
| Michaela Fisher
Helping the Reactive Dog: How To Calm Your Canine Companion
Does your dog react poorly around other dogs or people? Reactivity is one of the common symptoms in dogs, especially in rescue dogs. Dogs can become highly aroused around other dogs or people, especially when they feel threatened or ill-treated. If they show their teeth to every individual who walks in the doorway to protect your family, it's best to get rid of these problems before someone gets bitten or your dog gets hurt.
Signs of Dog Reactivity
Watch out for changes in your dog's behavior, such as sudden stillness, looking out the corner of their eye instead of directly at something by lowering their head. If the "threat" still remains, a reactive dog will often move into behaviors like barking, lunging, and growling.
Some Common Reasons for Reactivity
Dogs become reactive for several reasons, and these reasons can vary widely with each dog. It helps to pay attention to the circumstances that cause your dog to become upset.
Fear
They may show signs of aggression if they feel concerned or trapped and can't retreat from what they find threatening. Those who have been mistreated, abused, or weren't correctly socialized can also exhibit fear-based aggression.
Territorial Aggression
Some dogs are impulsively territorial and feel the need to defend their area from what they distinguish as intruders. Some aggression is restricted to strangers, while other dogs may show territorial aggression towards friends and families. They don't usually get territorial until they grow into adulthood.
Protective Aggression
Dogs are intuitively social animals as well as feel the requirement to protect their family members. Some dogs may show firm behavior when they sense that a family member, friend, or other pet is in danger.
Dominance Aggression
Dogs sometimes display hostile behavior as a show of dominance. Dominance violence, also known as status-seeking aggression, can sometimes be observed in communications with other dogs. As pack animals, dogs can extend a sense of a hierarchical order among the pack. And a dog that observes himself as an alpha dog may feel the need to illustrate that he or she is in charge.
Treatments for a Reactive Dog
First and foremost, before any curative action can be taken, it is required to know the underlying reason for the dog's reactivity. A vet should primarily check to diagnose any medical subjects which may be contributing to dog hostility. For example, a dog suffering hypothyroidism would not benefit from a treatment plan centered on training with zero medical action. On the other side of the coin, a dog with no medical troubles that could be causing the assault would only advantage slightly from a merely medical approach to treatment.
After a diagnosis, you can implement a suitable treatment plan. There are various treatment plans accessible depending on the source of the aggression:
Dogs that are destructive from fear or because of an inherited predisposition can be treated with appropriate training. However, they may not be completely cured, so a combination of training and medication intended to soothe the nerves may be the most favorable treatment.
Reactivity in dogs that require formal structure in their everyday lives can, in most cases, be treated with appropriate training. Disclosure to other dogs and thorough daily routine will assistance the dog get over its natural aggressive tendencies.
Medical complications attributable to aggression in dogs can be handled in most cases with medication and probably surgery. This process of path supposes none of the other factors of aggression are present.
Use of dog calming spray Eau de Bedtime
It is an all-natural proprietary blend of essential oils to calm your dog. If you want to spray it massively, you can purchase it monthly. Average users tend to purchase quarterly.
These bedtime treats are made with chamomile and organic ingredients for your dog. Chamomile affects your dog the similar way it does you. Treats are made in the USA, and the package is ecological, so there's nothing to keep you awake at night either! Bones are packaged one for each day of the month and some extra to share.