Is your pet Sad?
Does your dog seem distant or depressed?
You may be creating this tension and causing your pet to be unhappy. We all love our dogs and want to make them as happy as possible! It's likely you're not, but just in case you're unsure or want to help someone who might be stressing their dog, check out these behavior tips!
#1 – Not Exercising Your Dog
This is one of the biggest problems in dog ownership. Exercise releases endorphins, giving a sense of peace and calm. It is understandable why it is even more important in the anxious or nervous dog. Preventing your dog from getting adequate exercise can be detrimental to both their physical and mental health. Dogs need to get outside, just as people do. Taking your dog for a walk or playing ball is an excellent way to help give him the exercise he needs, and it will also help strengthen your relationship. So schedule some time each morning to get some fresh air and release some energy with your pup.
#2 – Taking Your Dog's Food & Toys Away
We all understand how taking a dog's food bowl away while they're eating or their toy away when they're chewing on it, is to show their dogs that they're the alpha. It can be dangerous, when a dog becomes aggressive protecting its resources such as his food or toys. All dogs that have been raised or given clear boundaries will willingly share their food or toys with their owners, and have no problem with it being taken away. However, doing it regularly ISN'T good! Your dog doesn't understand why you're doing this, and can actually become aggressive from the stress of knowing their meal or toys will be taken from them. The old rule of staying away from a dog if he's eating should be adhered to, because it's true. How would you like it if someone took your dinner away just because they could?
#3 – Putting Your Dog in a Crate for Punishment
Crates are an excellent training tool. But the idea of crate training is to make your crate a fun and safe place for your dog to relax like a den or doghouse. Many owners insist on using it as a time-out place for dogs which leads to animosity towards the crate. If you use it punishment, you're going to have a hard time getting your dog to feel it's their safe stress-free place to go. Dogs don't understand time-out punishments, because they cannot generalize the way humans do. Using time-outs won't be seen by your dog as correction for his bad behavior, because he won't understand he did something you didn't like. Training happens in the moment of the event, and dogs aren't children that will sit and think about their actions as the day goes on. So if you're going to use a crate, please make sure that it's a fun place for your dog to rest!
#4 – Constantly Yelling at Your Dog
Imagine if the only training you got at a brand new job was your boss yelling at you. You'd probably really hate going to work and eventually quit! The same goes for your dog. When you have a dog that hasn't had any basic training, he's likely to be very stressed out from just being yelled at all the time. This is because he knows you're upset but doesn't understand why, because you haven't taught him what behaviors are desirable. The constant emotional turmoil felt by your dog will likely to damage your relationship. Additionally, how seriously is your dog going to react when there is a very real emergency. If you're always yelling at your dog for not coming when you call him in the backyard, but you never actually teach him to come to you; what do you think is going to happen when he runs out in the road? He hears you yelling, but that's nothing new. So he runs right out there, and gets hit. In other words, yelling doesn't help him but will stress him out or get him lost or injured.
#5 – Leaving Your Dog Alone for Extended Periods of Time
Most of us have jobs that keep us away during the day, and we leave our dogs at home until we get home. Dogs are a commitment and require social interaction and need to spend time with their families. When they don't get the socialization they need, they become sad, stressed, may bark excessively and even become destructive. It's important that you're able to fit in the proper amount of exercise and playtime with them, even if you've got a busy schedule. If you're gone for extra long periods of time during the day or must travel often, make sure to find a dependable dog walker or bring them to play at A Pet's Place for Boarding, so that we all can keep your pup happy.