How to Have a Happier Life with Dogs and Cats
It is wonderful to share our lives with animals. But sometimes they can get bored, or stressed with having to fit into our human world. How can we address their needs to help them be more themselves? Animal Chaplain Shel Graves, a dog trainer and cat behavior specialist who has worked in rescue for years, explains simple things you can do to give your animals a greater sense of choice, which increases their well-being by reducing boredom. Animals can get frustrated, anxious, and fearful just like us. Helping them by providing small opportunities to do more of their “natural behaviors” can alleviate many behavior issues.
She explains how you can create novelty in their life with just simple things you can do at home. And as an animal chaplain, she acknowledges that our lives with our animals are always far too short. What we can do is meditate with our animals or have special times where our attention is just on them. This sacred bonding time is something we will never forget, making every minute we have together peaceful and delightful. Shel Graves does consultations online and in person.
You can reach her at shelgravesanimal.com. Mention that you heard this podcast, and she will send you her list of 10 Fun Activities for Dogs or 10 Fun Activities for Cats.
Listen to Episode #79 Now:
BIO:
Shel has seven years of shelter and rescue experience working with traumatized animals and working to strengthen the human-animal bond.
Fear Free Certified Trainer Professional,
Fear Free Speaker, Fear Free Coach
Academy for Dog Trainers, CTC
UW-AAB, Applied Animal Behavior
IAABC, CSB-D, Certified Shelter Behavior-Dog
Pet Professional Guild, Member
IAAHPC, Animal Hospice Advocate
CARE REDI Bronze Certification: Racism, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
In addition, Shel is an Ordained Animal Chaplain through the Compassion Consortium (an interfaith, interspiritual, and interspecies center) and a member of the Board of Directors for the American Association of Veterinary Chaplains.
Transcript: