April 21, 2021
3 Ways To Chill Your Dog Out When Travelling
You might wonder how you are going to cope with a hyper dog while on the road. But it’s not impossible to have a calm and relaxed dog. If you are looking to keep your dog more docile while you travel and make sure that they are calmer throughout the day while you are on holiday, it is worth considering these 3 ways to chill your dog out when travelling.
Maximising the Impact of Their Bed
Their bed is their home away from home. And if you are trying to make them calmer, the right dog beds are a great way to promote relaxation when you are hotel hopping. When you’ve got the ideal space for relaxation for them, you’ve got to make the location more interesting and make sure they want to come back to this bed. Not only is it a good idea to bring a bed from home so that the smell is familiar, but it is also important if in a new place, to consider the location of the bed in the hotel or cabin. You can do this by leaving small treats on their bed. Gradually, you start to reinforce a positive association with the bed, wherever you may be. It is also important to make sure you do not over-rely on treats just to placate the dog. When your dog is hanging around on their bed, you can incorporate other positive reinforcements such as a belly rub or a scratch under the chin.
Recognising the Anxious Situations
Every time your dog gets into a tense encounter, this is going to peak their anxiety and stress for the day. This means that every time they go out, they may be more likely to blow up next time, and the time after. If they are on tenterhooks every time they go out, they will be on edge when you take them away from the situation. But you have to remember any chronic stress will impact their brain over a long period of time, making it harder for them to calm down. While there will be times when they will surprise you, and lunge at another dog, the most important thing for you to do if they ever get in the situation is to shut the problem down by removing them from the situation rather than shouting or yanking on the neck. We have to remember that we should teach them a calm response. The best thing you can do while travelling with your dog is to plan ahead and check areas where you can take your dog without causing them undue stress.
Helping Your Dog Feel Safe
This is something that we think we do automatically. However, you need to look at their body language when you are out and about. When you are out on walks, you also need to look out for the other dog’s body language. This gives you the opportunity to gauge the situation and remove your dog before or they get more anxious. Of course, some stresses are unavoidable, and we all need to develop a certain sense of tolerance, but if you want your dog to act more relaxed, you need to reduce those opportunities that can scare them.
If you want your dog to feel more relaxed, it’s not just these 3 ways to chill your dog out when travelling, but it’s also there making sure that you are doing everything you can at home too. This is why you need to take the opportunity, where you can, to look at their body language, and see what may be causing them any anxieties at home. Fix these issues at home and it will make everything easier when you take them on the road.