How I lower my dog's stress in a few simple steps!

Have you ever wondered if your dog is stressed?

While walking, when he is home alone?

Every dog has moments when he is anxious or stressed. Know that you can remove or even prevent stress.

When it’s to dogs’ stress, they are no different from their owner!

As humans, we have different things to do to dispose of our stress. While on the other hand, dogs are not that lucky to cope with pressure alone.

All they can do is show through nonverbal communication that they are anxious. 

Therefore, we should help our darling dogs in their low times.

As a proud dog parent, I wrote this article to help you better understand your dog.  My dog also faces stress and anxiety no matter how much I care for him like other dogs.

But, what forced me to write this guide? While searching for ways to deal with dog stress, I realize that many companies and websites offer the wrong information.

Information aimed at making money, not improving the health of your sweet dog. 

Even they are selling the faulty products because they don't care about the health of our dogs. They don't have a love for dogs; they care about making money. So, that was the decision-maker moment for me to serve you with free and authentic information.

Also, read our free e-book: FREE EBOOK. Relieve stress and anxiety in your dog

Before I start giving you some practical tips that reduce my dog's stress level, we need to talk about crucial stress signals in your dog.

Many proud dog parents I encounter make the mistake of confusing your dog's playful behavior with crucial stress.

Critical signs that your dog is stressed

As a proud dog parent, it is essential if you understand when your dog is scared. By learning to read your dog, you can also provide better care for your dog. These signals indicate that your dog is stressed:

Signal 1: Change in body language

Because your dog cannot express himself in words, you must learn to read your dog's body language. This is quite a lot to take in because your dog's body language can say many things differently.

When your sweet dog turns his eyes or shows the white part of his paws, this is often a sign of stress. Pay close attention to what happens to your dog's ears. Is your dog showing an anxious look? Chances are, this is a sign of stress. You can often also hear the growling tone if your dog is stressed. 

Signal 2: Reduced appetite

Observe the eating and drinking behavior of your dog. Usually, dogs like to eat and drink. As a proud dog parent, if you notice a change in eating behavior, chances are your dog is experiencing stress or anxiety.

Signal 3: Barking behavior

Although barking is natural behavior, excessive barking is often a bad sign. Does your dog suddenly bark very often out of nowhere? Chances are your dog is experiencing stress.

Some dog breeds bark more than other breeds. Still, as a dog parent, you should monitor your dog's barking behavior to determine if your dog is experiencing stress. Signs to determine if your dog's barking contains stress symptoms:

• Growling
• High pitched sounds in the bark
• Digging with his paw
• Whimpering

Signal 4: Pee and poop behavior

Does your dog suddenly urinate at times that are not usual? Uncontrolled urination and defecation are warning signs that something is wrong. Don't be afraid if this happens by accident. They are still dogs, and an accident is part of life. However, watching when the peeing and defecating behavior happens uncontrollably is essential.

Signal 5: Your dog isolates himself

As a proud dog parent, you know how your dog feels better than anyone. If you notice that your dog is suddenly isolating himself, the chances are that your dog is stressed. Just like people, dogs "flee" when they are stressed. 

Signal 6: Health issues

Dogs, unfortunately, cannot tell us when they are feeling bad. Therefore, as a dog parent, you need to make sure that you notice signals when your dog is feeling bad.

If your dog is sick, he often gets stressed. Therefore, it is essential to be able to pick up on signals that your dog is ill. Pay attention to the following signs:
- Does your dog have an elevated temperature?
- Does he have no appetite for food?
- Is your dog losing weight rapidly?
- Does your dog have diarrhea?
- Does your dog sneeze or cough a lot?
- Does he pull his leg when he is walking?
- Has the color of his urine changed?

If you feel that your dog is sick, take him to a veterinarian as soon as possible to help him get the proper care.

How do you prevent stress in your dog? 

