How to Deal With Upset Pets

When a dog is whining or a cat incessantly mewling they may be doing more than just being annoying. The animals may be trying to tell you something. It takes a discerning eye to deal with upset pets. A few simple steps will have your pets grunting or purring with satisfaction.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Upset pet
• Keen observational skills
• Treats
• Love
• More love
• Patience

1. Figure out why the pet is upset. The other day my dog Sawyer kept sitting down during his walk and whining, no matter how many times I said “Let’s go.” It ended up he had burrs stuck all over his belly, legs and between his paw pads.
2. Fix the immediate problem. In this case, pull out all the burrs.
3. Soothe shattered nerves. The burr pulling, which took about 15 minutes, came complete with soft talk and petting. He then got a big hug when all the burrs were extricated.
4. Offer a favorite treat. Thankfully I always walk my dogs with a bag full of mini-bones and Sawyer got one. Or six.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes you’ll need to play detective and the source of the anxiety won’t be as obvious as paws full of burrs.
• When the problem is psychological, rather than physical, it’s even more fun to soothe and correct.
• Stay sharply attuned to your animals and investigate any small change in behavior.
• Remember pets can’t talk, at least in a language we immediately understand.
• Don’t ignore any sign of an upset pet and hope it goes away on its own. Pets are usually upset for a reason. It may not be a good reason, but it's a reason.