Episode #194 Helping A Dog Remain Calm Post Surgery

Could your dog’s recovery period be smoother and more enjoyable for both of you? Discover our essential strategies to keep your furry friend calm and mentally stimulated during their healing process. We've got you covered with practical tips—from the wonders of puzzle toys and engaging scent games to interactive training sessions that keep your dog's mind active without risking physical strain. By focusing on mental enrichment, you'll not only reduce your pup's restlessness and anxiety but also foster a quicker, more comfortable recovery.

Chapters

• 0:00 Helping Dogs Stay Calm After Surgery
• 11:16 Promoting Mental Stimulation During Recovery

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is the Puppy Training Podcast, Episode 194, Helping a Dog Remain Calm After Surgery. This podcast is designed to help you on your journey of becoming best friends through love and learning, as you train your own dog from home, and I'm here to help you every step of the way. This is the Puppy Training Podcast and I'm your host, Amy Jensen. Step of the way. This is the Puppy Training Podcast and I'm your host, Amy Jensen. Hello you guys, Welcome to the podcast where we talk about everything puppy. Today we are talking about how to help our dogs be calm after surgery. So maybe they were spayed or neutered, or maybe they broke a leg and they have a cast on, For whatever reason. We get asked this quite frequently and I thought you know what? Let's do a podcast on it. So if your dog has undergone surgery and the vet has asked you to keep them calm and quiet for the next seven to 10 days, that can sound a little daunting, but don't worry, it's not as hard as it sounds. So, whether it's one day or several weeks, here are some ideas to help you help your dog post surgery.

Speaker 1: 1:08

After a surgical procedure, it's really important that we help our dogs heal, and so the biggest thing is that we want to make sure that they aren't running around having excessive exercise, jumping, tearing stitches right. We want those stitches to be able to heal. Tearing stitches right, we want those stitches to be able to heal. So it's normal that our dogs will experience restlessness or maybe some anxiety during recovery, which can hinder their healing process. So we want to provide them with enrichment activities that focus more on mental stimulation. This will be really vital in keeping our dogs engaged without risking physical strain. Here are some strategies and activities that can help your dog stay calm and mentally enriched while they are recovering. So, post-surgery, at dog's body needs time. Strategies and activities that can help your dog stay calm and mentally enriched while they are recovering. So, post-surgery, a dog's body needs time to heal. Activities that involve running or jumping can jeopardize that recovery, which could possibly lead to complications such as reopening the wounds or excessive strain on surgical sites, and we don't want that. Therefore, we want to provide alternatives that engage a dog's mind right. Mental enrichment can help alleviate boredom, reduce anxiety and promotes a sense of wellbeing.

Speaker 1: 2:06

So first on the list is puzzle toys. Puzzle toys are really great for keeping a dog's mind engaged. These toys require dogs to figure out how to access treats hidden within. There's a whole bunch on the market. You can make them from scratch. Empty boxes, um, paper towel rolls right, Even just a towel. Uh, you can roll up food and tie a big knot in it. But we want to start with simpler puzzles. So start with something easy and then gradually introduce more complex ones as your dog becomes comfortable. This not only keeps your dog busy, but it also stimulates their problem solving skills and encourages them to think critically.

Speaker 1: 2:40

Now, if you have children and they go to school, or maybe you remember when you went to school, think how tired you were when you came home. Right, it wasn't because you sat on the desk all day, it's because you had to think. So thinking can really tire a creature out. So when our dogs are laid up physically, they can't do as much physically. Providing that extra mental enrichment is super helpful.

Speaker 1: 3:05

Along that line, the next idea I have for you are scent games. So dogs have an extraordinary sense of smell and if we can engage their noses it will help them be calm and have a good time. So dogs enjoy smelling, sniffing, searching out things. There Again, sense of smell is really strong and so it's fun for them. Hide food rewards around a room or within a designated area and then encourage your dog to find them. We have a game called find your food and we teach you all about it on our games and activities page. You can go check that out.

