An Anxious Dog

Bryn, our new rescue dog, is starting to settle in well. He likes the cats (okay a bit to much) and he gets on really well with my Mum and Dad’s dogs. He even likes to play Beco-tug with the incorrigible Thea!

He likes sleeping on fluffy warm rugs and being tucked in nice and cosy with blankets. Despite all the progress, he remains a troubled dog and recovery is going to be a long road for him. Here is a little bit of info about the things which are working so far…

Pet Remedy: Calming Plugin and Spray

The first port of call for us has been Pet Remedy. We know the herbal calming magic works really well (Remember the adorable Rosie and her night terrors?).

We usually have a plugin in the hallway all the time, it keeps our three cats nice and chilled, reduceing scrapping and bullying. For Bryn we have ramped things up a notch to include spraying his bed, collar, lead and other things. This really calmed him down a lot!

photo of rosie asleep on her back on the sofa

Busywork for Bryn

Bryn used to work on a farm so keeping busy is his norm, that and his Collie genes, this is a dog who needs to be entertained! Thankfully, we run a pet shop, so he is not short of toys to choose from. So far he is testing the Beco range, his favorite is the Beco Rope, which is made from hemp so nice and safe for him to eat (which he does) and it helps keep his teeth clean too!

The other thing he loves are the Antos Frog Chews, which keep him happy for about half an hour, after which he usually goes to sleep!

Keeping him warm

Bryn has almost no body fat. Collies are slim dogs but, as the vet put it, he is as “thin as a greyhound”. Bearing in mind he likes to swim, keeping him warm on the walk home from the pond/river was a priority. Without help, he can get very cold and shiver and shake badly, so we have tried a few thing to get him warm and dry asap.

We are trialing a super-light reusable/disposable/recyclable dog towel, which works well. However, we are just starting the process of vetting the product and company to see how ethical they are, so I won’t say much more yet.

The other product that has been great is a microfibre dog robe (shown above) which we put on after he gets out the water and take off when we get home. It wicks the water away from his skin and dries him off as he walks. We have spoken with the good people at Norwex to suggest they make an eco-friendly version of this. They have sent the idea to their product design team (yay!)

Familiar things

We are still slowly decoding Bryn’s habits and hobbies. One thing I have found is he likes to sit in the front seat of the car, presumably he used to ride in the tractor on the farm. He is happy in the boot too, but he much prefers the front. Looks like are going to have to get him a proper doggie seat-belt (and get the airbag disabled).

Compression coat

The most recent addition to Bryns anti-anxiety and anti-cold arsenal is his wrap/shirt which gives hug-like compression around his chest. The one we bought is by Thundershirt, however other brands are presumably similar. We have found this works very well for his anxiety and also helps keep him warm when he is around the house/sleeping. It’s a good place to spray his Pet Remedy too! Unfortunately, we haven’t seen any ethical versions of this yet. We would love to buy some should such a company exist… hint hint…

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