Both new and experienced dog owners know one of the anxiety pinch points our dogs encounter is when we have to leave the house. Sometimes it is just not possible to take your dogs with you, for example, you may need to attend a doctor’s appointment or a meeting at your child’s school. These situations are never dog friendly and leave us as dog owners facing one of the biggest challenges to owning a dog, keeping them calm in our absence. Here are 3 ways we have found that can yield great results in keeping your dog calm.
Add A Little Music
When we are out our dogs are often left in a quiet house, so quiet that any noise from either within our home or externally is immediately obvious to our dogs. Often their response to such noises will be to bark, this shows they are suffering from heightened anxiety brought on by the contrast between the noise and the persistent quiet of an empty house. A recent experiment carried out by Betway online casino site has yielded some interesting results for dog owners looking to keep their dogs relaxed when they are out. The Dog Relaxation Experiment used a dog fitness tracker to assess how relaxed our dogs were when they had been listening to various styles of music. The results showed all music is not equal in its ability to calm our dogs. The research concluded that Classical, Folk and Jazz were all preferable to rock music in bringing the desired calm to our four-legged friends. So next time you have to leave the house without your dogs, set a playlist of classical music and see if it has the desired effect.
Set the Scene
Although with our often fast-paced lives, this suggestion can be difficult to achieve, leaving the house with your dog already calm and relaxed is a great way to ensure they stay that way while you are out. This can be harder to achieve than you would think, with the inevitable last 5 minutes of frenetic activity as you leave the house, dogs can sense our own anxiety. Will we be late? Where are my Keys? They all heighten our own anxiety which our dogs are so good at sensing. This then leaves them alone and anxious, with inevitable results.
Try and preplan your exit leaving a little time to settle your dog for your upcoming absence while you attend to your needs outside your home can bring great results. This approach can be as much about our own self-discipline as it is about our dog. Finding your keys and readying your paperwork in plenty of time to leave a calm period before you depart for work can do wonders for keeping your dog happy in your absence.
Exercise Your Dog Before You Leave
Leaving a bright-eyed, well-rested dog on its own in the house while you are out is asking for trouble. Instead, try a short walk first, it needn’t be a long hike, just a simple walk around the local area can be enough. As well as the exercise leaving your dog wanting a little nap, the mental stimulation of all the sights and smells they encounter on the way can leave your dog satisfied and looking to rest. This is the perfect state for your dog to be in whilst you are away and can lead to a calmer dog who is happy at your return but comfortable in their own surrounding while you are out.