5 Things to do to Unstress your Dog

Today let’s talk about stress for our dog friends, and how to help your dog unstress.  Sometimes dog’s will not outright tell us when something bothers them, instead they will give you clues or behaviors that may not be what we like.  Sometimes dogs can come with some emotional baggage, both shelter pups as well as backyard breeder pups.  Things like leaving them alone at home, going on vacations, changes to their routine, bringing home a cute new kitten or puppy (or human baby), even changing food can cause your dog stress.

5 Things to Do To Unstress

1. One big thing that can help unstress your dog, and it literally costs you nothing but your time, is exercise.  Take your dog for a walk, play outside, even play with them inside the house.  Dog’s want to be with us, so if we are just sitting on the couch when we get home, they are not getting any stimulation, which can cause stress.
2. Keep them entertained.  Does your dog like treats?  Find a buster cube or dog treat game or puzzle for them to do.  Take a hollow Kong toy and fill it with peanut butter and freeze it.  This should last for at least a few minutes to hours of fun.  Yak cheese is another newer chew alternative that most dogs love.
3. Give them calming supplements to help unstress your dog.  Your local pet store will have many options.  There are even plug ins that you can leave inside your house to help keep the zen going when you are gone.
4. Avoid triggers.  If you know that a certain thing will stress your dog out, such as other dogs, people, ect try to avoid those for now.  If there is a specific trigger, I suggest finding a dog friendly trainer to help you work on this issue, so that your fur baby doesn’t have to live with daily fear forever.
5. Another thing is physical contact which helps unstress your dog.  Give them love and pets!  They crave our attention and approval.  You are their entire world, and if you are too busy to give them attention, then you need to change something in your day.  Dog’s are a responsibility, and it is your job to keep them happy and healthy.  Getting ignored all the time will encourage bad behaviors, such as suddenly going potty inside the house, chewing your favorite phone cord, ect.  They are trying to get attention, even negative from you.

There are much more options to consider to unstres your dog, but treating stress early on is the best thing you can do. Some bad behaviors or anxiety can turn into real issues that eventually need medical intervention, however, most of the time all it takes is a little love from you to pull them through. For more information you can contact us via our Facebook page or leave a message on our contact page.