How do you emotionally support your emotional support dog?
Emotional support dogs are trained to provide comfort and support to their owners who may be struggling with mental or emotional health issues. While these dogs are trained to provide emotional support to their owners, it's important to remember that they, too, can experience stress, anxiety, and other emotional issues.
Here are some ways to emotionally support your emotional support dog:
- Show love and affection: Just like humans, dogs thrive on love and affection. Make sure to spend quality time with your dog, pet them, and play with them.
- Maintain a consistent routine: Dogs thrive on routine, so it's important to establish a consistent schedule for feeding, walking, and playtime.
- Provide a safe and comfortable environment: Make sure your dog has a comfortable and safe space to retreat to when they need some alone time.
- Be aware of their body language: Dogs communicate through body language, so it's important to be aware of their cues to determine when they are feeling anxious or stressed.
- Seek professional help if needed: If you notice that your emotional support dog is struggling with their own emotional issues, don't hesitate to seek professional help from a veterinarian or animal behaviorist.
Remember that your emotional support dog is not just a tool for your own emotional well-being but also a living being that needs love, care, and attention.
Show Love and Affection
Just like humans, dogs thrive on love and affection. Dogs are social animals that enjoy being around their owners and receiving attention from them. Providing love and affection to your emotional support dog can help reduce their stress and anxiety levels and improve their overall emotional well-being.
One way to show love and affection to your emotional support dog is by spending quality time with them. Take your dog for walks, play with them, and groom them. These activities can help build a strong bond between you and your dog and give them the attention they crave.
Petting your dog is another way to show love and affection. Petting your dog can help reduce their stress levels and increase the release of the hormone oxytocin, which promotes bonding and relaxation in both dogs and humans (Odendaal & Meintjes, 2003).
Maintain a Consistent Routine
Dogs thrive on routine, and a consistent routine can help reduce their stress and anxiety levels. It's important to establish a consistent schedule for feeding, walking, and playtime for your emotional support dog.
A consistent routine can help your emotional support dog feel secure and comfortable in their environment. Dogs may become anxious or stressed if their routine is disrupted or if they are unsure about what's going to happen next. By providing a consistent routine, you can help reduce your dog's stress levels and improve their overall emotional well-being.
Provide a Safe and Comfortable Environment
Emotional support dogs need a safe and comfortable environment to retreat to when they need some alone time. Dogs may become stressed or anxious if they don't have a safe and comfortable space to relax in.
Create a comfortable space for your emotional support dog by providing them with a comfortable bed, blankets, and toys. Make sure their space is quiet and free from any potential stressors, such as loud noises or other pets.
Be Aware of Their Body Language
Dogs communicate through body language, and it's essential to be aware of their cues to determine when they are feeling anxious or stressed. Common signs of stress in dogs include panting, pacing, drooling, shaking, and avoidance behaviors (Campbell et al., 2019).
If you notice any of these signs in your emotional support dog, it's important to address them promptly. Ignoring these signs can lead to more significant emotional issues and potentially affect the dog's ability to provide emotional support to their owner.
Seek Professional Help if Needed
If you notice that your emotional support dog is struggling with their own emotional issues, don't hesitate to seek professional help from a veterinarian or animal behaviorist. These professionals can help identify the root cause of your dog's emotional issues and provide you with strategies to help address them.
There are a variety of potential emotional issues that emotional support dogs may experience, including anxiety, depression, and stress. Dogs may also experience emotional issues related to their specific breed, such as separation anxiety in some breeds (Shin & Shin, 2019).
It's important to recognize and address these emotional issues promptly to prevent them from worsening and affecting the dog's overall well-being.
Conclusion
In conclusion, emotional support dogs are an essential source of comfort and support for individuals struggling with mental or emotional health issues. These dogs are trained to provide emotional support to their owners, but it's important to remember that they, too, can experience emotional issues.
As responsible owners, it's our duty to provide emotional support to our emotional support dogs. This can be achieved by showing love and affection, maintaining a consistent routine, providing a safe and comfortable environment, being aware of their body language, and seeking professional help if needed.
By providing emotional support to our emotional support dogs, we can help improve their overall emotional well-being and ensure that they are able to continue providing emotional support to their owners.
References:
Campbell, T., Brown, S., & Adcock, S. (2019). Signs of stress in dogs. Veterinary Record, 184(16), 496-497.
Odendaal, J. S., & Meintjes, R. A. (2003). Neurophysiological correlates of affiliative behavior between humans and dogs. The Veterinary Journal, 165(3), 296-301.
Shin, M. S., & Shin, C. (2019). Separation anxiety in dogs: What progress has been made in our understanding of the most common behavioral problems in dogs?. Journal of Veterinary Science, 20(3), e27.
