How to Determine Your Emotional Support Dog’s Mood?

Best friend, companion, and stress buster. You can call your emotional support dog anything. Your furry animal can sense your emotions, read your facial expressions, etc., thus communicating with you effectively.

Understanding your pet’s mood is the best way to meet its needs. But, how can you know what your dog is feeling? Professional dog trainers and vets have done a lot of research in this area. And, we have collected some of the best tips to understand your emotional support dog’s mood. Read on to learn more.

Major Emotions of an Emotional Support Dog & How to Figure Them Out

Happy

When your dog is happy, you will see its ear up and tail down. After you finish an activity with your emotional support dog, notice a few signs-

• Your dog’s mouth is open with tongue out
• Wagging the tail and ear bouncing around
• Leaning into your hand or leaning against you

Sad

There are various reasons why your emotional support dog is sad. Maybe your furry animal lost its favorite toy or you aren’t giving enough attention to it. Here are the signs that tell your pet is sad-

• Not taking treats
• Getting more sleep than normal
• It goes into hiding
• Not playing or having fun with you

To prevent dog sadness, you need to change the routine, spend more time with it, and encourage more physical activities. If these tricks don’t work, it may have dog depression, thus you need to consult a professional vet immediately.

Anxious

Common reasons for dog anxiety are fear of being alone, traveling, and meeting strange people. If left untreated, it can lead to behavioral and other mental health issues. Common signs of dog anxiety are-

• Digging
• Not eating food
• Showing destructive behavior such as destroying clothes
• Frequent urination

Regular exercise, massage, music for dog relaxation, and calming coats can help your dog fight anxiety.

Fearful

There are many things that can fear an emotional support dog, even when it’s at home. Maybe it’s not liking the noise of your new treadmill. Here are the signs of fear in your dog-

• Refusing food
• Not obeying your commands
• Excessive yawning

Identify the triggers of fear in your dog and make it feel comfortable, provide safety and work on building its confidence. Also, there are several medications available for relieving distress in dogs.

To keep your emotional support dog happy, it’s good to spend as much time with it. Take it out for walks regularly and provide mental stimulation to promote overall wellness.

By registering your emotional support dog, you can legally live with your furry animal without paying extra pet deposits under the Fair Housing Act (FHA). At My ESA Doctor, it’s very easy to apply for an ESA letter. Here’s the complete process-

• Sign up for an account online
• See a mental health practitioner via video call
• If approved, you will get an emotional support dog letter in PDF through the email

In conclusion, when figuring out your emotional support dog’s mood, learning about different signs is important. Your dog wags the tail and keeps its ear up when it’s happy. But, if it refuses to eat or obey your commands, it may be sad, anxious or fearful. So, exercise your dog daily and keep it entertained and happy to promote its and your health.