Last month, I wrote briefly about my dog Muppy being diagnosed with bladder cancer and my concern that my stress could harm her. "How and When We Grieve Matters, Finding Joy at a Stressful Time" at ForceFreePets.com.
This month, I’m offering suggestions on how you can keep your life and your dog’s life as free of stress as possible. This is a big topic, so I will be referring to past columns in Downeast Dog News as well as my blog at ForceFreePets.com. If you’re reading this online, just click on the link. If you’re reading it in the paper, just search the DEDN or FFP website for the title.
Our dogs are keenly aware of our emotional state due to their ability to read our facial expressions and body language and detect our mood based on the tone of our voice. They also know how we feel based on changes in our scent. If we are stressed, they know it, and it may cause them stress or change their behavior towards us. Likewise, our being happy can bring great joy to our dogs. Having a positive outlook greatly benefits our health and that of our pets. Please read at DEDN "How Your Dog Can Tell How You’re Feeling: Your Scent, Body Language, & Tone of Voice", DEDN SEP24.
Ensure you are meeting your dog's physical, mental, and emotional needs. In my article on Brambell’s Five Freedoms, I address how you can use them to ensure you are meeting all of your dog's needs. At FFP Helping Your Dog Thrive–Brambell’s Five Freedoms.
• Know how your dog communicates stress and discomfort. Dogs are primarily visual communicators, so understanding their body language and behavior is essential to helping keep them comfortable. You can find many resources on canine body language and communication on my blog at Resources on Canine Body Language & Communication.
• Avoid known stressors. Just like us, our dogs may have things that almost always cause them stress. If walking by a particular house does that, avoid that house. If using the vacuum cleaner is a stressor, one of you should take the dog for a walk while the other vacuums. If disagreements between family members upset the dog, ask those family members to take things off-site when they are arguing. Pain can also cause stress, and dogs can be very good at hiding their discomfort. If your dog is continually acting irritable and stressed, a visit to the veterinarian is in order. If another pet causes your dog stress, talk to your veterinarian or an accredited pet behavior consultant.
• Maintain your dog’s usual routine. Keep your dog's life as predictable as possible. If your dog is stressed or ill, that is not the time to change when and what you feed, or what you do together. It is also not a time to bring another pet or person into your home.
• Make sure your dog gets adequate rest. Healthy dogs can easily sleep between 14 and 17 hours per day. Make sure your dog gets the rest it needs.
• Moderation in physical exercise is good! If your dog is wound up and hyper much of the time, it may be getting too much stimulation at the dog park, daycare, or even playing fetch. Moderation in those activities is essential. Too much physical exercise is as bad as too little. Remember, one of the best and most natural activities for our dog is to take a meandering walk with lots of opportunities to stop and sniff. Read at DEDN – Walking the Dog–It MUST Be Something Your Dog Enjoys, If NOT, Don’t Do It!
• Take care of yourself – If you are stressed for any reason, your dog will know. Your feeling out of sorts may also impede your ability to take care of your dog and other pets. Whether you seek professional counseling or talk to a family member or friend, please ask for help. Also, eat right, exercise, and ensure you are sleeping well.
• Do things you like to do together. Whether it's going for a walk, playing, snuggling, or any combination, continue to do the things you and your dog both enjoy.
Don Hanson lives in Bangor, Maine, where he is the co-owner of the Green Acres Kennel Shop (greenacreskennel.com) and the founder of ForceFreePets.com, an online educational resource for people with dogs and cats. He is a Professional Canine Behavior Consultant (PCBC-A) accredited by the Pet Professional Accreditation Board (PPAB)and a Bach Foundation Registered Animal Practitioner (BFRAP). Don is a member of thePet Professional Guild (PPG), where he serves on the Board of Directors and Steering Committee and chairs the Advocacy Committee. He is also a founding director of Pet Advocacy International (PIAI). In addition, Don produces and co-hosts The Woof Meow Showpodcast,available at http://bit.ly/WfMwPodcasts/,the Apple Podcast app, and Don's blog: www.words-woofs-meows.com.The opinions in this post are those of Don Hanson.