Self soothing objects

Published: Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Apr 27, 2015, 07.32 PM IST

When we feel tension in the body, we relieve that tension through movement. This results in hyperactivity or repetitive movements in an attempt to self soothe. What kind of self soothing we choose to use will depend on the individual, learned behaviours and the environment. We often see people chewing on pen caps or nails, pacing, shaking their feet or sometimes even rocking back and forth. These are all attempts at clearing all the accumulated stress hormones in the body and to release calming hormones instead. Dogs do this too.

Stressed dogs have their own behaviours to self soothe. It often takes the form of chewing. When stressed due to excess excitement or anxiety, a dog may resort to self soothing himself by chewing what's in sight. Pet parents observe this when a dog is left alone for longer than usual or if there is something unusual at home like construction, remodelling, repair, guests or fireworks.

Sometimes, we confuse this self-soothing behaviour to be directed destruction. Some even go as far as to interpret this behavior as vengeance. Such misinterpretations often render the problem unsolvable. Vengeance is not really a behavioural problem that can either be modified or trained for.

Emotional arousal generates stress hormones in a dog's body — Adrenaline and Cortisol being the main ones to consider. Adrenaline makes a dog engage in intense physical movement — running around aimlessly, ripping something out or barking furiously. Cortisol on the other hand can result in slow repetitive movements — slow chewing on objects. Either way, emotional arousal can result in immediate ripping of things and long-term chewing of objects.

Once we understand the reason for the behaviour, it is then a little easier to look at the life of a dog and to identify the sources of these emotional upheavals and address them. If the triggers don't exist, the hormones will not shoot up. The associated behaviours will become rarer too.

Having said that, it is important to recognise that a dog needs to chew. That is the way he copes with small and large stressors and the excitement of the day. While we methodically work to remove stressors, we do need to recognise that the stressors are not going away fully. There will be times your dog will just need to chew. For these times, I suggest that pet parents keep a collection of what I call "Self-soothing objects".
Self-soothing objects are objects that can sustain the dog's chewing interest for at least five minutes. Fifteen minutes is great for massive stressors. Typical objects that are quite effective include real bones, green coconuts, jute and coir ropes flavoured with something. When picking these objects, it's important to keep in mind that the object has to tempt the dog to chew on it. It's not a toy we are trying to give the dog. It's something that will make him chew. It also has to be flavoured enough to hold his interest long enough for it to have the calming effect we hope it to have.

Once you have a collection of self-soothing objects, it's best to start by giving one or two objects every day. This will give a healthy outlet to your dog. Then start to identify and address the stressors. This is where behaviourists often step in and can help out. Meanwhile, if you catch your dog converting some object of yours into a self-soothing object, patiently take it away, recognise that your dog needs to chew now, give a 10-second break and then give the dog a self-soothing object that you have kept for him. Over time, this routine should reduce stress, reduce chewing and redirect it away from your valuables. 

Preparing for the vet and trainer

Published: Apr 14 2015 : Mirror (Bangalore)

Visits to vets can be stressful for dog and people. The place is often full of sick and stressed dogs and tense V people. Even if one walked in calm, it's easy to get into what I call “The Collective Hospital Tension“. When it's an emergency, the whole thing gets worse. It's easy to get emotional, forget half the things we wanted to say, forget half the things we wanted to ask about and not to register most of what is said. We come back and ponder. The thing with dogs is that a dog cannot speak about his ailment. It all boils down to our and our vet's ability to observe and conjecture. This is a fine skill and often fails us if we attempt it under duress. So here are some ways to prepare before going to a vet and while at a vet.

First up, maintain a dog diary. One diary for all household dogs will do. But keep it handy. Jot down anything out of the ordinary.Not just health issues, but life events too. Health issues can be logged as aberrations in appetite, poop, pee, skin and fur conditions, strong odours emanating from ears, nose, eyes, mouth or any other part of the dog, gait, water consumption, dandruff. Life events to log would include any change in diet or other routine, sudden stressors like being chased by a cow or getting a scare during a walk, extreme weather conditions, loud external events like construction, fireworks and loud speakers.Log behavioural changes too. These include sudden hyperactivity, loss of temper, lethargy and irritation. Telling patterns of escalating stress or deteriorating health include odd inexplicable behaviour like chasing one's tail, self harm and lack of concentration.