Speaker 1: 3:32

You can also create something like a snuffle mat by placing food within a fabric, so like that towel. Roll up the food in the towel, tie it in a knot and then let your dog forage through it. Right, they try to get that out. So, um, a snuffle mat is if you've seen it. It's, uh, you can build one yourself or you can buy one, but it's just basically pieces of felt that have been cut and then you sprinkle dog food in the felt and the dog gets to sniff around. So it looks kind of like grass, if you will. Grass is kind of a natural snuffle mat, Um, but you're basically just within fabric placing food rewards that the dog gets to sniff out and try to work to get out of. So it's fun for them. Again, it taps into their natural instincts while keeping them physically stationary.

Speaker 1: 4:12

Uh, the next idea is interactive training session. So this is a great time to actually teach your dog new things and they can be simple things we don't obviously want to do jump on and jump off, Okay. But we could do things like sit, stay, shake, high five. You can work on loose leash walking, right, Just simple things, movement around your house. We don't want to overdo it physically with the leash walking, but just heel work inside your house, around furniture. The simple stuff that we do in our courses each week, uh, are great exercises, again mentally, and you get a little bit of physical there, but not too much that it's overdoing it. So keep sessions brief, keep them short and fun. We want to maintain our dog's interest and avoid frustration, but this is a good way to again provide that mental stimulation with strengthening your bond as well. And we're focusing on those low impact behaviors. Right, Not the running around, recall, probably not right now, right, but the sit, stay high five, shake, come, uh, come, maybe from a short distance inside your house, maybe from a six foot leash come, but not from across your yard. So again, we want to avoid overdoing it physically, but definitely teaching new behaviors, teaching tricks uh is a great time to do that while they're recovering.

Speaker 1: 5:23

Another helpful thing would be calming music, so playing something relaxing that your dogs can just listen to creates a nice, serene environment. The auditory stimulation can help reduce their anxiety. So even just turning on the television and letting them listen to a show or having the radio playing right, Having a podcast playing in the background, something that's just relaxing and calm, can help create that atmosphere that they need to recover. Now some dogs respond particularly well to classical music or sound designed to mimic natural environments. Um, your Alexa, your Siri device, those will all play really great relaxing sounds for your dogs.

Speaker 1: 6:00

We do a lot of pen time when it's post surgery recovery. So, uh, for example, they'll be in their pen and then I'll let them out, We'll go do some of these enrichment activities and then they go back to their pen. So when they're in their pens, you know sometimes they have to wear that cone, something to protect them from licking their stitches or getting to that incision site, and so I want to give them breaks from that. So when they are out with me and I'm watching them and observing them, and then when they go back into their pen and turn on that nice calming music or play a podcast, something soothing in the background, that they can listen to and just really relax while they're wearing that cone and they're in a confined space Just a side note on that. Your veterinarian will let you know when they need to wear something to protect themselves from licking their stitches, such as the cone. Again, we take it off if my dog's not licking the incision site, but if they're out and about and they're still wanting to lick, you should probably keep it on. So just a little FYI, but again, your veterinarian will be able to answer all of your questions that you have concerning that side of the recovery.

Speaker 1: 7:01

Another idea to help your puppy recover is incorporating gentle massage. This can be soothing for your dog and help them relax. When their surgical site gets shaved, that can cause itching. And help them relax. When their surgical site gets shaved, that can cause itching. So even just massaging the area around the incision can help your dog feel better and alleviate some of that discomfort. Before surgery, make sure you get to know your dog and what they like. Maybe they like their ears to be rubbed. What helps them feel relaxed? Maybe they like their belly rubbed. Maybe they like their back scratched. So just knowing your dog beforehand and knowing what helps relax them can help them post surgery as well.

