Animals need to be taken care of, but as we cannot be available for them the whole time we must teach them some self-care techniques. Animals are either kept as pets or as emotional support animals (ESA). An emotional support animal provides comfort and aid to any person whose mental health has been compromised. Now, you must be wondering how you can get an emotional support animal and what do the emotional support animal requirements include, so the first step you have to do in the procedure is to consult a professional who can certify the animal as an emotional support and can guide you thoroughly for better healthcare. Dogs however, are considered to be the best emotional support animals.
As you have to manage your work and home routine, you cannot give all time to your dog, so for that matter, you need to train your dog to do self-care. The following are some self-care techniques you can teach your dog.
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Train Your Dog To Self-Feed
An essential tip is to teach your dog self-feeding. Firstly, you can observe your dog’s eating habit, and for more ease for yourself, you may make a regular eating schedule for your dog. Don’t let your dog free eat because it can be a bad habit for the dog and will become disturbing for you too. Put the food in the dog bowl, and place it in front of him and let him eat it slowly, but once he is done, you can take away the bowl.
Take Your Dog Outside For A Walk.
Don’t lock yourself or your dog inside the house; you may exercise with your dog and take them outside for a walk. Always keep your animal close to nature, because walking or running not only makes them healthy but also works as a stress reliever for them.
Play With Your Dog
Don’t let your dog sit ideal in the home; let him play around. You can also use some puzzle toys or other toys to keep your dog occupied because these indoor activities will make your dog active and not lousy.
Train Your Dog To Stay Calm
You can practice this by getting your dog excited. First, you may let run behind you or jump with you or bark, and once he gets hyper-excited, you instruct it to sit, relax or to lie down. You can repeat this with your dog from the start of its training. It will take a little time, but once with repetitive practice, your dog will learn it and have self-control which will let him stay in a happy state. By doing this, your dog will even remain calm in the situation when you’re not around.
Keep Your Dog Clean
Cleanliness holds an essential place in our lives, but we should not forget that as important as it is for our health it is also necessary for the dog’s health so that bathing can have a perfect and healthy effect on your dog. Train your dog to get a shower daily, make comfortable with the water, and you will see gradually start enjoying taking baths.
All living creatures deserve care and affection, but when it comes to animals, we’re the ones who need to train them so they can take care of themselves. Still, the one factor you need to keep in mind for training your dog to do self-care is to start practising with them from an early age because this way they will be able to learn faster.