What Makes for a Happy Dog?
Pet owners aren’t just faced with the responsibility of keeping their animals fed. They have to appreciate the fact that their pet, just like them, has thoughts and feelings, and needs to be treated with respect.
Along with that fact comes the responsibility of keeping your pet happy. We’re going to talk about dogs in this article, giving you some insight into ways to keep them as happy as possible.
Keeping a happy dog might seem difficult, seeing as it’s impossible to know just what your pet wants, but we’ve got a few key tips that are certain to help you out.
Let’s get started:
How to Make Sure You've got a Happy Dog
Luckily, making sure your dog is happy isn’t all too complicated, but it does take a good deal of work.
The underlying responsibility that you have is to make sure your dog is healthy enough to be happy. Dogs require some space to roam, a good diet, and a comfortable place to rest and relax.
Those things are requirements for happiness in dogs, just like they are to us. It’s really tough to be happy when you don’t have enough nutrients or a place to sleep.
So, make sure that your dog food is the right fit for the breed of your dog, and do your best to make a comfortable living space for your furry friend. Another thing to consider is the dog’s specific ailments or difficulties.
Establish a good relationship with your vet and make sure you take your dog whenever something seems suspicious. Dogs won’t always relate their aches and pains, though, so it’s also important to have regular appointments with the vet.
Treat Anxiety
Anxiety in dogs is typically caused by environmental factors like abuse or an unfamiliar area. Instability can negatively impact a dog in much the same way that it impacts us.
Moving around from place to place with different owners can often give dogs a lot of anxiety that tends to stick around. Dogs might also just have anxious personalities, and it’s important to address that fact.
If you’re uncertain about giving your dog prescription anxiety medications, there’s an excellent holistic option. CBD is actually an effective way to relax your dog and get a hold on its anxiety issue. Additionally, CBD is great because it doesn’t pose any of the health risks that most prescription meds do.
It’s important to seek out full spectrum CBD, which contains the natural ingredients that contribute to a more effective treatment. Additionally, you should be aware of the dosage that your particular pet requires.
Be as Active as You Can Be
We all kind of intuitively know what dogs love the most. They love their owners, and they love running around and getting as much exercise as possible.
Different dogs are bred in unique ways, so your Border Collie might require a little more running time than your Yorkie, but the fact remains. Get out and get a feel for how much your dog wants to run.
Most of the breeds that we gravitate towards were bred to herd animals or go hunting. That means it’s in their genes to run and experience nature on a very regular basis. If you’re a person who can’t really do all that much running around, there are a lot of great ways to give your dog exercise while you relax.
The most obvious one is just playing fetch. Fetch can get a little annoying after about 15 minutes of repetition, but remember that your goal is to keep the dog happy. Some repetition is a small price to pay for the ecstatic joy that chasing a ball gives your pup.
Another point to keep in mind is that dogs like new stimulation. They’re not going to put up a fuss about going to the same park year after year, but it could never hurt to walk different trails, go to different parks, and bring your dog along to places that it’s never been.
Engage Your Pet's Brain
There’s a reason that people tend to despise jobs that require them to do the same thing over and over with little thought. Our brains experience a sort of atrophy when we don’t use them, and we’re rewarded with positive emotions when we do.
Actively learning and using the different faculties of your mind is often a building block of happiness and satisfaction. The same goes for dogs. Dogs experience boredom, and that boredom is often followed by some degree of sadness.
Remember that dogs are incredibly intelligent, and are able to learn a great number of things. You don’t have to teach your dog to ride a unicycle by any means, but you should engage in some level of education.
Basic commands are an excellent place to start, and you don’t have to go too much further than them. Sitting, lying down, rolling over, shaking, these are all great ways to engage with your dog and activate its brain.
If you’re ambitious, you can certainly go beyond those commands and start to teach your pup more complex things, and that will only make your bond stronger and the dog happier.
Make the Time, Show Them Love
At the end of the day, dogs are going to feed off of whatever attitudes and environments that you give to them. If you’re nasty toward an animal, that animal will likely be anxious and withdrawn to you.
If you’re loving and attentive to your pet’s needs, that animal will probably be significantly happier than it would if you weren’t that way. It’s very simple, and it’s the absolute foundation of a healthy and happy pet.
It’s easy to get into the routine of work and relaxation and slip up on a walk here and there. It’s also easy to forget about how much the dog needs you after you own it for a few years.
Keep in mind, though, that your bet deserves your attention and part of the responsibility of ownership is doing whatever you can to make sure that the animal is happy.
Is Your Dog Feeling a Little Low?
If your happy dog is feeling a little blue, it might be time to see if there are any natural treatments that will lift its spirits and ease its pain. We’re here to help.
Explore our site for natural CBD remedies that will get your pup feeling great again.
