Month: December 2021

Categories
Tips & Tricks

Can dogs sniff out fear? How well can dogs really smell?

Our dog’s sense of smell is comparable to a high-performance computer. With their over 220 million olfactory cells (cf. humans have about 5 million), dogs smell 10,000 to 100,000 times better than we humans, depending on the breed. No wonder, then, that amazing abilities and areas of application are attributed to the dog’s nose.

“My dog reads the newspaper”

… this is a statement we often hear from dog owners when their beloved pelt-nose is busy sniffing and marking. And indeed, it’s true! Your dog’s sense of smell and social interaction are strongly linked. When dogs smell each other’s private parts, for example, they are exchanging a similar amount of information as to when we look at our friends’ Instagram profiles – the difference, the information dogs share via chemical messengers (pheromones) is unfiltered and real.

What information is communicated through smell?

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Health status
  • Reproductive status (Is my opposite ready to mate?).
  • Social status
  • Temperament
  • Degree of relationship
  • Genetic differences
  • Origin (Where was my counterpart just?)
  • and much more.

Dogs mainly communicate information about territorial and sexual behavior as well as about mother-child bonding.

So can dogs also smell fear?

The fact that we can transfer moods to our dog is already no scientific novelty. But does our smell play a major role in the transmission of moods, in addition to facial expressions, gestures, and our altered cardiovascular system?

Using sweat samples (from happy people, anxious people, and neutral people), we investigated whether dogs can smell fear. The results showed that dogs did indeed show altered behavior in the sweat samples from anxious people compared to the happy and neutral people. An increased heart rate, more uncertainty, and more frequent eye contact with the owner indicated that fear may very well be perceived by our dogs through the sense of smell. Presumably, this ability serves to the fact that dogs can estimate the feelings of their humans so better.

Thus we learn once again that we do not need to pretend anything to our dog, he has already seen through us or smelled the roast, before we know what we feel.

If you want to put your dog’s nose to the test, download our app and teach your dog “The Money Search”! You’ll be amazed at how accurate your dog’s sense of smell is and get to know your dog even better.

Categories
Training

New Year’s Eve training with dog – the best tips

New Year’s Eve means stress for many dogs.

Loud bangs, hissing and weird burnt smells are new and unpredictable, especially for young dogs. That’s why it’s so important to prepare your dog, as early as possible for this time of year.

We show you the 3 best tips on how to have a relaxed New Year’s Eve with your dog:

1 Preventive noise training

To prevent your dog from developing a fear of noises in the first place, you should prepare him preventively for loud situations, such as New Year’s Eve, construction site noise or crafts in the house. It is important that your dog is allowed to approach the sources of stimulation independently and also to move away from them again.

Several studies have already shown that dogs who learned to deal with different noises as puppies very rarely suffered from noise anxiety in adulthood. Even in dogs that are already adults, this training can lead to an alleviation of anxiety.

To preventively familiarize your dog with different sounds, you can:.

  • Play your dog a playlist of New Year’s Eve fireworks (softly at first, then gradually louder) while giving him an activity he likes to do, such as solving a food puzzle or doing tricks.
  • Play the sounds playlist when your dog is playing with another confident and non-anxious dog.
  • Fill a box with rattling and rustling objects (that can’t hurt your dog) and hide various treats in it for your dog to find.

2 conditioned relaxation

Conditioned relaxation is a real everyday helper that not only helps you in stressful situations with your dog, but can also provide peace and relaxation in everyday life.

In conditioned relaxation, your dog learns to relax in response to a word and a touch from you. To do this, it is important that you first train in a relaxed atmosphere, such as when your dog is resting. Your dog will also benefit from the fact that you also radiate calmness during this exercise, because mood transfer is an important aspect of the human-dog bond.

Train conditioned relaxation this way:.

  • Put your dog in “sit” and sit on a chair behind him.
  • Place both hands on your dog’s chest and slowly stroke down from there to his paws. As you do this, repeat the word signal “Cool.”
  • Do this exercise 5 minutes a day for a week. You can find detailed video instructions in our app.

3 Preparation and distraction

After your dog is prepared for New Year’s Eve, it’s time to prepare your home to provide as much protection as possible for your dog:

  • Don’t leave your dog alone on New Year’s Eve or during thunderstorms.
  • Consult with your veterinarian if your dog has already panicked on New Year’s Eve.
  • If possible, draw the curtains or lower the blinds to soften the visual and auditory stimuli.
  • Turn on a radio or your television to create another familiar sound source.
  • Nebulize lavender oil (if you used essential oils during conditioned relaxation).
  • Double secure your dog on the walk via harness and collar, or get a special panic harness if your dog is sensitive to sounds.
  • Walk in areas where there is little banging and avoid taking your dog out just before midnight on New Year’s Eve.

You want to prepare your dog optimally for New Year’s Eve? Then Lade start your New Year’s Eve training now and let our app guide you step by step to your goal.

We wish you a relaxed New Year’s Eve with your dog 🐶

Your Pupy Team

Categories
Tips & Tricks

New Year’s Eve with dog – How to recognize stress, anxiety, and fear.

New Year’s Eve is an event to celebrate for many people. Parties, loud music, sparklers, and fireworks are simply part of it. But many dog owners have a rather queasy feeling when they think of New Year’s Eve. The reason: their dog is afraid.

But how do you actually know if your dog is anxious, stressed or fearful and when should you act?

In this blog post, you’ll learn the difference between anxiety, stress, and fear and how to recognize your dog’s specific signals.

F.A.S. – Fear, Anxiety, Stress.

Fear → Is a directed reaction to a threatening situation (also to be managed).

Anxiety → Is an undirected reaction to an experience or situation that cannot be concretely grasped and that is apparently unmanageable.

Stress → Is an unspecific reaction of the body to a (also potential) strain.

Stressors can cause such a strain.

Is my dog scared?

The best way to determine if your dog is experiencing fear, anxiety, or stress is to pay attention to his body signals.

Possible early signs of F.A.S. may include:

  • ears pointed slightly back or to the side
  • lowered tail
  • furrowed brow
  • slower movements or stiffening
  • slightly dilated pupils
  • looking around for the holder
  • frantic search for escape possibilities
  • panting with narrower mouth opening
  • refusal of food or faster food intake
  • stronger chewing on toys
  • unspecific individual signs

If your dog shows one or more of these signs, it is already management action to take.

Calming my dog when he is anxious:

There are several ways you can calm your dog when he is anxious, stressed, fearful. Here are a few examples:

  • Offering closeness and petting if necessary.
  • Offer protection e.g. dog crate, between legs, under a table etc.
  • Distraction e.g. by food puzzle or playing together
  • Exercise (please not outside on New Year’s Eve, but rather inside the house)
  • Conditioned relaxation signal (start free training now!)
  • Reduce stressors (e.g. light and noise on New Year’s Eve), e.g. darken windows, turn on TV or radio.
  • Do not leave your dog alone
  • Specific rituals between you and your dog

We hope these tips help you and your dog! If you want to learn even more about your dog’s behavior or start New Year’s Eve training right away, download our app now!