Acclimating Your Puppy to Different People
Puppyhood is the best time to teach your dog that people of all shapes, sizes, skin tones, and clothing styles can be safe. I might want my dog to know a person climbing through a window in a ski mask isn’t a friend; otherwise, I want my dog to feel secure when greeting strangers.
A safe way to introduce your puppy to various people when they’re young is to take them to places like Home Depot. Let them ride in the cart and encourage people to greet the puppy. Here’s a list of things that can cause anxiety when unfamiliar.
- Tall men/women
- Men with beards
- Elderly people using canes
- various races/ethnicities
- People with glasses/umbrellas/backpacks/hats
- young children vocalizing
Helping an older dog overcome its fear of strangers is more of a challenge. Remember to be patient. In a calm voice, ask the dog to look at you and give them food rewards as positive reinforcement while ignoring the unfamiliar person approaching. The goal is to redirect their focus and change their fear to pleasure. You’re teaching them to associate the approaching stranger with a reward from you.
Did you know ….
Dogs that participate in less than an hour of physical activity per day and seldom engage in training activities are more fearful of people and other dogs than the dogs that get at least three hours of exercise per day and have periodic training lessons. The increase in fearfulness is 40-50 percent higher in inactive dogs.
Essential Oils and Your Dog
Colder temps and dryer air are here. So as I refilled the humidifier yesterday, I added a few drops of citrus and cinnamon essential oils, and instantly the house smelled wonderful. That’s when my son reminded me, sadly, some of the yummiest fragrances of essential oils are toxic to pets. Although our pets don’t need to ingest the oils to cause harm, diffusers deliver enough particles to be potentially dangerous.
Essential oils safe for dogs
- Lavender Not for use with cats.
- Copaiba
- Frankincense
- Peppermint
- Petitgrain Good for dogs with stress or anxiety.
Essential oils bad for dogs
- Tea tree
- Cinnamon
- Citrus
- Pennyroyal
- Pine
- Sweet birch
- Wintergreen
- Ylang ylang
Symptoms of essential oil poisoning in dogs
You need to keep all essential oils out of reach t; even if they’re essential oils safe for dogs, you run the risk of accidental ingestion.
Watch out for these symptoms:
- Muscle tremors
- Weakness
- Difficulty in walking
- Low body temperature
- Excessive salivation
- Vomiting
- Excessive pawing at mouth or face
- Drooling
If you suspect your dog has ingested an essential oil, call your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline (800-213-6680) right away. Early intervention is best.