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So you just got yourself a new dog, you have been day dreaming about all of the fun stuff you can do together like puppy play dates, dog parks, and introducing him to your cat. You come to find out your dog is timid scared and afraid of meeting any new creature.  Don’t panic, there are ways you can help your pup become more social, and comfortable. Keep in mind some dogs can develop anxiety. You need to figure out what exactly they are afraid of, and also consider the dogs past.  Is your pet new or a rescue? If you have a rescue dog or a new puppy the approaches are pretty much the same but sometimes rescue dogs can take longer to get comfortable.

A Few tell tale signs of a shy dog are tucked tail, noticeable panting, ears that are folded against their head, retreating into a far corner or space you both occupy, crouching, and inappropriate urination.  Helping your dog to become less shy can be a process that requires a lot of love and patience, here are a few tips that might help.

First: Start slow and steady when your dog is meeting a new pet, person, or animal, they can easily get over whelmed, if possible you want the newest encounter to be in a location your pet is already comfortable with, inside your house,  back yard or an area you frequently walk.  Try and only have one new encounter slowly increasing the amount of pets your dog comes in contact with at a time.  Start with one dog then let them meet two.

Secondly:  Try to get them out of their comfort zone, when your dog is acting scared or shy don’t praise or coddle them.  I know I just said to keep them in a comfortable area when meeting a new pet, but always keeping your pet next to you is reinforcing there anti-social behavior.  Instead praise your dog when he is being social, he will understand that it’s great to act social and hanging out, and playing with other pets is fun. Just don’t rush the process, you can’t force your pet to do anything, just be persistent.

Take your dog out with you frequently to get them used to noises, people and other animals.  Getting out of the house is a great way to let your dog loosen up.

If you are having a hard time finding other people to have puppy play dates with it could be because you aren’t grooming your dog well enough, try to get rid of your dogs tear stains can help, http://tear-stain-center.com/them to look better and healthier.

Sometimes you may notice that when you leave a room your dog instantly follows, or when you leave for work your neighbors report your dog barking, and when you come home your dog whines, jumps or pants excessively.  This is an indication your pet has separation anxiety.

If you go to your veterinarian they may prescribe some medications to help alleviate your dogs anxiety. While these might seem effective, work only by masking the true issues your dog has.  Separation is often caused by behaviors you taught them, while you never taught your dog to whine, bark or chew up your house when you leave you did reinforce those behaviors , by giving your dog attention for their naughty actions.

Anxiety in dogs is often a learnt behavior this behavior can arise when you make a big fuss when you leave or come home.  By paying too much attention to a dog that jumps, whines, or pants when we come home we are only rewarding the dogs behavior.  Naturally humans want to pet there stressed pup, to let them know that it’s okay but that is actually the wrong thing to do.  You need to show them that it’s okay for you to come and go.  By rewarding him you are letting him know that it’s good to be stressed when your are gone.  Instead you should reward patience, calmness, and obedience, this will increase your dogs confidence in you as a leader, as well as their confidence in their self.

Techniques to naturally correct your Dogs Anxiety:

One of the best things you can do with your dog is to make sure you give your dog enough exercise.  You want your do to be resting and sleeping while you’re gone.  Some people think you should distract your dog with stimulating toys but this might further cause your dog stress.  If you give your dog a toy that has treats in it and it runs out of treats they might look for other things to chew on.  Make sure to give your dog at least 30 minutes of exercises each day, and try do this before you leave.

Another important way to help dogs anxiety is by teaching them to be obedient. You can teach them to sit, stay, lay down when you leave the room. You can do this gradually increasing the time you spend away from them. By doing this you are teaching them good behavior habits, they will know that when you are away they will be okay. This is great for boosting you pets confidence.

Another more drastic  approach is by roll playing by turning on your car, do your normal routine you do before you leave, leave then wait a while come back in, doing this several times a day will help get your dog used to you leaving.  When you do this it is key to ignore your dog and only praise them when you call them to your attention by sitting at the couch and then rewarding with a treat or belly scratch only after they are calm and you call them over to you.