Okay... so your sweet dog is suffering from stress. That isn't very pleasant. It means that your dog is not comfortable in his skin, and we have to do something about that.

The experts at proud dog parents advise you to do the following:

1. Regular exercise

Do you know a dog's body needs exercise even regularly? Not providing them with proper activities puts them under stress and causes behavioral issues. We don't want a stressed couch potato.

So, to lower my pup's stress, I take it out for a walk and exercise. Putting my dog into several activities and games affect it positively. I notice a happy and stress-free pup when I am consistent in its outing.

According to our FREE EBOOK Relieve stress and anxiety in your dog, please don't put your furball into hectic exercise and keep it according to your needs. Exercise needs may vary from breed to breed.

2. Physical contact

Cuddling with a parent is something loved by our dogs. Physical contact can be the simplest way to reduce stress in your dog. If you have a toy breed, pick that pup most often. While, in the case of having a large breed, cuddling will be a good option. I do the same to lower the dog's stress, learned from our FREE EBOOK Relieve stress and anxiety in your dog.

3. Massage

I believe in grooming my dog at home without the help of a third person. In this way, I build up an unbreakable and relaxing bond with my pup. Massage improves your bond and reduces the stress on your darling dog. Proper massage lowers the tension level and helps improve its mood.

According to our FREE EBOOK, Relieve stress and anxiety in your dog, start the massage from the neck and try keeping one hand on its body. With time, you will understand at what point your dog enjoys the massage and feel relaxed.

4. Music therapy

My dog loves music because it’s also a relaxing therapy for me. I believe dogs develop the habit according to their owners. Even according to studies, soothing music is beneficial not just for humans but also for the dog.

I favor relaxing my dog with music because it's easy for me. All you have to do is turn on music and relax at home.

The experts at our proud dog parent recommend listening to a music list that puts your dog at ease.

For example, let your dog listen to this playlist:

5. Remove triggers

There can be a chance that your dog is getting stressed because of illness. My dog shows me weird behavioral changes in the presence of stress triggers. In this case, I waste no time consulting a vet and hence removing the triggers.

6. More attention prevents stress

All my pup need is Attention, and lots of Attention!

Playing with a dog, spending time in a cuddle, grooming it, providing treats, and positive training is my type of serving my dog with Attention. And this is what the dog expects from the parents.

According to the book, adopting a dog is not the end of the story, but you will have to dedicate your time to it. Spending quality time with the dog and serving it with Attention is another effective way to lower the dog's stress.

7. Dog grooming to relieve stress & anxiety

Along with dog massage, grooming should also be done at home. However, bathing your pup may require the help of a third person if your dog hates water. While having a breed with water, love does not gives you a tough time while bathing. Moreover, brushing, cutting nails, and cleaning ears are also the part of grooming that the owner should do.

I used to groom my pup at home when I adopted this tiny furball. It would be best if you also practiced this, and with time, grooming will not be a tricky task for you. Doing all of your dog's stuff will realize that it makes your pup happy. 

Playing fetch games, tug of war, swimming, and many other practices are there when you want to reduce the dog's stress. Maybe you noticed that all of these methods of stress reduction revolve around parents' Attention.

Focusing on the reasons for stress will make you realize that most of these are due to parents not spending time with dogs.

To wrap it up

None of us want a stressed dog sitting in his crate and not getting excited even on treats. As Proud Dog parents, we know why our dogs suffer from depression. But most of us are unaware of the solutions to lower the pup's stress. Therefore, I am offering this guide for the sake of your dog. According to my experience, trusting some companies and sites will never help you because they are working just for money. While my love for dogs is natural, my guide is completely free for my readers.

Considering my guide, the best ways to lower a dog's stress are grooming, playing, soothing music, and a massive amount of owner's Attention. Other than this, you can practice anything you consider to be liked by your furball.

Also, download our free ebook: Relieve Stress & Anxiety in your dog!

Topics in the e-book:

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