Are your dogs daily needs being met..?

Address your dogs' daily requirements for a happier, more relaxed life with your four legged friend..

Different dogs have different daily requirements, some are fairly generalised, but there are also breed specific tendencies at varying degrees to be aware of.

Further to this, genetics, health, age, environment, and individual personality have huge roles to play in this too.

It's important to provide appropriate outlets for these needs.

Here are some of the needs that your dog may have:

• Sniffing

• Searching

• Chewing

• Licking

• Playing

• Learning

• Digging

• Chasing

• Swimming

• Hunting

Brain training

I would suggest making time for training that involves your dog using his brain, even 10 to 15 minutes between 2 and 4 times a day can be hugely beneficial for your dogs' wellbeing and general behaviour.

People generally place the highest importance on physical exercise (often too much), but neglect the mental side. Exercise is crucial of course, but over-exercising your dog with the aim of tiring him out so that he behaves afterwards will only serve to build a fitter and fitter dog that will demand the same if not more each day. It can also do lasting physical damage, and can even cause further behavioural problems (demand barking, hyper arousal, and unable to settle to name a few). When a dog is off leash for say, 45 minutes, you'll notice that they will have bursts of energy to varying degrees with rest periods in between, rather than continuously running. This is why repetitive ball throwing is not a good idea at all, particularly with a ball launcher.. but that's a whole other topic that I will address in the future.

15 minutes of training where your dog needs to concentrate on a task is worth around an hour of walking from a brain perspective. When executed correctly (as in, setting achievable criteria, giving clear communication, and having the correct motivation) it can give your dog a sense of accomplishment, build confidence, and even strengthen your bond together.

After training, have a Kong, Licki Mat or chew prepared so he can have some down time in a quiet spot. It's really important that your dog can relax after a mentally or physically demanding activity. Some dogs need to learn to relax, otherwise they will just keep going, even if it's detrimental to them.

Chews

Chew time can also be great for alleviating stress or boredom, and helps take tension out of the body. It also gives your dog another option instead of your shoes, furniture, or doors!

Chewing releases serotonin and dopamine (as does licking, which is why a Kong or Licki Mat are also great additions.. note that I say additions, not replacements).

Here are some key benefits of the above hormones that are released by chewing and licking:

Serotonin:

• Helps regulate mood

• Influences sleep quality

• Hinders impulsive behaviour

• Promotes healthy digestion

• Supports blood clotting

Dopamine:

• Promotes feelings of pleasure, motivation and satisfaction

• Supports coordination

• Assists with short term memory

Rule of thumb is that a dog requires a combined total of around 2 hours of chewing throughout each day (not in one hit).

Toy chews are often pretty useless after a short period of time as they have no flavour and quickly become inanimate objects in the dogs' eyes unless you interact with them together with your dog. Food chews are a better option when you would like them to spend time relaxing alone for a while.

Selecting appropriate chews all depends on your dog's preference, age and breed. You may have to try a few options to see what your dog is really into.

List of some options below:

• Buffalo Ear

• Ostrich Bone

• Cow Knuckle

• Rabbit Ear

• Pizzle

• Fish Skin

• Yak Milk

• Coffee Wood

• Deer Antler

I also suggest keeping 2 Kongs per dog, and a Licki Mat so that they can be rotated throughout the day to have readily available.

There are some fantastic, healthy recipes to fill a Kong or spread onto a Licki Mat available online.

House Rules:

• With any chew containing bones, once the meat is stripped off the remaining bone it needs to be taken away so that it doesn't start to splinter and become a choke risk.

• Always keep your dog under supervision when using these chews to keep them safe.

• Keep fresh water topped up and available, as chewing is thirsty work!

• Never attempt to snatch a chew or Kong away from your dog. Allow him space where he won't have other dogs, people (particularly young children) nearby. We don't want to encourage your dog to resource guard!

Food for thought

Diet plays a massive role in your dogs' health, mental state and behaviour.

Poor quality dog food can cause unstable moods, poor sleep quality, poor behaviour and poor health.

This is another subject that I will cover in more depth in the future, but this is worth putting out there for you to consider.

I cannot overstate the importance of a well balanced, quality diet for your dog.

Think of a high carb, low quality dog food a bit like giving a child excessive amounts of junk food and sugar. Look at how kids become hyperactive and then have a sugar crash afterwards, becoming overtired, irritable, not listening, and often tantrums. Your dog is no different in that regard.

You can check out how your dog food brand and dog treats fare by visiting the below website:

https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

Sleep

Adequate sleep and rest periods are critical to your dogs' overall wellbeing too.

Ask yourself if your dog has a place to sleep away from busy activity, light and noise, or are they having broken sleep?

Are they getting an appropriate number of hours sleep and rest?

• Puppies require up to 20 hours sleep a day.

• Adult dogs should roughly get between 12 and 14 hours sleep a day. This may sound like a lot, but their ancestral genetic coding tells them to expend energy only when needed, whether for hunting, or play and socialising. Larger breeds can sleep for even longer.. up to 18 hours a day.

• Senior dogs require up to 18-20 hours per day.