While it is no magic pill, this is the most effective way to reduce your dogs anxiety level naturally.

Everyone takes their pet to the vet, but sometimes we get scolded for out dogs having issues that seem somewhat out of our control. Well I’m sure you’re wondering how can you help your dog get an A+ from the vet? Well there are a few natural things you can do to keep your pet healthy, and happy not just for the vet but for the rest of their life too.

One very obvious thing you can help your dog with is by making sure they get enough exercise. Your dog should be getting at least 30 minutes of exercise everyday.  A creative way to get your dog to exercise is by creating exercise that play on the things your dogs breed is known for.

Dog Obesity is another problem you might have, asides from keeping your dog from eating any kind of people food, try to give your dog less food than usual.  If your pet is a vacuum eater you can get them to slow down when they are eating by putting a large ball or long rubber bone into their bowl so that they have to eat around it.

Another common health problem vets talk about is heart worm. To prevent heart worm keep your dog from drinking any stagnant water outside, heart worm is caused by mosquito or mosquito larva that carry the parasite. Keep your dogs immune system healthy, by keeping a well balanced diet.  Feeding your dogs beans once in a while such as kidney, pinto or red beans are good for your dogs immune system as they contain a lot of antioxidants, just make sure not to feed them to much or too often as to many beans can cause your dog to pass a lot of gas.  Only feed them a small amount less than one cup ever few weeks.

Keeping your dog safe from fleas and ticks is another very important thing not just for the vet but also for your pets health, and comfort.  A natural remedy you can give to your dog is apple cider vinegar diluted water, it keeps fleas away.  For a 40 pound dog, add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to 1 quart of their drinking water, this can also help improve your dogs skin and make their coat look shiny, as well as being a natural remedy for tear stains.

Another way to prevent ticks is by using a Flea collar,  you can make your own flea collar with this DIY:

 

Ingredients:

1. cedar oil or lavender oil
2. water
3. collar/harness/or bandana

Steps:

1. Dilute cedar oil or lavender oil with 3-5 drops per 1-3 tablespoons of water
2. Soaking your dogs collar, harness, or bandana in it for a natural homemade flea collar.
3. Allow the collar to dry before putting it on your dog.

As well as doing all of these things brushing your dogs teeth and groom your dog for 5 minutes with a brush everyday will grant you an A+ from your vet and a very happy, healthy pooch!

 

Asides from grooming your pet to look it’s best why not help it feel it’s best too? Maybe you’re the pet parent that only bathes fido when he starts to stink, but let me change you’re frame of mind by reminding you why your pets fur being clean is actually a good thing for the both of you.

When your pet fur isn’t groomed it can hold dirt, burs, it can get knotted and could become a breeding ground for fleas, tick, or mites.  This dirty hair or fur can hold allergens in it or could build up with dandruff, this can cause your allergy symptoms to sky rocket.  Your pets fur will feel rough, dry or even excessively oily which could cause discomfort resulting in your pet excessive itching and licking their skin.  Grooming your pet can take care of all of these problems, and you don’t need to spend an outrageous amount of time or money to keeping your pet well groomed. There is a big misconception that you need to spend hours to groom your pet when in reality for a healthier coat less time is required per day, instead of grooming your dog for an hour ever few weeks take 5 minutes.

All you need is an appropriate  brush for your animal and 5 or 10 minutes to brush your pets coat. Brushing your pet will help to pull the natural oils from your pets fur letting your pets coat feel softer, helping the hairs become resistant to the natural elements like rain, and dirt, as well as helping there coat shine.   The biggest plus to brushing your pet everyday is that it is a great bonding experience.  Many vets agree that brushing your pet will help you bond, making your pet happier.  Not just is brushing your pet good for him but medical studies also show that grooming your pet, and petting animals is very therapeutic, and can help reduce stress and blood pressure levels.

As well as brushing your pets, bathing them every once in a while is a good idea too. Ask your vet how often your animal needs to be bathed.  Animals that are outside often can track dirt inside. A buildup of mud and dirt between their  paws can cause fungus or bacteria to build up which may lead to other problems.