Nighttime Dog Walking Safety Tips
As it begins to get darker earlier and earlier, many of us dog owners have to slightly alter our schedules or behavior when it comes to dog walking. For instance, when it gets colder, our dogs might need to wear their jackets, or we might switch to a different, more well-lit walking route to avoid things like tripping on sidewalk cracks. Dog-walking safety tips when the seasons change are important to take note of, if only to ensure you and your pooch don’t encounter anything unexpected or dangerous. Don’t Use Retractable Leashes Retractable leashes are generally not the best leash option even when its not dark all the time, simply because they can easily get wrapped around your, your dog’s, or another person’s leg and cause injury. Additionally, they create tension between dog and owner, which can cause the dog to feel like they need to be more protective of the owner. Instead, use a nylon or leather leash, and once it starts getting dark, it can be beneficial to use one that is reflective to make yourself more visible to other walkers or vehicles. Consider LEDs for Your Pooch If you have a dog with a dark coat, people may see you but not your dog. Additionally, it can be helpful for your dog if you use an LED light, say, on their collar pointing in front of them so they can see better where they are walking. If you don’t want to go this route, it can be helpful to bring a small flashlight with you on walks, particularly when you have to pick up after your dog. Watch Out for Nocturnal Animals When you’re out walking your dog and it’s dark, it’s important to keep an eye out for animals that typically only roam when it’s nighttime—raccoons, possums and most importantly, skunks. You don’t want to get sprayed by a skunk, and you definitely don’t want your dog getting sprayed—the task of getting rid of the smell is arduous and inconvenient, to say the least. Past that, it’s important to make sure your dog doesn’t chase after small animals. Change Your Route If you’re used to long walks, but don’t feel safe or comfortable doing so anymore once it’s dark out by dinnertime, don’t fret. Instead of long walks around the neighborhood, you can bring your dog to a nearby dog park for exercise, or you can change your route to include brighter-lit streets. If you still feel uncomfortable, but have no other options, you should consider bringing pepper spray with you on your walks for your own protection. Remember to stay alert when you’re walking your dog any time, but especially at nighttime. Pay attention to your surroundings and what’s going on around you, and your dog walks will go off without a hitch.
Tips for a Safe Halloween With Your Dog
With Halloween fast approaching, you may be looking forward to dressing your dog up in a silly costume and parading him around the neighborhood. While that’s all fun and good, it’s important to remember that while Halloween is fun for most people, some people use it as a night to pursue mischief, and it’s important to keep your dog safe and sound. Check out our top tips for pet safety during Halloween. Keep Candy Away from Your Pooch This might seem like a no brainer, but keeping your kids’ candy away from the dog is extra important around Halloween. Chocolate is dangerous for dogs to eat, of course, but mass amounts of sugar can be detrimental to virtually any living thing—after all, who doesn’t experience a bad sugar crash after consuming a handful of candy bars? All jokes aside, it’s extra important in times when you have candy readily accessible—in a bowl by your front door, in the kids’ candy pails—to make sure that your dog doesn’t wander off and eat it all while you’re not looking. This can cause your dog to become very ill. Keep Your Dog Indoors Unfortunately, Halloween for some people is a night of mischief and debauchery, and not in the cute way. Owners of black cats are warned to keep their cats indoors for fear of people stealing them due to superstition, and the same should be said for dogs of all types. It’s hard to think that there are people out there who would want to purposely cause harm to a dog, but sadly, there are. It’s best to keep your dog indoors during the festivities. Maintain a Level of Calm Through Trick-or-Treating Hours If your dog is anything like some dogs we know, the constant ringing of the doorbell will be a nightmare for everyone in your family, but most of all for your dog. If your dog is jumpy about the doorbell and barks when it happens, you may want to consider writing a note on your door for trick-or-treaters to knock instead of ring the bell. Alternatively, you can keep your dog in a room with a TV or the radio on so that the sound of the doorbell is drowned out and they can remain calm all evening. Make Sure Costumes Are Safe and Not Too Hot Finally, if you’re choosing to dress up your dog as a pumpkin, bumblebee, or anything else this Halloween, it’s important to make sure that the fabrics are safe and aren’t near anything that can set them on fire (such as decorative lights near where your dog is laying), and it’s also important to make sure that your dog doesn’t get too hot while wearing the costume. Remember, dogs have a fur coat that humans don’t, so even if you feel chilly and want to put a coat on, your dog may not and may already be quite warm, even without the costume. It’s best to only leave the costume on for short amounts of time to ensure your dog is optimally comfortable.