Speaker 1: 7:37

More on the mental enrichment side of things, creative feeding methods. So, instead of just using a traditional bowl to put your dog's food in, try using a slow feeder bowl or a food dispensing toy that requires your dog to work for their food Again, this will engage them in some activity at mealtime that stimulates their brain and it prolongs the feeding process. This makes it again both a mentally and physically rewarding, without requiring strenuous activity. Along those lines, I like to stuff toys. So, whether it's a Kong or a Westpaw topples, I like to stuff those with dog safe either peanut butter, yogurt, pumpkin puree and then I freeze it. You can mix some of their dog food into that as well. There's lots of recipes online that you can go and get that you can stuff these toys with, but it's nice to just have a couple in the freezer so that when I need to I can pull one out again. It extends that period of time that they work to lick the contents out, so it's a good way to engage them while also providing them with something yummy and nutritional.

Speaker 1: 8:41

Number eight would be visual stimulation, so setting up a window where your dog can observe the outside world just watching things go by, or, again, that confined space of the exercise pen that limits them from or prohibits them from exercising and running around your house. But they still get to observe and watch and listen, smell like things that come in and out of the house. So just finding a place where they can observe is great. Now, if your dog's going to bark out the window maybe not, but some dogs are pretty entertained just by watching birds or people or other animals. You can even work on some of that training behavior where they see something outside the window, we reward them and ask them to turn away from the window. That might be a good training exercise to do post surgery recovery, because it's not running around or jumping or getting too crazy. So again, you'll know your dog. If they get too crazy by seeing triggers outside the window, then maybe that's not for you or for them. But uh, it's a good idea if you have a dog that just enjoys doing that and isn't triggered by such activities. So you'll have to get to know your dog on that one or understand what's best for them. But another good idea along the lines of giving them some mental stimulation, of seeing the outside world, uh, maybe even opening windows, letting them listen to things outside, but they're not necessarily out and about in it. So top notch is that we want to ensure that they are comfortable and they're safe while they're observing.

Speaker 1: 9:58

And, again, that use of exercise pens, leashes to help manage our dog's activity levels is really important. Immediately post-surgery they'll often be sleepy and they'll need extra rest. So just use that pen so they can limit their activity levels. It gives us a space to still provide them with enrichment activities, as we talked about today. And then, as our activity levels return to normal, they can be out and about with you in our home as long as they're content working on a chew, napping or engaging in a quiet activity. And then, of course, if you have any questions, always consult your veterinarian as to when they can return to full exercise or if something seems off or maybe they're not eating normally after several days. I mean, your veterinarian will give you all of the instructions post-surgery as to what you should watch for, signs you should look for, but if you have any questions, definitely reach out to them. So thanks for listening today.

Speaker 1: 10:45

You guys, just remember that it's important that we help our dogs stay somewhat calm after surgery. It's not going to be perfect. They might jog a little or trot a little here and there. We want to minimize it as much as possible. We want to give them the best chance of recovery. So it is important to keep them from running around jumping, doing kind of the wild, crazy puppy things that they love to do. So help them relax by doing the things that we talked about today. Engage them in those puzzle toys, the scent games, gentle training exercises, low impact activities, you know.

Speaker 1: 11:16

Go sniff walks. You'll notice after a few days that they want to return to their normal activity, but we're not supposed to yet let them. So those go sniff walks can be a good way to let them again engage in their environment without overdoing it. I wouldn't do very long go sniff walks but get them outdoors so they can sniff things in the environment on leash is a good, calm way to go about that. Doing all of these things can help alleviate the boredom and anxiety that our pets might experience during this critical healing period. So ultimately, remember we want to calm and mentally stimulated dog. That will contribute to a smoother recovery and ensure that they return to their playful, happy selves as soon as possible, which is what we all are going for. Right, you guys have a wonderful rest of your week. Happy training. If you have a question about anything you heard on this podcast or any other puppy training question, visit my site, Baxter and Bellacom, to contact me.