety, Winter said.

Forgetting commands

If your dog has forgotten commands it has been trained to obey, this could be a warning sign of anxiety, Winter said.

Winter said: ‘When a dog is anxious they can sometimes go into a state called ‘learned helplessness’, which can look like they’re being distant or ignoring commands. 

‘In cases of separation anxiety, your dog might’ve been so panicked when you were gone, that on your return; they pretty much shut down.’

Whining when you leave the room

Barking or whining when you leave the room could be a sign of anxiety, in particular of separation anxiety, Winter says.

Winter said: ‘Does your puppy bark a lot when you leave the house? Or whine even if you leave the room? 

‘These are all signs that your puppy could have separation anxiety, a catch-all term used to describe when a dog finds it challenging to be alone.

‘This anxiety often comes out when they are alone and fearful that they have been abandoned.’

Winter recommends going up to the door randomly through the day to get your dog used to the idea, then for the next three days opening and closing the door.

Winter says, ‘Then step out, just for a few seconds, and leave the door on the latch – you don’t want your pup to make any associations just yet Then start upping the time

Make your exits and entrances as fuss-free as possible – help your puppy understand that this is a part of the daily norm and build up slowly!’

Digging

Digging is a ‘displacement behavior’ which offers dogs a sense of comfort if they are feeling anxious, Winter says.

She says, ‘Consider taking the first step by eliminating any potential stressors that might be triggering their desire to dig. It’s possible that they’re signalling their discomfort and expressing a desire for a change of scene.’

She also points out that some breeds are more prone to digging when anxious or excited, including Dachshunds, Beagles and most herding and working breeds.

She says that you can channel a dog’s anxiousness into play by providing fun ways to dig such as by filling a children’s sandpit with dirt or dog safe sand and hiding toys in there to encourage digging.

She says, ‘You can also try cutting down the sides on a large cardboard box and fill it with rolled up packing material, then scatter some treats to encourage them to dig and find them. Voilà you’ve made a foraging box or indoor digging pit.

‘Additionally, make sure there’s plenty of blankets in their bed that they can dig and make a nest to snuggle down into when they need to.’

Chewing on shoes

Chewing on sofas, shoes, doors, usually boils down to either anxiety or boredom, says Winter.

She says, ‘This habit for chewing stems from a reliable self-soothing instinct that makes them feel good, as chewing triggers the release of endorphins such as dopamine and serotonin in their brains.

‘Consider offering your pup a safe chew toy – something they can get their teeth into and relieve some of the stress and anxiety they might be feeling. Like stress balls for humans – these toys are great for diminishing pent-up anxious energy and will hopefully stop the sofa destruction!’

Winter recommends keeping an eye on your dog via a webcam when you are not at home.

She said, ‘It’s always a good idea to keep an eye on your dog via camera when you’re not at home. Do they appear distressed during their destructive escapades, or do you notice other signs of anxiety? In such cases, delving into a separation anxiety protocol can be beneficial to ease their distress when you’re away.

‘However, if it seems like they’re having a party of their own while you’re absent, then increasing their daily mental and physical stimulation is a wise move!’

Going to the toilet indoors

Most puppies have small bladders and limited control, so it’s natural for them to have ‘spontaneous bathroom breaks’, says Winter.

She said: ‘If your pup consistently uses the indoor facilities when you’re not around or during the night, it’s likely they’re dealing with separation anxiety. 

‘Puppies thrive on routines, finding comfort in the predictability of playtime, walks, and mealtimes. 

‘Establishing a schedule can work wonders for both puppy separation anxiety and toilet training.’

Researchers have uncovered another side effect of pandemic lockdowns and travel bans – a surge in ‘drivers’ anxiety’.

A survey found that a quarter of people are driving less than they did during the pandemic, and the majority say it’s because they are more anxious about getting behind the wheel.

Of those who reported driving anxiety, 47 percent felt that driving less during the pandemic caused their driving abilities to deteriorate, and 58 percent were more concerned about other drivers.

The unprecedented lockdowns and working-from-home orders ushered in during Covid caused millions to switch to remote work and ditch their daily commutes to and from the office.

World champion F1 drivers Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton, who admits being nervous on civilian roads, have shared their advice for conquering highway jitters with DailyMail.com.

The new survey was commissioned by the driving training company Aceable.

It found that, as of April 2022, 41 percent of people are driving the same amount that they did before March 2020, 32 percent are driving more, and 27 percent are driving less.

Of the people driving less than they did before the pandemic, 53 percent reported feeling more anxious about driving than they did before March 2020.

Additionally, road rage incidents also contributed to nervousness. 

Nearly two-thirds of drivers reported they felt more road rage than before the pandemic and 68 percent reported experiencing more road rage from other drivers. 

Joanne Mallon, author of How to Overcome Fear of Driving, offers a possible explanation: ‘The pandemic itself was a prolonged period of stress. 

‘Such major life changes can cause anxiety. It also stopped many people from driving for months. People lost the habit of maneuvering busy roads and their confidence.’ 

To combat the rise in driving anxiety, professional race car drivers offered their advice on how they relax before climbing into the driver’s seat. 

Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel said they practice breathing techniques or listen to music beforehand. 

‘If you get the breathing right, it just helps you flow through it. Everything comes more naturally and seems less stressful when you’re taking the time to give your body the oxygen it needs’, Hamilton told DailyMail.com.

