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---"I want to add my praise for WiggleLegs Frog toy.  My cat loves to play with WiggleLegs No other toy will do.  When I ask her to find WiggleLegs she goes right to it!  I just ordered 3 more as I'm afraid you will stop making them and then I don't know what we will do!"

---"Once again, you have provided excellent service with an excellent product. Thanks for the extra - it was a hit! My cats are totally addicted to the WiggleLegs Frog, so please keep plenty in stock!"


---"I just wanted to let you know that my cat, Molly, is absolutely addicted to your FlyToys. I literally have to hide them from her so she will go to sleep at night, but as soon as morning arrives she is sitting right in front of their hiding place waiting for them to come out and play."

Each MetPet FlyToy is handmade by skilled artisans with great attention to detail.  They come in the form of bugs, amphibians, mammals and more in three very reasonable price points.

---"I can't believe how your company understands cats so well"


Techniques to Calm Your Dog

Your dog can read and copy your emotions

Excited dog at the bottom of a treeDoes your dog whine, claw at the door and bark when you pick up the leash?  Does he become rigid and raise his hackles when he sees another dog coming down the street?  Does he fly like a rocket and pound on the door whenever someone rings the doorbell?  Does he cringe and shake when there are loud noises?

When your dog is excited, tense or nervous he is less likely and perhaps less able to listen to you.  He can be jumping up and down, whining or barking incessantly, pulling hard on the leash or dancing and twirling in the air.  In his excited state, he may take off with leash in tow, argue with other dogs, hurt himself or hurt you.

It is useful to have some general purpose techniques to calm your dog in a variety of different situations.  They may not always make your dog perfectly calm and quiet but, at the least, they can avoid making the situation worse. 

Calm yourself
Your dog can and does read the emotions on your face.  Try making an odd face in front of your dog and watch his reaction. 

If you are as tense and excited as your dog is, this will serve to heighten his tension.  Your dog takes cues from you including any added tension on the leash, the stiffening of your body, a louder voice, a higher pitched voice, a gruffer voice, etc.  If you think the situation is worth becoming tense over, your dog will agree with you.

Be aware of the tension in your eyes, your shoulders, your arms and hands.  Deliberately diffuse the tension by focusing on these areas and relaxing them.  Round your shoulders, breath deeply, close your eyes if necessary and relax your fingers without letting go of the leash if you have one.  

Focus on something else
Your dog can focus intently on approximately one thing at a time.  If he is overly concerned about a loud noise or another dog for example, try turning his attention to something else. 

Simply turning him, physically, away from the source of excitement can do the trick.  If he is bounding towards the door, calling him back and making him sit can help calm him.  Throw a favorite toy in the opposite direction.  A small, favorite and rare treat can be a big distraction provided that he is calm enough to eat without choking.  Just smelling a pungent treat such as liver can work.

Engage in some play acting
Adopt some clearly understood signals that show your dog that there is nothing to be excited about.  These are signals that dogs use themselves to show that they are not particularly excited, tense or nervous at the moment.

Yawn deeply and slowly.  Close your eyes, take in lots of air, take your time and make loud yawning noises.  Show your dog that there's nothing to be excited about. 

Stretch your arms as if you are going to touch your toes.  Stretching upwards can be interpreted as making yourself larger and more aggressive so curling yourself downward should have the opposite effect. 

Look the other way and find something else to focus on.  Staring directly at your dog can increase his excitement.  Staring is considered an aggressive and sometimes threatening gesture.  Looking away is considered calming and low key. 

Having a number of different techniques can come in handy when there is really something to get nervous or tense about.  It helps to have tried them all and become very familiar with the ones that work for you. 

 

 

 
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