We hear a lot about mental health and how humans do things to improve and maintain it for themselves. But what about the mental health of our beloved dogs?
You may not realise it but dogs can suffer just as much – if not more – than humans when their emotional and physical needs are not met.
Dogs are so much more than just ‘pets’ they are extremely sensitive and sentient beings who often soak up our stress and negative emotions far too easily. The big difference is of course, they can’t tell anyone how they’re feeling.
The only way they can show their distress or discomfort is through their behaviour. It may display as anxiety, over-excitement, reactivity, fear or even aggression.
Like us, a dog’s mental health can deteriorate over time if their stress/anxiety/fear is not addressed. And like us, it simply builds and builds. If not supported a dog may bite, it may remove itself from its humans or display what humans would call ‘OTT’ or ‘uncontrollable’ or unwanted behaviours. Some breeds are more likely to become anxious if they are not given clear direction, if they are humanised, their brains aren’t worked, or if they are making all their life decisions themselves.
How we interact with our dogs, how we relate to them, behave with them, what boundaries we put in place – or fail to put in place – how we exercise and train them, all have a massive impact on our dog’s mental stability. If we humans don’t take the time to learn about our dogs’ emotional needs, to dig a bit deeper and try to understand how our dogs really think and feel, we simply aren’t being the best owners we can be.
Our dear dogs deserve more. They deserve our time and to be better understood and properly and adequately supported in their physical and emotional needs. And we all know that a happy dog means a happy human.
If you’d like to read more about supporting your dog, my book ‘They’re All Barking,’ A Dog’s Guide to Human Behaviour by Professor Daniel Springer-Spaniel. covers many of these areas.
Available in paperback and hardback from £12.99 from www.professordaniel.co.uk or on Amazon.