KEYS FOR STAYING HAPPY WHILE STAYING HOME WITH YOUR DOG
Hello to my doggy pack! I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy!
In this very stressful time when we are all staying home it is easy to become scared, anxious and depressed. Some people are struggling with job loss, financial hardship and physical illness. These are some harsh realities. It seems like our lives are out of our control.
But we do have a say in our lives. We can start on the inside…our thoughts. Our mind is like a camera – we can only focus on one thing at a time. If we are focusing on worst case scenarios, fear, and loneliness we will not feel good. Instead we can literally change the channel in our minds and focus on what we have to be grateful for…there is always something. Our loving dog, our family, friends and hope for a better future to name a few.
So be mindful of what you are thinking about in each moment. Does it serve you? Does it make you feel good or bad? Remember, you can always change the channel. Only YOU are in charge of your mind. So, turn off the news if you have had it on for more than a few minutes to catch up on what is new. Watching it all day makes you focus on the fear and that will not serve you.
And physical exercise is important to get your endorphins going and help to keep your immune system strong. So do your favorite exercise and incorporate your dog. Here are 7 fun ideas to try:
1.Put on your favorite music and dance with your dog.
2.Run (or run in circles if space is limited) with your dog.
3.Put together a home-made agility course with chairs, sofas etc. and run it
with your dog.
4.Do yoga – your dog will naturally want to join in.
5.Practice deep breathing with your dog on your stomach. Watch the dog rise
and fall with your breath.
6.There are a ton of on line free exercise programs. Find one you like and do it
with your dog helping you. For example, your dog can sit on your feet when
you are doing sit-ups, or you can lift your dog in the air (not too high) instead
of lifting weights (you get the idea.) Make it fun!
7.Hide a treat (or one of your children) and play hide and seek with your dog.
It is important to find ways to have fun in stressful times. So, go ahead and try one of these ideas. Or make up some of your own and let me know what you are doing to relieve the stress of this coronavirus situation with your dog. I look forward to hearing from you!
2 VERY IMPORTANT SPECIAL NOTES:
1. As you are using hand sanitizers to keep safe, please be aware that some of the ingredients in hand sanitizers are harmful to dogs, so please don’t let your dog lick your hand right after you have applied it.
2. If you have tested positive for the coronavirus or think you may have been exposed, please do not interact with your dog. Have another family member take care of your dog. Although there is NO evidence that you can GET the virus from dogs, there are some initial concerns that we may be able to infect our dogs. A Pomeranian dog in Hong Kong tested “weak positive” for the virus when living with someone with the coronavirus in early March (although the dog showed no symptoms), and recently a tiger in a zoo in New York tested positive for COVID-19 and DID show signs of respiratory problems after being exposed to a zoo employee who had the virus.
I truly hope this blog helps you. It is my deepest desire to be of service to you and your loved ones during this crazy time. I would love to hear from you about your situation, and any issues you may be having staying at home with your dog. Please feel free to email me at
Mara@LifeCoachingForDogs.com and I will be happy to give you a FREE mini session. I send you my love and blessings. Stay safe, healthy and
pawsitive.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CORONAVIRUS FROM
THE WORLD ORGANIZATION FOR ANIMAL HEALTH GO TO:
None of us need the added stress of our dogs behaving badly at this already challenging time. So for a limited time I will be offering FREE mini sessions by phone. For more information go to
www.LifeCoachingForDogsor call (310) 467-2334 and ask about the special
COVID-19 FREE mini virtual session..
Wishing you, your family and your furry family members
good health and much love. xo Mara
