PET HEALTH CARE ARTICLES
Many pets are sensitive to being restrained for grooming. With slow progress and positive rewards, your pet can learn to accept or even enjoy having their teeth cleaned.
Dogs, like people, need to practice their social skills. Spending time with other dogs will help your dog hone his ability to read his friends’ body language and to communicate effectively. These skills decrease the development of dog related fear and aggression. Play groups in an organized or more relaxed setting are beneficial for both your growing puppy and adult dog. Canine and human socialization occur simultaneously and dog owners enjoy meeting new friends, too. Watching dogs play is a great way to reduce your stress level. Socializing should be pleasant for you and your dog, so find a comfortable group and setting and have fun!
Dogs can become stressed just as we can. Since we know how stress makes us feel, we want to help lessen our pet’s feelings of stress too. There are many signs of stress that can mimic normal dog behaviors. Being aware of your dog’s regular demeanor allows you to understand changes in behavior that may indicate stress. If your dog becomes consistently stressed, see your veterinarian.
Whether you and your dog decide to share a bed is a personal choice and involves a number of factors. The health of you and your dog should be taken into consideration as well as any behavioral issues your dog may have. There can be many benefits for both you and your dog to co-sleep if the circumstances align.
Separation anxiety describes dogs that usually are overly attached or dependent on family members. They become extremely anxious and show distress behaviors such as vocalization, destruction, or house-soiling when separated from the owners.
Dogs do so much more than entertain us with tricks or accompany us on walks. Their abilities as service dogs are astounding. Gaining in popularity, dogs that assist people who have seizures play an important role in the lives of their owners.
The canines involved in search and rescue missions are heroic dogs that optimize their natural abilities to help distressed people.
Many dogs experience fear associated with veterinary visits. Once recognized, fear can be reduced with behavior modification and using low-restraint and Fear Free® handling techniques. Pre-visit medication can be helpful to prevent fear from escalating, while full sedation may be needed for some very fearful dogs or certain procedures. Over time dogs can learn to cooperate in their care.
Counterconditioning occurs when the pet's reaction (emotional response) to a stimulus is changed from one that is anxious or fearful to one that is positive and enjoyable. To accomplish this, favored rewards should be paired with each exposure to the stimulus.
Providing puppies with positive socialization experiences may prevent the development of future fears. Puppy socialization must be done gently to avoid accidentally causing fear. Puppies are most primed for socialization before the age of 14 weeks. By taking precautions, some careful socialization can and should be done even before puppies have completed their entire vaccination series.
