Saturday, May 16, 2009
Do Not Ignore Your Dog's Mental Health
By: Alex De La Cruz
Providing your much-loved pet with the proper food, shelter and love is very good by far. But if you also nourish its mental health it would be excellent. A complete well-being is not just about the physical and emotional conditions of your pet because its mental health should be a part of the picture. That is why some dogs, even if the owner provides them with everything that they could possibly need still feel different and aloof. Never wonder why your pet still behaves a bit wild even if it is already trained? The explanation for this could is simple.
Your pet is having mental health problems. The causes of this problem can be traced to its physical state especially if it is not feeling well. Just like humans, dogs react to pain in various ways and one of those is being aggressive towards other animals or persons. If your pet is sick get it to a vet for proper medication right away. Don't wait until it hurts itself or others because of its condition. Another similar characteristic of dogs to humans is having emotions but of a lower level. Dogs can feel sorrow whenever someone or something close to them is gone which makes them feel empty and they tend to just lay or sleep all day and doesn't mingle with other animals.
Later on this develop into a depression if the owner does not do anything about it. Another cause is due to being imprisoned in a cage for a long time or when it is left in the house when its owner is gone for days or weeks. This can be traumatic to a dog especially if it was used to live with many people around it. It will become cold and remote even to its owner and it will also be afraid to meet other animals. Either it will hide in a corner and yelp or bark angrily and destroy furniture in your house or neighborhood or even attack your favorite pair of shoes.
Being tied to a leash or chain for most of the time can also be a cause for having mental health problems. Your dog might want to have the freedom to explore and join other animals if it has a playful nature. But if you keep it tied for no suitable reason at all (except when it is sick or really mad), that is torture. Allow your pet to have some form of enjoyment because after all you want to nourish its complete well-being. If a dog doesn't have enough socialization early on its life as a pup, it does not know how to behave in a crowd so walking your dog might not be advisable.
Some dogs which are not accustomed to hearing loud noises such as firecrackers or gunfire will be in panic if the dog owner does not know how to calm them down. Now that the Christmas holidays are approaching, finding an area for your dog to hide or stay when the firecrackers are at its peak should be your main concern. There are dogs which whine for fear of loud noises. Get your pet to a veterinarian regularly for its mental health consultation. Learn that they do not know how to adapt to such circumstances mentioned earlier if they are not taught how.
Care for your dog physically, emotionally and mentally because that is the complete way of ensuring its total well-being.
The author of this article Alex De La Cruz is a Dog Trainer who has been successful with several dog training courses for many years. Alex decided to share his knowledge and tips through his website http://www.doggyweb.info. You can sign up for his free newsletter and enjoy a healthy and submissive dog.
Labels: pets/dogs
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