High-end hounds and cossetted canines are having to learn new tricks in this pesky lockdown. Not only are the legs being walked off them on a daily basis but home, usually partially deserted at given times, is a now constant whirl of activity. There are endless Zooms, round-the-clock supervision and no sneaky snoozing in the master suite.

The life of lockdown dogs is harder than it seems. Their owners’ tempers are frayed. No one is going to the office or school or gym or golf or even for a coffee; teenagers are acting out, mothers haven’t a second to themselves and men, having taken possession of prime real estate at home to WFH, have extended their dominion to rule every kitchen.

How are dogs and their owners faring in lockdown? We invited owners to share, and want you to share too … tag @theglossmag in your pictures and videos on Instagram and use the hashtag #GlossyDogs.

Eva Berg and her three miniature Schnauzers

Pilates pro Eva Berg, founder of The Secret Pilates, is often eclipsed in her daily online classes by Milly, one of her three miniature Schnauzers, who loves the limelight …

“Dogs have always been a huge part of my family and it’s fair to say we don’t just have dogs – our life revolves around them. In fact, my sons joke that the only reason I work so hard is so my dogs can enjoy a great life!

Previously my family was never faithful to one particular breed, but we were consistent in that we always had rescue dogs. As a kid, whenever I came home from boarding school, my Mum would either have a new little foster dog or there would be another addition to our canine family.

I came into contact with a good friend’s miniature Schnauzers around ten years ago and I fell completely in love with them. As a breed they are inquisitive and affectionate. They are also complete and utter busybodies though they look like beady-eyed sergeant majors with their handlebar moustaches and accentuated eyebrows and beards.

I registered with a few rescue centres after our little dog had died of old age and we were without a beloved pooch. After two years and no luck, we went to a reputable British breeder and six months later, two brothers, Archibald and Ted arrived. They were adorable – one is really naughty, the other calm and placid.

About two years later a good pal of mine, interior designer Miriam Peters, asked me if I would foster a little female Schnauzer who was with the Royal Dog Rescue Centre (in Co Meath). Milly arrived, nervous and shy at first, but within days she was the total boss. She set boundaries with the two lads and brought so much more love into the house. Of course, we kept her and the trio are now an inseparable team. They run around the garden together in perfect synchronised darting like a murmuration of swallows.

I don’t know what we would have done during lockdown without our dogs. They have given the days structure. My partner Alan takes them out around 7am for a good 45 minute brisk walk (to tire them out) before he goes to work. Then, around lunchtime, after I have finished recording my daily Pilates class, I walk them up around the leadmines and Rathmichael woods, Bray, where they can be off lead and have a good sniff. I’m lucky to have this beautiful spot just on our doorstep. In the evening, Aaron, my son, and his girlfriend Anna “borrow” them for another stroll when they have finished work. Sometimes Aaron and Anna will have them over to their house for sleepovers at the weekend and the excitement is unreal – the dogs are like three toddlers going to a party! Aaron and Anna also have the fun of having a dog when they have free time without the guilt of not being available when they work long hours. As a result we’ve fallen quite by accident into dog sharing and it works incredibly well.

Milly, undoubtedly, has the biggest personality and she loves to video bomb my daily Pilates class, though I never edit her out. My clients find it hilarious when she tries to sit on me, steals the fitness band or comes over to the camera and gives it a good lick.

Our Schnauzers keep us happy and healthy and make us laugh every day.”

www.thesecretpilates.com @thesecretpilates

Photo credit: Owen Breslin

Tina Koumarianos and her Chihuaha/Jack Russell mix, Eric 

For the past 22 years, Virgin Media’s Agony Aunt Tina Koumarianos has rescued, mothered and loved lots of dogs of all kinds but has a seriously soft spot for Eric whose indomitable attitude more than makes up for his size …

“I grew up with Boxer dogs, six in total over the years and I really loved them. When I married my now ex-husband, he refused point blank to own a Boxer; so, some 17 years on, after moving to Wicklow and post-divorce, my daughter Suzie and I embarked on the wonderful pastime of rescuing various dogs in need.

It is now 22 years since we rescued our first dog, a very bad cruelty case, a Saint Bernard from the WSPCA who I called Montgomery. He went on to win Ireland’s Top Dog Model in the Pet Expo at the RDS. Monty certainly was the love of my life.

At the same time we adopted a lurcher called Sid, then a Neapolitan Mastiff who we called Domina, Latin for mistress of the house – a name we thought was fitting with her being an Italian Mastiff, but on hearing it people assumed it had a darker meaning!

We also adopted two Jack Russells who are still with us, one called Stumpy, because of his short legs, the other Rumple after Rumplestiltskin … he was so very ugly when we adopted him!

Two years ago we adopted a tiny half-Chihuahua, half-Jack Russell puppy with brain damage and severe walking difficulties. Suzie insisted we take him as she wanted to mother him – she didn’t realise she was six weeks pregnant at the time and it was her hormones talking to her. He is so much smaller than Stumpy and Rumple that we decided to name him Eric after my daughter’s best man at her wedding who is six foot four and built accordingly (which is why he was perfect for his appearances in The Vikings).

Eric is the perfect dog for a lazy retired lady like me. No marathon runs or long walks, merely a rather long toddle up the garden to the miniature Monet Bridge my son-in-law Dan built for Eric so he could cross the rocks on the drive to go for a wee on the grass. Considering he is by far the smallest of the three dogs and has a severe disability, he is quite a bully pushing the other two out of the way when it comes to food or cuddles. We used to feel sorry for him but now feel sorry for Stumpy and Rumple.

Part of my day is ensuring my African Grey Parrot Jasper, also a rescue from my garden in Dubai nearly 30 years ago, doesn’t eat Eric and vice versa … they don’t have an entente cordiale, unlike the other two Jack Russells who realise Jasper was born with a can opener on his face which would inflict severe damage so they tend to give him a very wide berth. The problem with Eric not being quite the full shilling and falling over a lot is that he would not be great in a hit-and-run scenario with Jasper…

The other part of my day is ensuring my 13-month-old-grandson Rex doesn’t catch Eric and yes, before you say it, people do ask why we called the dog a boy’s name and the boy a dog’s name … what can I say, it just happened!” @koumarianostina