In 2022, Hamilton opened up about the anxiety he faced after losing his eighth WC trophy.

Hamilton said in his Instagram story: ‘It’s been such a tough year already with everything that is happening around us. 

‘I have struggled mentally and emotionally for a long time, to keep going is a constant effort, but we have to keep fighting, we have so much to do and to achieve.’

If Hamilton’s advice isn’t for you, Verstappen recommends doing something fun, such as playing a game, before sitting in the driver’s seat to beat the rising sense of anxiety.

Performing an activity you like before driving not only helps you to stop thinking about your worries but also gives you a sense of achievement and boosts your confidence.

Lastly, Vettel advises drivers with anxiety to listen to music, saying it can make all the difference.

Listening to music you enjoy is a great way to feel less stressed, and when you listen to your favorite music in a calm place, you connect it with positive feelings. This connection can help you stay calm and relaxed when you hear those songs in more stressful times, such as when driving.

Among other advice the champions recommended were exercising, staying hydrated and practicing how to drive.

From having two of his wives beheaded to waging bloody wars on Scotland and France, history has rightly portrayed Henry VIII as something of an ogre. 

But a new study shows the king was vulnerable and ‘anxious’ in his later years – and beset with the fear of God, likely due to all his wrongdoings. 

A copy of a prayer book once used by the Tudor King in the final years of his life has distinctive markings next to particularly pious passages, researchers found. 

It shows his mind was engaged with thoughts of ‘physical suffering, sinfulness and divine wisdom’ as well as the forgiveness of God as his health rapidly declined. 

The markings were made by Henry in a prayer book found at Wormsley Library near High Wycombe, called ‘Psalms or Prayers’. 

The book was published anonymously by his sixth and final wife Katherine Parr in 1544, three years before his death in 1547. 

The new study was conducted by Micheline White, Associate Professor of English Literature at Carleton University, Canada, who thinks the markings will be a surprise for many. 

‘It’s not what we might expect,’ Professor White told the Times.

‘We tend to think of Henry being very confident and he exerted his authority with impunity, but in these particular annotations we see traces of a Henry who’s pretty anxious.’ 

Professor White studied two copies of Psalms or Prayers, one already known to be owned by Henry at the Elton Hall Collection in Cambridgeshire.

The other, housed at the Wormsley Library, has to date remained unknown to scholars but Professor White is convinced it was once Henry’s. 

In them are what are known as ‘manicules’ – handwritten marks in the shape of a hand with the index finger extending in a pointing gesture. 

Markings in the book are similar to those in other books known to belong to the king – not just his Elton Hall copy of ‘Psalms or Prayers’ but also the 1530 collection of scriptural texts ‘Collectanea satis copiosa’ and Marulić’s 1487 theological compendium ‘Evangelistarium’. 

‘I demonstrate that a copy in the Wormsley Library also has markings, and I argue that there is good reason to believe that they were made by Henry,’ Professor White says in her study, published in the journal Renaissance Quarterly. 

In the Wormsley copy of ‘Psalms or Prayers’, there are eight manicules and also three trefoils – a pattern of three dots, similarly used to mark out notable sections. 

One manicule was drawn next to a passage that says: ‘Take away thy plagues from me, for thy punishment hath made me both feeble and faint.’

It continues: ‘For when thou chastisest a man for his sins, thou causest him by and by to consume and pine away.’

Another manicule was etched by the king next to the words: ‘Turn away thine anger from me, that I may know that thou art more merciful unto me than my sins deserve.’

Meanwhile, an ink trefoil made by the king marks a verse in which the speaker worries that his sins ‘will cause God to forsake him’. 

It says: ‘O Lord God forsake me not, although I have done no good in thy sight.’ 

According to Professor White, these markings indicate particular sections that the king wanted to keep in mind and ‘clearly resonate with Henry’s dire physical predicament’ from 1544 onwards.

The king had been obese most of his life and during his final years he suffered from chronic headaches, leg ulcers, gout and physical disability. 

‘In May 1544, the imperial ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, told the Holy Roman Emperor that in addition to his “age and weight” Henry had “the worst legs in the world,” but that “no one dare tell him so,’ says Professor White.  

‘Henry may have been reticent about his medical woes in front of his subjects and military allies, but in the margins of Parr’s book he engaged head-on with some unpleasant facts.

‘He was England’s divinely ordained monarch, yet his aging, sinful body was “feeble and faint,” and although he believed his actions were just, he also believed that God sent sickness as a punishment and might forsake him. 

‘In marking these verses in Parr’s book, Henry both confronted the ugly truth and revealed himself to be an exemplary monarch by responding to the crisis by begging God to “turn away” his anger and extend mercy.’ 

Deluxe copies of Parr’s ‘Psalms or Prayers’ were distributed as gifts as part of Henry VIII’s wartime campaign against France. 

As he read Parr’s book during this time of international and domestic conflict, Henry would have felt that it was ‘imperative’ to call upon God for ‘wisdom and guidance’.

After Henry’s death in January 1547, Parr married a former suitor, Thomas, Lord Seymour of Sudeley, who was admiral of England from 1547 to 1549.

Sadly, Parr died in September 1548 shortly after giving birth to a daughter, Mary Seymour, while Seymour was convicted of treason and beheaded the following year.

Seymour is purported to have had a flirtation with the teenage Princess Elizabeth while the future monarch was in his and Katherine’s care – and while his new wife was pregnant.