Here are some of my self-care tips:

“We’re so worried about messing up with these guys.” 

We do see a ton of first-time dog owners’ anxiety about owning a pet because we want to do it perfectly. We have a lot of tips out there for dog owners about how to best care for their pets and things of that nature but along with being a dog parent is to be the kind of person who takes interest in everything that concerns his/her dog. To be a pet owner is simply owning a pet where commonly, you make it guard the house but when you are a pet parent or a dog parent, a dog is a part of the family, an actual member.

This means you’d do the same thing to your dogs the same way you take care of your children and the people around you. To be effective in all of these, it’s super important to take care of yourself especially if you’re dealing with a pet that’s ill, your self-care can get lost in the shuffle.

Do dogs think you are their parents?

I think they respect us. They love us and they understand the relationship and certainly, we feel that responsibility to care for them and make sure that they are well taken care of, to the best of our abilities. It is a piece of good news most especially to the new fur moms and fur dads because yes, they don’t just think of us as their parents, but also their family. Dogs’ brain scans through neuroimaging studies reveal that they rely on us more than they do on their kind for affection, protection, and everything in between based on the conducted on dogs 

What are some self-care tips that we can do on a daily basis? 

One of the tips for dog owners on why dog parents should have time for self-care is to make sure that we’re not kind of overwhelmed while working ourselves. The other thing I think it’s important to remember is that, if we’re anxious and we are upset, our dogs and our cats will be upset as well. So I’m going to give you six self care tips and strategies. Some of them are directly for you and some of them are so that you’ll stop worrying so much. These tips for self-care are surely the easiest things to do.

• Don’t worry, be happy.

Do you remember that song? It’s true because if you are constantly worried, “Oh my gosh, my dog might get out and eat a poisonous plant!” “Oh my gosh, my dog might get out and get hit by a car if I don’t have them all strapped in!” They’re going to read that energy from you. So it is super important to just be relaxed and chill, make sure you know what your routine is so that you can prevent accidents from happening. 

• Get pet insurance.

Unfortunately, if your pet gets into an accident, whether it’s just vomiting and diarrhea because it ate something funky off the sidewalk, that’s extremely expensive. So if you have pet insurance and you know that coverage is in effect, you may have to pay it at the emergency clinic, but you’re going to be reimbursed for the majority of that bill. That’s going to take a tremendous amount of stress off of your back, and also make sure that the decisions that you’re making for your pet’s health care aren’t limited by finances.

• Make sure that you and your pet are exercising every day. 

If you’re exercising, walking vigorously with your pet, or playing with things of that nature, it reduces your stress level dramatically. The other thing that happens is it helps your dog expend energy so that energy doesn’t turn into anxiety and as a result, bad behaviors. This is one of the most important things that you can do together.

• Make sure that you are eating real food to prevent health issues. 

I want to make sure that you’re eating real food and that your dog is eating real food. You’re both going to feel better. Your anxiety level is going to drop and you’re going to start acting and thinking more clearly so that you can both be a lot worse.

• Take time to chill. 

So whether that is just sitting on the back porch with no phone or sitting on a sofa with your dog and meditating, for instance, you could do the clear energy technique. I’ve got a video about that. That’s going to help you. Calm down and it’s going to help you relax your pet, relax, and it will help you sleep better at night amongst other things.

• Make sure that you let your pet be your role model as far as taking care of yourself. 

That means that you’re taking enough time to rest if you’re tired, you’re eating when you’re hungry, you’re drinking when you’re thirsty, and you are showing love to everybody you meet, even though somebody down the street may be kind of a jerk. If you go bouncing up like, “Oh, I’m so glad to see you!” They’re going to be like, “Whoa. Okay.” Then they’re going to have a very different response to you. 

So let your dog be your guide as far as how they’re responding to the environment. You know, I always say that Peppa is my role model because he makes sure that he rests plenty, he claims himself. If something is really interesting to him, he goes and gets it. 

I am Dr. Ruth Roberts, your pet’s ally.