With 'Freedom Day' delayed until July 19, pet owners are being encouraged to see the positives.
The Prime Minister's announcement on Monday has been branded a 'silver lining' by dog charity, Dogs Trust.
They say the extra time gives people more opportunity to prepare their dogs for normal life returning.
And that's why the charity has provided online support and a 'doggy roadmap' to ensure the transition back to normality runs smoothly for beloved pets.
"The delay to restrictions lifting will be frustrating news for many of us.
"But for dog owners, it provides an extra opportunity to prepare dogs for the resumption of normal life in four weeks' time", said Dr Rachel Casey, Director of Canine Behaviour & Research at Dogs Trust.
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"This is particularly important where there may be major changes to routine planned, such as leaving dogs home alone for the first time when returning to the office", Dr Casey added.
When the government released the roadmap out of lockdown, Dogs Trust released a 'roadmap for rovers' to support dogs and their owners in helping their dogs adjust as normality resumes.
It offered training advice and guidance to support dog owners in helping their dogs adjust to every step of the roadmap, to ease disruption to a dogs routine.
And it includes advice on how to eradicate barking, whining, panting or scratching at the door when a dog gets worried when separated.
Since the pandemic began in March 2020, demand for dogs has increased and thousands of people have welcomed a pet into their lives who will be yet to experience post-pandemic life.
Many pandemic puppies may have missed experiencing the different aspects of normal life that are so vital for early development.
And older dogs who have spent an increased and concentrated amount of time with their owners at home may also find it hard to adjust.
This is why Dogs Trust are encouraging people to use the delay to prepare their pets for life after lockdown with training videos and advice which can be found on their website.
Dogs Trust say it's important that we teach dogs to cope with being left alone to prevent separation anxiety developing, as many of them will have had very little time away from us for the past year.
And the rise in separation anxiety in dogs who haven’t been left alone during the pandemic is a particular concern for the charity.
Dr Casey said: "A big worry for us is what the long-term impact of lockdown will have on dogs' ability to cope when left home alone.
"Dogs that had separation anxiety before the pandemic are likely to get worse when left again as owners head back to work.
"But we also expect to see new cases developing, because other dogs, and particularly puppies, have learnt to expect company all day.
"If they expect us to be around all the time, it will be more difficult for them to cope once we eventually go back to our normal lives and aren't in the house 24/7."
Dr Casey added: "It's important to start now to avoid future problems – and it's easy to do.
"Just make sure that you factor in time apart from your dog each day to help them be able to cope when alone.
"This could be separated from you by a door or child gate very briefly to start with whilst you're working.
"If your dog stays calm, you can build up the time separated gradually, so they begin to adjust to not being with you all the time."
One of the biggest reasons why dogs are handed into Dogs Trust is because of behaviour-related issues that could have been prevented early on.
A rise in problematic behaviours, due to lockdown measures, could mean families have no other option but to give up their dog.
This is why the charity wants to help 'change the tale' for as many dogs as possible, so they remain in happy homes.
As well as providing training videos and advice, Dogs Trust’s Dog School has been able to continue running training classes online to help prepare dogs for normal life and have now resumed face-to-face classes.
For more information, visit www.dogstrust.org.uk/dogschool . Online training videos can also be found www.dogstrust.org.uk/changethetale/advice
