Just how much attention is too much?
It is a fact that puppies need a lot of attention but maybe not as much as you would like to think. Despite their constant need for attention, resist giving in to those irresistible cute puppy eyes and pitiful whines. As much as you are tempted to pick him up and snuggle him, this will encourage an onset of bad behaviors and separation issues. This over reliance on you will develop way over their puppy years and they will definitely take advantage of it. They pick up signals just as we do and form a connection between whining and being picked up and snuggled.
Whining and crying may be caused by different things and sometimes it is best to leave him alone to deal with it. It will be tough but eventually he will learn. Whether he is whining because of loneliness or fear, leaving him alone will help him learn how to master it because sometimes we just need to figure out some things on our own. As a loving pet owner, this will be one of the hardest decisions you will have to make but you will be surprised how great your pup will turn out to be.
What if I don’t have the time to supervise him all day?
This is completely understandable as there are other things to do and that is where you should consider a crate or kennel. Some pet owners would think of this as neglect but it is worth, in fact, it is a training tool. Puppies as earlier indicated sleep a lot so this way they could relax while avoiding making mistakes.
where do the puppies come in?
A scientific study was conducted to measure the effects of oxytocin and cortisol levels (the stress hormone) when interacting with a dog. Ten women were asked to stroke, pet, gaze at and talk with their male labradors then measured the effects this had on both parties’ (pup and human). It concluded that the dogs own oxytocin levels increased significantly after 3 minutes of human interaction and that the owners oxytocin levels peaked between just 1 and 5 minutes. It also found that the owners cortisol levels displayed a significant decrease at 15 minutes of interaction – dogs really do make the world a better place!
Its clear a cuddle a day from a puppy or pooch can have huge physiological benefits for the both of you, leaving you both happier and more relaxed (which is why pets can be a prescription for a happier, healthier life). No pup at home? No worries, Paws in Work can bring them to your office (yes, really!) You might want to send this to your boss!
As we now know, humans use eye contact to communicate with other humans to bond. Dogs, however, do not use eye contact to bond with each other. So how do they know that a held gaze between them and us can make us buckle under the cuteness and give in to their every desire? The very title of this next study is almost enough to explain that: Oxytocin-gaze positive loop and the coevolution of human-dog bonds.
Animal behaviourist Takeumi Kikusui of Azabu University in Japan and his team speculated that “some small population of ancestor dogs showed an affiliative eye gaze toward humans. In this process, we agree that there is a [possibility] that dogs cleverly and unknowingly utilize a natural system meant for bonding a parent with his or her child.”
The evolutionary journey between people and pups has been recorded back to around 32,000 years ago, when dogs split from grey wolves and began to evolve into how we recognise domestic dogs today, both emotively and biologically. Our shared environments led to the parallel evolution of humans and dogs.
For example, aggressive dogs living in crowded conditions with humans would not have been treated as favourably as less aggressive canines. This in turn would have led to more submissive dogs, who ultimately evolved into the pets we know and love today. These original pets, worked out that we are suckers for eye gazing (that’s our oxytocin speaking) and that this unconditional affection from them would result in more benefits from us humans – puppy eyes are very much a thing.
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. EVERYBODY has mental health. Whether you have good or poor mental health is a different matter. An article from The Guardian discusses the ‘magic effect’ and therapeutic value of our relationship with dogs and how pets can improve our mental health. Marion Janner, a mental health campaigner, says that dogs teach us a whole range of lessons. “Dogs love us unconditionally. They’re the ultimate in equal opportunities – entirely indifferent to race, gender, star sign, CV, clothes size or ability to throw cool moves on the dance floor. The simplicity and depth of this love is a continuous joy, along with the health benefits of daily walks and the social delights of chats with other dog walkers”.
The ability for dogs and pups to alleviate stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness has been recognised by the prison systems. The mental health impact of therapy dogs in prisons was commissioned by the Centre for Mental Health and incurred extremely positive feedback, like these comments from one prisoner who said “Dogs have a magic effect on you, you can feel their love and that just makes you feel better inside you.” Hello oxytocin!
As well as prisons, unsurprisingly, psychiatric hospitals also use animals as therapy for mental health. The State Hospital in Scotland, one of four high-security psychiatric hospitals in the UK, is doing just that. Patients stay on average up to seven years here and staff say that animal therapy helps to develop problem-solving skills, empathy, attention to the needs of others, a sense of responsibility and a way of channelling aggressive thoughts among individuals who have proved hard to reach with conventional psychiatric drugs and talking therapies.
How to Handle Your Pup For Cuddle Time
Nothing quite beats the feeling of snuggling up to a loving, cosy pet at the end of a long day. But did you know that there are actual benefits to cuddling and petting your furry best friend? Here are 4 interesting facts you might not know about cuddling with your dog.
Nothing quite beats the feeling of snuggling up to a loving, cosy pet at the end of a long day. But did you know that there are actual benefits to cuddling and petting your furry best friend? Here are 4 interesting facts you might not know about cuddling with your dog: