Could a donut dog bed help your dogs separation anxiety?
We’ve always been weary of separation anxiety in dogs. In fact, it’s far more common than people realise. Did you know 8 out of 10 dogs experience symptoms of separation anxiety when left on their own?
To your dog, you’re the centre of their world. When you’re away from them, some can find it incredibly difficult to be alone. Coming home to your furry best friend is the highlight of your day but when your pooch has separation anxiety you might also come back to chewed up shoes or holes in your sofa.
Luckily, there are steps we can take and products we can use to ease our dogs separation anxiety such as getting a donut dog bed. To give you the full scoop, we’ve teamed up with FunnyFuzzy UK to dive into separation anxiety, and why their super sumptuous donut bed for dogs might just be key to helping them relax.
What Is Separation Anxiety?
Separation anxiety is when a dog who is very attached to their owner experiences symptoms of stress and anxiety when left alone.
Some dogs will bark, howl, chew, or destroy things to show the distressing feelings of being separated from their ‘pack leader’. While others won’t show any signs of destructive or disturbing behaviour, suffering from anxiety in silence – this often goes unnoticed by owners.
How Do I Know If My Dog Has It?
Separation anxiety can manifest itself into many different behaviours, for example:
- Destructive behaviour – chewing and destroying furniture, clothes, shoes and toys. Sometimes the damage can even be targeted at the door you left the house from
- Vocalisation – howling, barking, moaning or whining
- Toileting or vomiting
- Trembling, shaking or pacing
- Salivation or self-directed behaviours (licking or bite themselves excessively)
- Overly repetitive behaviour
Click here for more information on separation anxiety.
How Can I Help Them?
Treating this condition takes patience and lots of training. Usual tips include leaving them a “special toy” for mental stimulation when you aren’t around and minimising disturbance by keeping curtains closed so they can’t see passers by and become stressed.
Spotify has the “My Dog’s Favourite Podcast”, created with the RSPCA to help dogs with separation anxiety. Running in two five-hour stretches and featuring reassuring human voices and ambient sounds like rainfall.
Another step you can take is purchasing a donut dog bed for your furry best friend.
Why Do Donut Beds Help?
Dogs are not as different from humans as we sometimes make out. When experiencing stress and anxiety they seek comfort and support. Donut dog beds can provide your dog with plenty of plush cushioning to keep your dog feeling both comfortable and secure.
These beds have a raised rim design which provides support to the head and neck. When tucked away inside the bed your pooch can either curl up, or rest their head on the walls of the bed to see everything going on around in the house.
The fact that they are rounded also provides a calming effect as your dog feels cuddled up and enclosed while lying in it. This offers a sense of security that is particularly soothing to dogs that suffer with separation anxiety.
Essentially, the donut shape appeals to your dogs natural animal instincts. Did you know that dogs actually prefer round-shaped things? Their instinct makes them wary of anything with a sharp edge which in turn makes it very uncomfortable and unsettling.
Where Can I Buy A Donut Dog Bed?
At FunnyFuzzy UK you can find a great donut dog bed for your pooch to sink into. Their tail-wagging donut bed will give your dog the feeling of being gently hugged to make them comfortable and secure.
Here you can find both a medium and large dog bed, perfect for stretching out those paws. However, there is much more to it than the size. Here’s what you need to know:
Material
What the donut dog bed is made of will play a big role in how comfortable your dog is sitting in it. This large dog bed is soft to the touch but is filled with high bounce foam cushion. Bouncy foam cushion is used in many calming beds for pooches and is known to help relieve joint pain in older dogs.
The materials that make up the bed are cotton, velveteen, foam and polypropylene so you know your pooch will be relaxed on their comfortable bed.
Size
It’s essential to get the right size dog bed to battle separation anxiety. As it is intended to have a calming effect it needs to be big enough that your pooch can lie down and lounge in a comfortable position. While we all know dogs love to curl up in a ball to sleep it’s important that they have the freedom to stretch out when they desire. Having unrestricted space also prevents your pooch from feeling trapped in the large dog bed.
Funny Fuzzy UK offer both a medium dog bed and large dog bed to accommodate all pups. Measure your dog from head to tail so that you know you’re getting the right sized bed. This is important as if they’re uncomfortable in their dog bed they won’t use it or it could worsen their seperation anxiety.
Waterproof
The donut dog bed has a waterproof inner cover. This is especially useful because many dogs lose control of their bladders when they feel anxious. These accidents can be difficult to clean up but the large dog bed has a removable cover which is machine washable to make it easier. The cover is also very durable so you don’t have to worry about spills or mess.
Do You Have A Donut Bed?
The biggest priority for any dog mum or dad is making sure their pooch feels calm and safe in their own home. Your dog relies on you to love and care for them. Separation anxiety is much more common among our pets than a lot of people realise. While you can’t completely cure your dogs separation anxiety you can take steps to make it easier for them.
A donut dog bed is one such step that will provide your furry best friend with support and comfort.
Check out the other great products that FunnyFuzzy UK have for our pooches here.
