As humans, when we’re feeling stressed, overwhelmed or maybe just feeling a little bit over it – when our emotional cup runs empty – we take the time out to engage in a little self care. Whether that’s catching up with friends, going for a walk, taking a new class, a volunteering session, or simply writing in a journal – we take the time to replenish in whatever way fills our cup right back up to the brim. (And if you’re not, please start!)
Our hounds’ emotional cups are just like ours. Their cups are filled by social connections, security, and enrichment, their positive and negative experiences. And as devoted pet pawrents, we should learn when our hound’s cups are empty, and what we can do to ensure they are feeling fulfilled.
Thankfully, for most dogs, their cups are full most of the time. But when they are running on empty, what can we do to fill them back up?
Firstly, how do we know when our greyhound’s emotional cup is empty?
Our greyhounds’ cups will be slightly different to those of other dogs, in that their early experiences in life are so few. When a hound first goes on trial, we often ask you to ‘keep their world small’ and to give them time to decompress. It’s a stressful time, and with so many new experiences and an overload of emotions, their cup can quickly overflow.
And while they will start to acclimatise and get used to their new surroundings, there will be times once they’ve settled in that their cup still overflows. It’s important that we learn to read their body language and understand what they are trying to communicate to us.
There are some tell-tale signs that your hounds emotional cup may be running low, or has overflowed:
- They have stopped responding to you and your cues
- Escalating behaviour or hypervigilance
- Destructive behaviour
- Changes in appetite
- Lip licking, yawning, whale eyes, abnormal heavy panting
- Lack of appetite
- Resource guarding
What empties a hound’s emotional cup?
- Boredom
- Isolation with no enrichment
- Overstimulation – for example, a few days of stressful walks, or some very noisy house guests
- Not letting your hound doing ‘doggy’ things (no play time, no sniffing, no time to explore)
- Not being clear with what you need from your hound, and being angry with them when they don’t succeed
What can we do to fill a hound’s emotional cup?
- Let them do fun doggy stuff – like sniffing, digging and chewing
- Make sure they feel loved and like part of the family (but don’t give them too much love and resort to hugging, which can be very scary for them).
- Time to chill out and relax in peace and quiet, away from people and noise
- Keep things predictable and have a stable routine
- Let them play with toys
- Provide some enrichment
- A sniffari or a nice quiet walk
- Spend time training
After a while, you’ll learn exactly what your hound loves to do, and with a few of these activities their cups will fill right back up!