Just as humans need to take breaks in order to reduce stress and prevent mental and physical fatigue, so do dogs. And it's not just working dogs (police and military dogs, search and rescue dogs, contraband sniffing dogs at the airport, herding dogs, etc.) that need those breaks, your pet dogs need breaks too. A break for a pet dog could be something as simple as an uniterrupted nap each day. Or, it could mean a trip to the park to run around, or a sniff-centered walk with no particular destination. What your dog considers "time off" is really up to them. For my own dogs, nap time and time spent parked on the couch while I read a book (my off time!) is how they use their "time off."
But what about the other kind of "off days?" You know, those days when you feel blah, not really like yourself. You're not sick, but you don't feel awesome either. You just feel out of sync. Well, dogs have those days too! It's interesting to me that most of the time when there has been an incident on a pet therapy visit for the group I've been working with for years, the volunteers tell me after the incident that their dog was "acting weird," "wasn't himself," or "seemed off." To which my response is always, "Then why did you do your pet therapy visit with a dog who was clearly not themselves?!" You see, when a pet isn't 100%, that's when things like an uncharacteristic growl, snap, or bite might occur. For people doing pet therapy visits, I always tell them to err on the side of caution and skip visits on days when their pet seems "off," behaviorally speaking. For the rest of us not doing pet therapy, recognizing that your dog is having an off day, is still important.
If your dog is having an off day, don't immediately assume that they are ill. Observe them for other signs of illness such as not eating or drinking, drinking a lot of water, vomiting, persistent diarrhea, or lethargy for more than just a day. If your pet doesn't want to eat a meal, preferring to go off by themselves and rest, just let them. If they seem uncomfortable or unable to get comfortable, watch to see if this is something serious like bloat, or simply more about muscle pain or soreness keeping them from getting comfortable. Go ahead and skip your training exercises with your dog if they are having an off day, and maybe cut your walk a little shorter, if need be. And, quite frankly, there is no reason to assume that dogs don't just get into a mood sometimes where they are a bit melancholy, no pun intended. Give your dog some space, but do watch them. No need to panic as, again, we all have off days. Given that they are dogs, it's more than likely that tomorrow they will be back to their usual, joyful, happy-go-lucky selves. And that truly is one of the best things about dogs!
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
Henley is usually full of joy, enthusiasm, and mischief, but recently he seemed out of sorts. At first, I thought he must be sick as he's never spent an entire day in a clingy mood and/or trying to get comfortable moving from couch, to dog bed, to another dog bed. I watched him and gave him space, and I watched the other dogs give him space too. But the next morning? He was perfectly fine, back to his usual self. He never vomited, had diarrhea, or missed his meals. He was just having an "off day." And you know what? He's entitled to it and we all respected that, giving him the space he needed to recharge his internal battery.
No comments:
Post a Comment