Dog’s Stress When Moving and How to Cope With It

Contemporary individuals are acutely conscious of stress, its detrimental effects on health, the mechanisms behind its occurrence, and strategies for managing it during the relocation process. Additionally, here's an exclusive tip for easing your moving experience beyond just catering to your furry companion. Delegating a portion of your moving tasks to professionals can simplify your life significantly. Take a moment to peruse moving company reviews and request a moving quote. While dealing with expenses can be frustrating, leveraging modern tools like an approximate moving cost calculator and various apps can not only assist in budgeting but also in saving money.

Moving soon! Did You know that Pets also often suffer from stress? And dogs were especially sensitive to this nervous disorder. How can you help your four-legged friend calm down, relieve tension and return a good mood when moving? 

Types and signs of stress

Of course, any caring owner, just by watching the dog, can easily understand when it is nervous. However, we often do not pay attention to important signals that indicate that the animal is not just worried and tense, but is suffering from stress – a much more serious and dangerous condition. The most important thing is that it is not so difficult to recognize the symptoms of stress: just pay attention to the behavior of your pupil and watch him for a day or two.

Animal stress when moving is divided into several types. The first one is short-term, mostly it occurs after visiting a noisy and crowded place, veterinary procedures, haircuts, blow-drying or cutting claws. Under such stress, the dog may refuse to play and eat, do not follow commands, hide in secluded and quiet corners of the house, turn its face away when trying to look into the eyes. Short-term stress in dogs often passes within an hour or a day, so often the owners do not even have time to understand that something is wrong with the pet.

The second type of stress when moving is chronic. It develops with frequent repetition of unpleasant situations, or if the animal is in uncomfortable conditions for a long time. Chronic stress can occur if the owner is often and for a long time away from home, after moving to a new place, when a "competitor" appears in the family – a child or another animal. Such a nervous overstrain has more vivid signs: the tail eats without appetite, moves little or, on the contrary, walks in circles, licks itself to bald spots, bites out the wool. In addition, the animal can become unruly, start gnawing Your personal belongings or your leash, arrange unpleasant surprises in the form of piles and puddles around the house. The worst thing is that stress can make a dog aggressive, and in this state, it can even bite the owner.

If You notice uncharacteristic behavior for your pupil, in any case do not scold and even more so do not beat him. Your pet is just trying to attract attention to get the missing piece of warmth, care and compassion. And after you recognize the dog's stress, take the next step - try to understand what it is caused by. This is what will become Your main "weapon" in the fight for the peace and health of your tailed friend.

Fear of hygiene procedures

This problem is faced by most dog owners. For a wild animal, there is nothing natural about forced bathing, blow-drying, grooming, or clipping claws. The pet may experience stress due to the soap suds on its body, the smell of shampoo, the noise of the hair dryer. To ensure that the dog tolerates the necessary hygiene procedures calmly, it should be accustomed to them gradually.

For example, the first bathing is best done without detergents: let the animal first get used to contact with normal warm water. A good option is to throw your pet's favorite rubber toy in the basin or bath: this will help distract them and create positive memories of interacting with water. If the animal is afraid of the noise of a hair dryer or clipper, train it to the characteristic sound gradually, from time to time turning on the device and inviting the dog to come closer and examine it. Of course, make sure that the working device does not harm Your pupil.

Another option – do without the terrible technique for the tail. His fur coat dries quite quickly and independently, it is enough just to get wet with a towel. And haircuts can be carried out with ordinary, well-sharpened scissors.

Separation from the owner when moving

Another difficult moment for the dog is the daily parting with the owner, when he goes on business or to work. The animal sincerely believes that it is being abandoned, that the best friend is now gone and will not return. To overcome this fear and protect your pet from constant stress, you will have to spend several months, but The result is worth it.

In this situation, experts recommend using special tactics. Have You ever petted and petted an animal when you left home, and scolded it for making a mess when you came back? Now proceed differently. Saying goodbye to the dog until the evening, be restrained and cool, and when you return, be sure to show more positive emotions, praise the dog and Express your joy at the meeting. In this way, you will train Your pet to the fact that You will definitely return in the evening, so it will not be so violently and emotionally experiencing the morning breakup.

Stress during transportation

The next common situation is that the animal experiences stress when traveling in a car or on public transport. In this case, gradual training and interaction with the owner will also help reduce the animal's anxiety.

If You are going to transport a pet in a car, do not force it into the salon - this will only increase the stress. Do it more cleverly: sit in the machine so that Your legs and trunk of the body remained outside. Sitting in this position, encourage the animal, treat it to a treat or play with it. This will distract and relax the dog, it will stop being afraid of the car, seeing that You are all right, and most likely will soon jump in on its own. At the same time, try not to regret or persuade the animal – it may have an erroneous opinion that it is encouraged for fear, and as a result, the fear of cars will not disappear.

And while traveling on public transport, communicate with your dog as much as possible. Pet her, praise her for good behavior and obedience, protect her from unusual contacts with strangers and animals. If the dog is traveling in a carrier cage, put her favorite toy there, and treat the pet strapped to a leash from time to time with pre-stored treats. Communicating with the owner, playing games and eating Goodies will allow the pet to distract, defuse the situation and help to overcome stress forever.

Visit to the vet

For almost any pet, going to the vet is a real fear and horror. An unfamiliar environment, a stranger, unpleasant manipulations of the doctor - all this can cause severe stress. Unfortunately, Your pet will still have to go to the veterinary clinic, because you need to monitor your health very carefully. However, you can help the dog cope with fear and make the meeting with the doctor more calm.

First, choose a good specialist: he should not use force on the animal, must be able to communicate with a frightened pet and carry out all actions as carefully and accurately as possible. Secondly, keep calm yourself, because the dog perfectly feels the fear of the owner and because of this begins to experience excitement. And third, you can invite a veterinarian to your home so that all procedures are carried out in familiar conditions for the animal-this will reduce the risk of nervous breakdown to a minimum.

Universal methods of stress relief when moving

You have not been able to determine what causes stress in your pet? It's okay – fortunately, there are universal methods of dealing with this dangerous and unpleasant emotional state. It is advisable to use them in a complex, but you can choose only those that Your dog reacts best.

The first method is an active recreation. Take the animal training, walk more with him, give new interesting toys and let him get to know other four-legged animals. It is important to change the usual life of the dog in a positive way, to give her the opportunity to spend the day rich and fun, so that all the problems and worries simply flew out of her head.

The second step to eliminating stress is to provide the dog with an inviolable personal space where you can hide from everything in the world. In its corner, the animal will feel safe, which means that it will be easier for it to calm down after a nervous situation.

Well, the last assistant in the fight against stress is light sedatives developed specifically for dogs. They will reduce the level of stress, protect the nervous system from overload, and help the dog gradually get used to all the stimuli that it will face in the future. The most important thing is to follow the instructions clearly, observe the dosage and do not abuse medications. And it is best to consult a veterinarian before using them.

And remember, stress is a very serious problem that can lead to many diseases and disorders in the pet's body. Do not leave the animal's health without attention, do not wait for everything to be resolved by itself. If your dog is experiencing nervous tension, it needs help and support, and only You can provide it – a loving and caring owner.

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Krystal Morrison
 

I create this blog to share my daily tips about home improvement, children, pets, food, health, and ways to be frugal while maintaining a natural lifestyle. Interested to be a Guest Blogger on my website? Please email me at: [email protected]

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