Supporting the emotional wellbeing of active dogs.

Many of us enjoy activities with our dogs that provide both physical and mental stimulation for both ends of the leash.  These activities can be long walks, fun games at home or more structured sports such as agility, flyball, hoopers, trick training and gundog competition to name but a few.

Be it for fun or for competition, most owners now know of the importance of ensuring good physical health for the dog, both for their welfare and their ability to perform well at the activities they are engaged in.

Those in the know also understand that, just as with us human, dogs learn and perform better when they are in a good emotional, well-regulated state. More and more people are now looking to ensure their dogs are feeling at their best and are emotionally resilient enough to cope with the stresses of everyday life.

Pet Remedy is at the forefront of providing products and information that offer the best emotional support for dogs, especially those who engage in sport and performance activities. A basic understanding of the role of mood and emotions, along with simple ways to use the product, has been shown to make a huge difference to the dogs performance and wellbeing.

Here are a couple of simple analogies that can help us understand why it is important the dog stays in a well-regulated emotional state.

The Brain’s ability to process what we are asking and what is going on around it – Just like our brain, the dog’s brain is focussed primarily on feeling safe. The dog’s brain is also designed to seek relief if it is experiencing either physical or emotional pain or discomfort. If we imagine the brain has lots of little doors in it – we need as many doors to stay OPEN so the dog can safely and easily process what is going on around them, and what is being asked of them. Pain, stress, and trauma are all big door closers. Imagine you were really stressed by something now- with fewer doors open you would not be processing much. In fact, we have saying for this – ‘can’t think straight’. So, the more stressed your dog is, the less chance they have to either learn from us, or respond well to the cues they have already been trained to listen to. This can also have an impact on a dog’s performance. Sometimes, when a dog is asked to perform a task and they are unable to do it, it can be easy to see this as a training issue, but often it is just because they don’t have enough doors open!

The Dog’s Nervous system

When a dog is struggling to listen to direction or perform the desired task, it is because their nervous system is now in charge. To help visualise this, if we see the nervous system (stress system) like an empty bucket and stress is like the water that goes in it– the bucket can only take so much before it overflows! So, if the bucket gets too full the less of those ‘doors’ that are open and the more difficult it is for the dog to regulate their responses, to learn what they are being taught and to be able to focus on what is being asked of them. It is important to remember that stress is, in itself, not a bad thing. It can be good to have a bit of stress as it helps motivate us and everyday stressors are fine. However, if something either causes the bucket to fill instantly, or if the bucket fills over time without the chance to empty effectively, there can be real consequences for physical and emotional health.

So, to maximise learning and support good performance, it is important to ensure the dog is in a well-regulated emotional state, with a bucket that is not too full, and enough doors open that they can work in partnership with us to enjoy the activity we are setting out for them.

Pet Remedy has been proven to help with this emotional regulation and is an important tool in have in our training toolkit. It has a unique double mode of action. Firstly it has a direct mode of action, that has an instant positive effect on the neurochemistry of the brain. Secondly, I has an indirect mode of action that can positively influence social connections, associations to the environment and act as an aid to learning and decision making.

So, a big advantage to the product is how it provides a wellbeing bridge through all of the dog’s activities.  Using the product at home to help the dog stay in an optimal state, can really aid learning. Having the product whilst travelling to events and shows can help keep that bucket from getting too full. Having the product available during downtime between activities, especially with enrichment and Free Work, can really help to keep the dog stay an optimal emotional range and cope better with the stresses of competition and being away from home. More doors open means more chance of the dog being able to access the training you have provide.

How your dog feels really does affect their behaviour. An emotionally well regulated and supported dog can not only learn better, but also cope better with the world around them.