Making sure your dog is happy and healthy is one of the most important aspects of being a responsible pet owner. Keeping your furry friend feeling paw-sitive is all about spending quality time together and giving them plenty of love, attention and mental stimulation. While different breeds will have different needs, we’ve put together some proven tips for upping your dog’s happiness quotient.
Maintaining a positive relationship with your dog is key to their happiness. Praise – both verbal and physical – is one of the best ways to show how much you appreciate them, and is crucial in positive reinforcement training. Dogs are sociable by nature and enjoy interaction.
A good bond with their owner, backed up with praise and rewards, always leads to better obedience than fear of shouting or punishment. Sometimes, people fall out of the habit of praising their dog after they’ve passed the puppy-training stage but it's important to keep it up so that your bond with your pet stays super-strong.
Walks are good for both your dog’s physical health and emotional wellbeing. Not only will it help them meet their natural exercise needs, but it’s also the perfect time for bonding. Visiting new parks, woods or beaches, or going on country walks, will help mix up your routine and provide lots of mental stimulation, as well as giving their paws a rest from concrete pavements.
Remember that as far as your dog is concerned, walks are all about sniffing out new scents – so be patient if they linger. And try to give them some lead-free time to explore (just be sure their recall is reliable first!).
Like humans, dogs respond well to variety. To help stop your pet getting bored with their toys, divide them into sets and put these on a weekly rotation. When you unpack the next set after a week, it will be as if they have a whole new collection of playthings – which won’t hang around long enough to get neglected!
Games are important to keep your dog physically and mentally stimulated, and stop them getting bored and destructive. Rough and tumble games can overexcite some dogs, but you don’t have to avoid all physical activity. A flirt pole (a length of pole attached to a rope with a toy at the end) makes a fun chasing activity – and a great way to exercise in a small outside space. It can also help with their training, as your dog must practise the commands: sit, look, wait, take it and drop it. Don’t miss our behaviourist-approved ideas for great dog games.
Originally, dogs were often bred to do specific jobs, such as herding, hunting, guarding or finding. Giving them household jobs or chores can help channel their energy. Try asking your dog to fetch the newspaper or your slippers, close doors, put an item in a bin, clear their toys into a basket, wake up a family member, pick up something you’ve dropped or lost, or take a written message upstairs to your kids. They’ll love feeling like a helpful member of the household!
When the weather outside turns inclement, playtime and exercise with your dog are likely to be affected. But there are plenty of activities to keep them occupied indoors, too, including the classic hide-and-seek. Your dog could find a treat hidden under plastic cups, play tag with you, chase a ball down the stairs, find a toy or treat hidden somewhere in the house or learn a new trick – and that’s just for starters!
Why not make an agility or obstacle course with brooms, chairs and blankets? Or get your dog to practise their skills in quick succession: sit, down, roll, stay, come, high five, wave. Make the order random, to keep them thinking, and reward generously afterwards.
Dogs are pack animals, and being left alone can cause them stress or even separation anxiety, so don’t leave your dog alone for long periods of time. If you can’t employ a dog walker and don’t have a friendly neighbour or family member that can pop in while you’re out, try leaving a stimulating toy to keep your dog happy when home alone.
Nowadays there are a huge variety of interactive slow-feeder treat dispensers, in the form of balls, puzzles or chew toys. You can also buy ‘nose work’ blankets or snuffle mats for them to find treats in.
Let’s be honest – our dogs are strongly motivated by food, so giving them meals and treats they enjoy will make a big difference to their happiness. You could even try making your own! Just don’t forget that treats count towards their daily food intake. So, if you’ve offered more snacks than usual, don’t forget to decrease the size or calorie count of their regular meals, to stop them overeating.
A step up from snuggle-time on the sofa, massage is not just an indulgence for humans. It can calm your dog’s anxiety, increase their circulation and strengthen the bond between you both. Start by petting your dog all over and talking softly to relax them. Gently work the flat of your palm from the top of their head down to their neck muscles, massaging them in a circular motion. Work down to the shoulder area (often a favourite spot, as dogs can’t reach this themselves), massaging in a circular motion.
Come to the front to massage the chest and front legs, but be careful of the paw pads, and move on if they don’t like any area being touched. Move back up to the shoulders and make small circular motions along the back on either side of the spine. Progress to the base of the tail and go down the back legs, continuing to their paws if they enjoy it.
