Pets and Emotion

Pets and Emotion

Pets like people have emotions and these emotions can range from rage to euphoria which, are normal responses given the right set of circumstances. The problems start to arise when the emotional levels remain too high, or more commonly too low, or the mood swings become exaggerated.

Having acknowledged the emotional conflict within the animal, the key to resolving the problem is bringing the animal’s emotional state back to within normal limits. It is crucial, when considering your pet’s behaviour to consider the emotions it is undergoing, which ultimately drive the behaviour.Hyperactivity is often misread as a dog or cat being too excitable and overtly ‘happy’, however typically the levels of activity are fuelled by the animal continually seeking it’s next ‘fix’ of reward, which could be brought about by running around the house, stealing items and food, attention seeking etc. and all to excess. Animals like this respond well to a continued use of Serene-Um for several months, coupled with more stimulating and challenging activities such as clicker training and food dispensing toys to increase concentration levels.

Pets sometimes suffer from low mood states as do humans, becoming irritable and grumpy over insignificant events. This can lead to Jekyll and Hyde type behaviour including spontaneous outbursts of aggression, episodes of growling and the unconditional desire to be left alone. Low mood states or mood swings can be caused by many different situations: the importance of recognising it and treating it swiftly cannot be emphasised enough, so the behaviour does not become learned over a period of time and therefore more resistant to modification.