5 Tips To Help Dogs Live Their Best Lives.
Pretty much every pet parent, wants their four-legged companions to be happy and healthy. We try to make sure they have the best of everything – from expert healthcare, to cosy winter jumpers – but what else can we be doing to make sure our dogs have the utmost happiness in life? Read our Holidays4Dogs article for 5 tips to help dogs live their best lives.
Besides the necessities like veterinary care, a good diet and exercise – what else do dogs need, to maintain their well-being and happiness? There may be a few things you haven’t thought of, or considered, before. If you want to turn the dial up on your dog’s contentment and joyfulness – check out our helpful tips.
Give your dog agency.
What is agency? It’s the ability to be able to control your own environment and make your own choices which will bring about positive results. While it can be a complex subject, most of us would like to think we have agency. However, it’s also a hot topic in the animal welfare world too.
Animals too, should be allowed to make choices in their own way and this includes how they interact in a human world. Positive reinforcement is one of the pivotal factors in providing dogs with agency.
It teaches them that, making good (multiple) choices, makes positive things happen. The idea that we must be the boss over our dogs, has been wholly discredited.
Dogs should be allowed to make appropriate choices as long as they don’t compromise safety, physical, behavioural or mental health.
For example, a dog that does not have a solid recall, should not be off-lead in shared spaces. However, teaching dogs a good recall, provides them with more agency once off-lead.
Provide dogs with options. Provide different sleeping places and leave doors open, so they can opt-out if the television is too loud, or they don’t want to mingle with visitors, or other household pets.
Bust that boredom.
Providing enrichment in dog’s lives is hugely important for their well-being and happiness. Enrichment can take many forms – from varying dog walking routes, to providing engaging puzzle toys for them to play with, or scattering their food on the lawn for them to find.
Exercise comes under the boredom busting aim because dogs need daily walks for, not only the opportunity to release some physical energy, but to use their brains exploring the great outdoors. ‘Sniffaris’, or ‘sniff walks‘, are a great way to help your dog release some of that energy. They also provide the opportunity for some mentally stimulating enrichment.
Celebrate individuality.
While many common traits can be seen in different breeds of dog, remember – everyone is an individual, with different wants and needs.
All dogs have different personalities and this reflects on the type of activities they enjoy. Just like people, some dogs enjoy social interaction and others don’t.
This doesn’t make them bad dogs, it just means they take pleasure in doing different things.
Dogs should never be forced into doing things they clearly don’t enjoy. Living in a human world can be confusing for dogs.
Watch our for signs of stress such as licking of lips, flat ears, tucked tails and whale eyes. If your dog is an anxious sort, get help from a good trainer, or behaviourist who can show you how to encourage your dog to cope in positive ways.
Make them feel comfortable.
Every dog owner knows their pet enjoys a good sleep in a comfy bed, but how about the little things? – like removing your dog’s collar at night? Maybe a good old massage would be gratefully received too!
We all get relief from removing tight clothing in the evening and our dogs are no different in feeling that same relief from wearing collars. All that jangling of dog 
tags round your ears, would be enough to drive anyone nuts.
Also, bear in mind, many dogs don’t like wearing fashion statements. While warm coats in the winter are essential for some breeds – some dogs are not happy wearing fashion clothing.
Although, its become a trend in recent years for dogs to wear clothing – some dogs prefer the natural coats they were born with.
Others may not mind, but its worth considering how your dog feels and check for signs of stress.
Time.
Last, but definitely not least. Time. Dogs crave human attention and being left alone for hours on end, can make some dogs feel pretty miserable. This can result in destructive behaviour as they try to deal with the anxiety of being left alone for long periods. At Holidays4Dogs we feel a maximum of 4 hours, occasionally, is about right for leaving a dog alone. This should be much reduced for a puppy – ( no more than an hour ).
Besides daily walks, also try to allocate a few minutes a day, several times a day, to play and interact with your dog. This may mean providing an engaging puzzle toy, trick training, or maybe a simple massage.
Making sure you spend good amounts of quality time with your pooch will ensure that your dog lives their best life and keeps those tail keeps wagging!
What makes your dog happy? Do you have any other tips – unusual, or otherwise? Do let us know on our Facebook page.
