Having a dog is an immense responsibility. It’s not something you decide on immediately without carefully considering. This is why before getting a dog, you must know all the important details about caring for them to improve their lives. That way, you can avoid making mistakes that stress out your dog.
In the United States, about 69 million households owned at least one dog in 2020, and they remain America’s favorite pet. Dogs have made many people smile and laugh at their funny antics. They’ve also touched the hearts of their fur parents by showing them genuine affection.
The average life expectancy of a dog is 10 to 13 years. It’s even shorter for mixed breeds at about eight years. They deserve all the love and care you can give since they’ll always give their human owners unconditional love.
If you’re considering raising puppies, you must be prepared to feed, groom, train, and spend quality time with them. It’s also crucial to know what can stress out your pups before bringing them home.
To give you an idea, here are some things you might unknowingly do that stress out your dog.
Using a hair dryer
After bathing your dog, you’d want to dry them before leaving them to their own devices. Not drying them, especially the furry ones, after a bath could make them sick. The combination of wet fur and cold air is not a great idea. However, using a hair dryer may be stressful for your dog because of the noise and the heat.
You may use a hair dryer if your dog can tolerate the noise. You can let them get accustomed to the heat by using the lowest and the coldest air setting possible.
Today, a better way of drying your dog is using a pet hair dryer machine. It looks like a box where you can place your dog, and it automatically and silently dries your pet for a stress-free drying experience. The machine’s interior provides a quiet, warm environment that could relax your dog.
Separation from owner
Dogs can be clingy, and after spending time with you, they’ll search for you when you’re not around. Their olfactory senses are pretty amazing. They know how you smell and will look for you when you’re away.
You might receive comments from your neighbors that your dog howls while you’re at work. You’re lucky if that’s the only thing they’ll do because some dogs stressed from the separation can destroy things inside the home, have potty accidents even if they’re housebroken, and try to escape.
Many experts suggest that you do the following:
- Don’t say goodbye when you leave; ignore them the last few minutes before leaving.
- Try not to greet them as soon as you arrive.
- Leave a piece of your clothing that they can smell.
- Leave them a toy they can chew on.
- Leave them a treat like a toy smeared with peanut butter but take it from them once you arrive.
Tight hugs
Dogs don’t like to be smothered with kisses and hugged very tightly. Your dog would appreciate you showing your love by patting its head or rubbing its belly. But an excessive display of affection, such as squeezing your dog too tightly, can make them feel uneasy.
Loud noises
Your furry pal might tremble, shake, pace, and hide when they hear loud noises like thunder and fireworks. Even shouting and screaming can stress out your dog. On rare occasions, they might bolt out the door to escape the situation, which could be dangerous as they could get hit by a moving vehicle.
During New Year’s Eve, fireworks are inevitable. To prepare your dog for this, you may cover their crate with a thick blanket to block out the noise. Alternatively, you can get them some pressure wraps or those thick stuff you can wrap on their torso to provide a constant gentle pressure that will soothe their fears. Giving them some toys may also help distract them from the noise.
Aggressively pulling the leash
When you’re out for a walk with your dog, pulling their leash aggressively to prevent them from destroying the plants at the park will not work. On the contrary, it will worsen the situation and stress them more.
When dogs are on a leash, they feel vulnerable. For one, they think they’ve been deprived of the option to flee if they feel threatened. So, if you wish to control them or keep them from doing something unacceptable, it would be best to calmly coax them and use a soft voice.
Exposing dogs to big groups of people
Dogs also suffer from social anxiety, and they can show nervousness and fear by trembling and sometimes countering it by being aggressive.
You can remedy this by slowly introducing your dog to other dogs and several people on different occasions. This will be a lengthy but rewarding process once you see your furry pal warm up and become a social animal.
Final thoughts on mistakes that stress out your dog
Caring for a dog is an enriching and fulfilling experience. You’ll experience joy like no other, and your days will be filled with love. You’ll also notice that you enjoy life more when your furry pal is beside you.
Taking care of a dog and ensuring they’re satisfied and not stressed has tremendous benefits for your dog and you.
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