What to Do About a Dog Who Has Separation Anxiety
Having a dog can be great—until you have to leave the house, that is. If your dog suffers from separation anxiety, you might feel overwhelmed about what to do or how to calm your dog down. Separation anxiety can seemingly come from nowhere—even if you got the dog when it was a puppy and it grew up with you, it can still develop anxiety when it’s left alone—so what can you do to alleviate the stress that you leaving causes your pet? Tire Your Dog Out Before You Leave One way to calm your dog down is by making sure they’re a little tired when you have to go. Do this by taking them on a walk or playing fetch or tug of war with them before you get ready to leave. This will tire the dog out a bit, and then you can reward their calmness with a treat just before you leave. Over time, this will teach your dog to associate you leaving with getting a treat, and gradually, you’ll be able to leave without even giving your dog the treat! Of course, this will take some time, so don’t expect it to happen in just a few nights or even a few weeks. Don’t Make a Big Deal of Leaving One of the most important things that can curb a dog’s separation anxiety is making sure you don’t make a big deal out of leaving every time you go. That means not cooing and hugging your dog as though it’s the last time you’ll ever see him, and instead leaving very nonchalantly every time. Be quiet as you walk out the door and ignore any barking—don’t immediately open the door to shush the dog, as this will just reinforce the idea that barking will get them attention when you leave. Instead, after you close the door when you leave, just go about your business and ignore the dog. Eventually, they will get the idea that you aren’t coming back inside and they’ll find something else to do. You can work up to this with the next tip. Practice Leaving for Short Times, Gradually Getting Longer If your dog is prone to barking or whining the second you leave, try working with them to minimize their fear. Try leaving for very short periods of time – try three minutes, then five, then 10, working little by little up to longer periods of time that the dog will be alone. Reminding your pet that you will indeed come back can mitigate their fear of being left alone. Separation anxiety can be especially prominent in dogs that were in a shelter, as they may have been abandoned by their original owner, or spent a lot of time alone without company. Building up a mutual trust with your pet is one way that you can help your dog’s separation anxiety fade over time—remember to go slow and exercise plenty of patience. Anxiety issues may take a long time to work through, but if you’re dedicated to working with your dog, you can tackle anything. Another way to help your dog overcome loneliness is by hiring a dog walker to visit a few times a week. This can let your dog know that someone will come and spend time with them at some point, and can alleviate the stress of being alone.
Do You Really Need a Dog Walker?
If you’ve got a dog, or are thinking about getting one, the issue of dog walkers might have come up—whether you need one, how beneficial they are, etc. If you work or are gone for most of the day, leaving your dog at home is typically the only option—sadly, most offices and other jobs don’t let you bring in your pup. For some dogs, being left alone all day isn’t much of a big deal, but for the majority of pooches, having a little time outside with company during the day can be very beneficial. So how do you know if you should hire a dog walker? Consider How Long You’re Really Away If you’re dismissing the idea of getting a dog walker because you “only work an 8-hour day,” and plenty of people work 8-hour days without hiring dog walkers, remember it’s important to figure in your actual time away. If you have a significant commute or regularly run errands before or after work, that eight hour workday can quickly become a 10 or 11 hour day—10 or 11 hours that your dog is all alone at home. Imagine if you had to spend that long by yourself without being able to use the bathroom or have a snack. Of course, the snack isn’t entirely necessary, but we can all agree that having a mid-day snack or treat is better than not having one, right? In any case, spending that many hours away from your dog may not hurt them, but having a midday walk is always preferable to not having one. Take Into Account Your Dog’s Demeanor and Size If your dog is especially active, sitting at home without any exercise all day, every day can cause an abundance of energy and restlessness, which can lead to destructive behaviors like chewing or scratching. Likewise, if you have a very small dog, all that time can add up quickly when it comes to their small bladders. Having a dog walker stop by midday can be a great addition to your dog’s life. You can arrange to have a walker stop by once a day, once a week, or just every once in a while if you anticipate extra-long days at work or want to ensure your pooch has some human interaction during the day. Having a dog walker isn’t a black-and-white necessity of having a dog, but there’s no denying that it can be a good thing for your dog. Breaking up the monotony of the day as well as getting a little exercise is beneficial and can make your dog calmer and more relaxed. Plus, you won’t have to worry as much about your pet having an accident inside—what’s not to love? Contact Cruisin’ Canines today for more information about having a dog walker visit your pooch.