Dogs are creatures of habit, and need the security and reliability of a structured life. Sticking to a routine while working from home or going into your workplace will help keep your dog happy. However, there’s still room for new tricks, treats and places to explore to stop your routine getting stale.
Anxiety is not only a common trait in humans, but animals can also suffer as well. Many of the dogs in our care have anxiety — which usually stems from being abandoned by their owners and the shelter environment in general.
Just like with other unhealthy behaviors — biting, barking, chewing on everything in sight — anxiety can be treated. Anxiety can be totally cured, but sometimes it can only be managed; noticeable under certain circumstances.
If you have a dog that suffers from anxiety, this post is a must-read. We’ll outline several proven methods for supporting your anxious dog and promoting a happy healthy life.
So let’s take a look at what can cause your dog’s anxiety and the most common proven ways to calm your anxious dog.
Anxiety can manifest itself in multiple ways, from whining and barking to shivering and whimpering. You may also find that your dog becomes destructive or hostile when anxious. Over time, they may lose their appetite and become completely withdrawn if the anxiety is not addressed.
The most common reasons for anxiety in a dog is abandonment, fear of being home alone, loud noises, traveling, and/or being around strange people, children, or other pets. We’ve also seen the anxiety in dogs that have been abused or neglected.
The best way to treat your canine companion is to determine the cause. Anxiety is usually evident and easily identified. Once you pinpoint the reason, you can go about treatment management.
If your dog has separation anxiety, the obvious way to ease their mind is to never leave them alone. That is not a reality for most pet owners, so using exercise as both a bonding time and to tire out your pet is often an easy fix!
Because anxiety can cause an excess of energy, taking your dog out to play ball or on a long walk before you leave can be helpful. Providing plenty of physical contact and talking to them during this time is also beneficial. And, like their human counterparts, exercise can help relieve stress by producing beneficial endorphins.
Check out our recent guide: How to Exercise Your Dog
There is probably nothing more soothing to an anxious dog than its owner’s touch. Try to identify the signs of anxiety in your dog and nip them in the bud as early as possible by picking them up, cuddling on the couch, or giving them a good long petting session.
As you probably know, a massage will relax and calm even the most anxious human — did you know it also works wonders with dogs as well?! Anxiety often causes tensing of the muscles and massage therapy is one way to alleviate tension. Start at the neck and work downward with long strokes. Try to keep one hand on the dog, while the other works to massage. Over time you may even be able to identify where your dog holds its stress and just work on that one particular area.
Music therapy has been proven to be beneficial for both humans, as well as our canine and feline friends. The power of music can be calming and relaxing while you’re home, in the car, or away from your pet. Music can also alleviate noise sensitivity by blocking the street or scary noises that bother some dogs and create anxiety.
Research has shown that many dogs prefer classical music. Harp music, often used in hospice situations, can be a natural sedative. You might try:
While anxiety isn’t a bad behavior per se, it can help to give your dog some time-out when they’re acting out. Isolating your pet in a safe and quiet space can help calm their frayed nerves. Maybe that space has some very quiet music playing, low lights, and/or some aromatherapy available (see below “Alternative Therapies”).
You might also try a ZenCrate for time-outs, and as a general escape pod for your furry friend. The ZenCrate was designed to help dogs with a variety of anxiety factors. It’s similar to a standard crate but it provides vibration isolation, noise cancellation (through sound insulation), reduced light, as well as comfort and security. A motion-activated sensor turns on a gentle fan when your dog enters, which helps block noise and provides a steady stream of fresh air. You can pre-program the crate with music. It comes with a removable door, so your dog can self-comfort and enter at any time.
Calming coats and t-shirts apply mild, constant pressure to a dog’s torso, surrounding a dog much like a swaddling cloth on a baby. It’s recommended for dogs with any type of anxiety induced by travel, separation, noise, or stranger anxiety.
Depending on the size of your dog, there are several brands and models to choose from. You can check out ThunderShirt Anxiety Jacket, American Kennel Club Stress Relief Coat, and the Comfort Zone Calming Vest.
While there is limited evidence that alternative products can be of benefit to dogs suffering from anxiety, the products listed below are non-invasive and will cause no harm. They are therapies that can be used alone or combined with those above to be more effective. Be sure to do proper research before implementing alternative therapies, and consult with your veterinarian, too.
