26/12/2024
Great advice in this post.
Have a read, especially if your dog has a a busy few days over Christmas
⚠️ BOXING DAY : EXTRA CAUTION REQUIRED ⚠️
Your dog or puppy may be over stimulated, tired, sore and irritable 😠 🥱 😩 😵💫
Take extra care today, please keep in mind that sometimes the first symptom of a dog or puppy being too tired, sore or over stimulated is behaviour change. Behaviour change which, in some instances, can appear to come from nowhere.
‼️ A dog’s usual levels of tolerance may be at risk of lowering.
‼️ Their startle responses may increase.
‼️ Their sensitivity to stimuli, including being touched, may heighten.
‼️ Their ability to recollect prior learned information (their training) may decrease.
‼️ Their social skills may become compromised, which may result in them failing to read the room or being more irritable.
‼️ They may be quicker to fatigue on walks.
Nick and I travelled to see my step mum on Monday. Christmas Eve, we spent the first part of the day cleaning the house and Christmas Day we travelled to see Nick’s parents.
My dogs don’t sleep deeply in the car and despite taking their beds to both family homes, they didn’t sleep for as long, nor as well as they would have at home. They were understandably easily disturbed by the activity and were even following me to the bathroom each time.
Our cleaning related hustle and bustle on 24th would have also interfered with their usual sleep quality.
Yesterday Amigo also dedicated a good hour of his day on his feet putting pressure on kitchen door activity - hoping for a management slip up that would get him access to the food being served and the plates being cleared away from the dining room. You can take the stray off the streets…… 😆
So all in all, across three days- I would guess that my dogs are about 15 hours in deficit (of sleep).
During sleep, stress hormone levels are lowered, the brain’s toxins are removed, cellular repair across the body occurs, and the immune system gets a boost. The body is given an MOT that helps regulate its responses to stimuli the next day.
This includes regulating the perception of pain and of course, quality rest supports the reduction of any inflammation.
My dogs were on their feet - getting up and down more than normal - across the past three days. Any muscular or skeletal pain can become heightened- especially for my senior dog Kanita.
Additionally, during sleep information is processed and stored. Whilst relevant for all dogs, those with young puppies should be especially considerate to the fact that there’s only so much sensory stimuli the young brain can process. A high intensity of stimuli (noise, sights, scents, and touch!) parallel to compromised sleep can lead to an over stimulated puppy- this usually results in a puppy that jumps and mouths more!
Lastly, most of us humans get tired from all of the activity. The usual level of management and ‘tolerance’ of our dogs and puppies may start to slip.
Contexts in which to be cautious:
☑️ Visitors arriving to the home- caution letting dogs greet them at the door or in narrow hallways!
Also be cautious of your dog accidentally escaping out the door or gate left open. Stay vigilant and remind guests to keep the usual doors and gates closed.
☑️ People touching your dog or puppy! Does the dog WANT to be touched? Have they asked to be touched? Is touching the puppy leading to them jumping and mouthing? Is the dog and puppy being touched and/or picked up too often?
Make sure everyone, especially children, leave a resting puppy or dog well alone and that there's understanding of what 'no thanks' looks like (they don't approach to interact when asked, or look away, move away or tense up when being interacted with).
☑️ Monitor anyone playing with the dog/puppy very carefully. Normally, it's the humans that struggle to regulate their behaviour intensity or duration - and the dog/puppy simply responds to that.
☑️ People (including children) behaving in an animated way (loud noises and sudden or unusual movement).
☑️ How WE humans respond to undesired behaviour. Are we appearing confrontational? Are we intensifying the level of stimuli or calming things down?
☑️ Leaving dangerous foods and items around. Keep things out of reach of your dog or shut them away from your dog.
If your puppy or dog 'steals' an item that they 'shouldn't have', trade it for treats. Don't rush to grab things off them and ensure everyone present knows to do the same (or better yet, alerts you to do it). You'd be suprised how many bite incidents happen towards people who aren't the dog's primary carer and who go to take things off the dog/puppy.
☑️ Interacting with unfamiliar dogs on walks (or even their buddies!). Dogs who are tired or in pain may be more quick to be defensive, over stimulated dogs and puppies may be more likely to socialise inappropriately- which may result in them being the target of defensive behaviour.
☑️ The walk itself! Pay attention to the environment, something that’s harder to do when walking in a group!
Be aware and considerate of others, but also towards livestock and wildlife if you’re walking somewhere different to usual.
Keep your dog on lead if you’re not sure their recall is up to the usual standard! Remember, memory recollection AND sensory processing is compromised when dogs are tired.
Lastly, if your dog doesn’t normally go on epic, long hikes, then stick to a distance similar to their usual walk duration. Please don’t exhaust your dog by taking them on an endurance hike they’ve not built the fitness up for, or that they may be too old or less physically able to enjoy.
Today we are meeting my brother, his wife and my two young nephews at the pub for lunch. Kanita doesn’t like children too close and Mohawk gets a bit nervous of their excitement- so we have opted to meet away from the home so my dogs aren’t put in a situation they may struggle with more than normal.
It’s just not worth the risk! I’d rather be labelled as too cautious than there be a concerning or serious incident. My dogs will be happier at home resting.
Be your dog's advocate ❤️
IMDT Accredited Dog Trainer Based in Limerick.