When logging notes, be generous with pictures and videos.That is what we have our gadgets for these days. Here is a good way to put it to use for your dog. These pictures help you look for improvements or deterioration of any kind and will help you react sooner.

When at a vet, ensure you take your journal and point to what you think are relevant parts of the journal. It is your prerogative to get your vet to understand your dog and your home. And it is your responsibility to understand what exactly your vet is saying.Ask questions. As many as you need to ask. Get specific. Good vets are very good at providing full transparency on what they are thinking. If your vet says it's an infection, ask all the questions: “Infection in what part of the body?“, “What kind of infection?
Fungal/bacterial/viral?“. “What kind of bacteria?“. “What is the medicine being prescribed?“. “What does each medicine do?“.Don't be afraid of technical terms. Write them down in your journal or ask the vet to write the term down. You can seek help to understand these terms later. But log them all down so you know what you are dealing with.

Journals also help if you want to change vets or seek second Journals also help if you want to change vets or seek second opinion. Often, the second vet will want to know what has been the course of treatment this far. You can then just whip out your journal and read it out like a pro.

Apart from vets, trainers too can benefit from this journal. After all, it will be a combination of a health and behaviour journal.So while adding veterinary records, log training records too. Log each session with the trainer, what was taught, how you intend to practice it and any unexpected outcome of the training session.

The thing is, we remember in celebrations and catastrophies. But when it comes to the dog's health and behaviour, it's the small details that actually matter. The more nuances you catch, the sooner you can react. 

What hands mean to dogs

Published: Apr 07 2015 : Mirror (Bangalore)

Dogs are intensely aware of our hands. We did a study in Norway, where we measured the impact our hands have on a dog's heart rate. The finding was remarkable. It showed very clearly that our hands played a significant role on a dog's heart rate, indicating their acute sensitivity to our hands.

Due to their close attention on our hands, they can be used effectively to communicate subtle messages to dogs like asking a dog to stop doing something or letting a dog know that everything is okay. An astute observer of dog body language, equipped with the knowledge of `calming signals' will find it very handy to just show the palm to a dog in a reassuring way whenever the dog gets a bit anxious. Google Calming Signals to learn more about understanding dog communication.

While the dog's sensitivity to our hands, make them effective communication tools, laying a hand on a dog also elevates a dog's heart rate. When a dog is emotionally aroused due to anxiety or excitement, laying a hand on a dog can have some undesirable consequences. Since our hands on dogs increase their heart rate, an already excited dog can suddenly startle or get further agitated. We often tend to think that when dogs are anxious we need to pet them to calm them. On the contrary, we need to keep our hands off, so that we do not further elevate their heart rate.

If the dog sought contact, we can give a little contact.Vocally soothing a dog down with long drawn out soft slow words helps a little. The most effective way to calm a dog down is to get a dog to sniff. I learned recently that the respiratory system is the easiest one to take control of when a person or animal is charged up. People are often taught breathing exercises as a way to take control and tide past panic. Similarly, getting a dog to sniff has calming effects.Dogs can be made to sniff by simple things like treat search.Scatter pieces of your dog's absolute favourite treat in the lawn, on mosaic floor or hide treats around the house. Allow your dog to sniff out the treats. By the end of the session his heart rate reduces and he is much more receptive to reason.Until then, hands off the dog please! This does not mean one does not pet a dog. Pet a dog when the dog comes and seeks petting and is relaxed. A few scratches behind the ear, under the chin, on the shoulder or on the belly are endearing interactions that dogs adore. They don't particularly appreciate being touch on the head or on the neck. They tolerate it. But they have their favourites and it's always fun to pet a dog in a polite way. Keep petting sessions calm, happy and short.

Hands can be actively used for calming too. Long soft strokes on the dog can release Oxytocin in the dog, creating a sense of wellbeing. However, our hands do increase a dog's heart rate, so how do we calm the dog down? The first trick is to time it right. Soft massages like these should be administered to a dog when the dog is awake, but calm and relaxed.Then softly put your hand on the dog and let it lay there till the dogs breathing is slow. Then start the long, soft and slow strokes on the dog. Keep that up for a few minutes and then take hands off again. Your hands are special to your dog. Use them sensibly and sensitively. 

The writer is a Canine Family Coach & Behaviourist and the founder of a canine therapy and training centre