De-stressing Tips for Dog Parents
Being a dog parent can bring joy, connection and fulfillment. It can also mean work, time and sometimes stress. Caring for a dog with fear, reactivity or aggression brings extra layers and can bring up big emotions in caregivers. I’m sharing these three tips to help you reduce your stress as a dog parent.
1. Notice the little things your dog aces every day.
Every morning, put 20 pieces of your dog’s regular kibble or small pieces of dog treats into a closed jar, and put the jar in the room where you and your dog spend the most time. Throughout the day, catch your dog doing something you like (for example-being quiet, sitting, lying down, entertaining themselves with a toy) and surprise your dog with a treat. Behaviors that are reinforced are more likely to happen again. It’s sometimes easy to focus on what we don’t want our dog to do. This practice lets you focus on what you like and communicate to your dog what to do more of.
2. Take it easy/choose the likely ‘win’
Do more of the things that are easy for your dog to do ‘right’. If your dog is particular about other dogs but has one doggie playmate who they have safe, reciprocal, joyful play with, it’s ok to stick to play dates with that dog friend and skip the dog park. Is your dog relaxed on trail hikes but nervous in the city? Keep your city walks brief (even just potty breaks) and get your longer adventure time in when you can do a field trip to a quiet setting. It’s beneficial for your dog to avoid stress and let them thrive in the specific situations where they are most at ease. Even if you are working on training to build confidence, skills and comfort in new scenarios, success requires incremental steps at your dog pace. More setups where your dog isn’t stressed = more training wins and increased well being for both you and your dog.
3. Build a care team
If you are a solo dog guardian or primary caretaker of your dog, can you build out a team to support caring for your dog? Are there care tasks that can be distributed among family members? Can a sitter or walker provide relief? Would the expertise of a trainer help you to implement management and training plans? Could a Veterinary Behaviorist be consulted to assess potential underlying health issues and determine whether medication could be beneficial? Can you reach out to friends when you need someone to listen about a hard moment with your dog and to celebrate when your dog is thriving? If you are feeling overwhelmed or isolated, reach out to your team for support. The caregiver of a dog with challenging behaviors needs to be supported too. Set yourself up for success by building a team.
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