How We are Helping to Calm Down Excited Puppies and Anxious Dogs.
The Happy Dog. A FREE weekly newsletter for you and your dog from Freya V. Locke.
Hi Gang
This week, we have been out and about with our clients doing various levels of socialisation. From overly excited puppies to anxious adults, we have been working with the lot!
Young puppies have brains like little sponges, always absorbing knowledge and experiences. They benefit from being gently exposed to the world in a careful manner. But older dogs need and can learn sociability too. It is a life-long skill for your dog to practise and work on.
A well-socialised dog can feel happy in many more situations than one who is not, and they struggle far less with anxiety and nervous disposition.
If your dog struggles with seeing strangers or being out and about, do give me a shout!
A case study about a dog who barks at strangers
Read all about how we managed to take this sweet but anxious cocker spaniel on a trip to a cafe, without her feeling the need to bark at people. (Names changed but you know who you are! 💕)
Calming down an excited puppy.
This week, I spent some time with a super excited pup who got himself very over-aroused and overwhelmed each time he left his garden. He loves life so very much that he wants to experience everything all at once!
He had been practising his cues and loose lead games in the house and was brilliant at doing so, but once outside his property, it was very apparent we had much more to work on.
I had hoped we would be practising loose lead walking, but he had other ideas. Instead, we concentrated on developing his ability to focus on his human and start acclimating to all the triggers and exciting things outside the garden fence.
By the end of his session, we were getting a few loose lead steps in and some cues, and we had even started practising crossing the road safely. But it all starts with the ability to focus on their human - after all, if they are so busy checking out the environment, they forget their human is even there, how are they supposed to learn anything?
And we as humans must be able to adjust our plans to teach our dogs best. If we had continued trying to get loose lead steps, the lesson would have been frustrating for everyone! But instead we made some progress!
We chatted more about it this week in the Fun Not Fear® Club member’s video.
You can read more general tips about calming down your excited puppy in this article:
Scrumperdinger.com
Hello Fans!
It’s slowly starting to get lighter on our evening walks and even a little warmer in the daytime sometimes. But I still need to wrap up warm as I struggle with acute caudal myopathy (limber tail/swimmer’s tail.)
Does your dog ever have to put up with a broken wag? It can be very painful at times.
It can be caused by:
Over-exercising - including too much wagging!
Being exposed to cold temperatures
Swimming in cold water
Damage to muscles at the base of the tail
When it happens, my poor tail hangs like a wet rag, and I have to have anti-inflammatories from the vet to help me with the pain. It clears up after a few days, and I am very brave. But it’s better to avoid it in the first place if we can.
It’s said that dogs with strong, heavy tails are more likely to have ACM than smaller dogs with lighter tails. This makes sense as I am a big, strong, wiggly, working breed dog.
So mum makes me wear a Scrumper Jumper, which I am not too pleased about. I like to be a naked beastie. But if it means I get to go out in the winter, then I suppose I must.
Hugs ‘n’ Snugs
Twyla xx
Spotted and sharing.
Collars Risk Causing Neck Injuries In Dogs, Study Shows.
We at Fun Not Fear® have always advised strongly that harnesses are far better for our dogs. This article by Dave Rogers at Nottingham Trent University backs us up!
My other posts - because I write about other stuff too!
Handy links.
Hope you all have a fantastic week!
Warm ‘n’ Fuzzies,
Freya xx