“Why does watching a dog be a dog fill one with happiness?” Jonathan Safran Foer
This post was sponsored by Vetriscience but all thoughts and opinions are always my own.
Daisy is our 4th child. Most dog owners will agree that they quickly find their place into your homes, family and hearts. She is a wild West Highland Terrier and has the heart of a dog ten times her size. Wild is a mild way to put that she is hyperactive, especially when she is stressed out. She has two toddler brothers, so stress happens. Toddlers are unpredictable and so are terriers. In order to keep the stress levels at a minimum in our home we have some simple tips.
- Always supervise your toddlers interaction with the dog. Until you are 150% sure that the dog and toddler can co-exist peacefully, always stay nearby.
- Touch your dog calmly all over, tug her ears and tail softly from an early age. Get her slowly used to this because toddlers will pull a tail here and there.
- Give your dog a safe space where the toddler cannot go. Keep the toddlers off the dog bed and out of the crates. It’s easier typed than done, but your dog will appreciate some alone quiet time occasionally.
- Positive reinforcement is how we are raising our family and puppy, when your toddler pets the puppy nicely – give him or her a compliment. When your puppy cuddles your toddler nicely, give your dog some good boys / girls and some extra love.
Even with all of these tips, stress happens. Vet trips, summer storms, holiday guests, firecrackers, new surroundings or raccoons in the backyard (the list goes on and on) can cause stress to your dog. Composure™ soft chews by Vetriscience are a calming supplement to support relaxation in situations that cause nervousness, anxiety or stress in your dog.
Daisy is a terrier, so she’s a terror when she’s stressed out. She is the hyperactive nervous, she runs in circles and up and down the stairs. It’s impossible to catch her. I’m so afraid she’s going to run out the front door and into traffic one day when it happens.
Besides hyperactivity, abnormal urine marking, excessive scratching, trembling, pacing, excessive panting and destructive or aggressive behavior can all be signs that your pet is stressed out.
We’ve added Vetriscience Composure to our daily routine for now. We may cut back to using it only as needed later. It’s been about 2 weeks and we love that she’s still a fun playful puppy but she’s calmed down and listens to us. It’s actually made her more fun. She listens when we call her and is taking voice commands easier. She takes a simple chicken liver soft chew once a day. It’s so easy to give her and she seems to love the taste.
“The ingredients in Composure™ work together to support relaxation without changing your dog’s personality or energy levels. The Colostrum Calming Complex™ BiopeptideBlend supports stress reduction and cognitive function; L-Theanine helps the body produce other amino acids to bring specific neurotransmitters back into balance; and B vitamins (thiamine) affect the central nervous system to help calm anxious animals.”
The ingredients are well researched and recognized for their natural ability to support balanced behavior. When combined in our formula, they provide a calming effect to support a relaxed state without causing drowsiness or impaired motor skills.
Summer is a great time for families and animals, we play outside for hours and take fun trips. But summer storms and fourth of july fireworks can be scary to your smallest family members. Unfortunately, pets can’t join all of the fun summer adventures and must stay with pet sitters, which could be stressful because of separation anxiety. Luckily, Vetriscience Composure is available on Amazon.com, Chewy.com, EntirelyPets.com, HealthyPets.com and I just saw it at my vet’s office.
Thank you Vetriscience for this stress-free partnership and I will update you more on our zen puppy Daisy soon!
