We’re all familiar with the image of a dog howling at the moon. We’re also familiar with the cultural whereabouts of turning into a werewolf (had to mention this Halloween is just around the corner) and with the skeptics deploring, I’m the master of my own destiny. We’re not here to contend that. We’re here to advocate for you to consider what might be going for your pet between the dates of Oct 1-25th of this month. For those of you who are following the planets and a fan of horoscopes you may or may not be familiar with Mercury Retrograde. We at Dog Nanny know that being in the pet care industry means taking notice of how the moon yes, even the planets can affect your pet’s mood and behavior and body and here to shed some light (no pun intended) on your dog’s behavior and also what you can do to make the best of this period.
We know that the full moon just passed and full moons tend to agitate animals. For pets what we typically see is more activity– namely strange behaviors. A desire to go out for more or longer walks and a general restlessness. There can also be an increase in water take and of course a larger more heavy appetite. Since full moons happens once of month, you can expect that this may be an influence on your pets aberrant behaviors or cravings. With this month, we also had the blood orange moon (did anyone notice that on Oct. 7th, the moon was Orange on Tuesday and then Yellow on Weds– so beautiful). Why not during these full moon periods, take advantage of the moon’s beauty and mitigate some of your pet’s strange behaviors, desires to possibly move their body more with an extra 5-7 mins on your walk, switching up your walk routine (if you always start your walk heading in one direction, go the opposite direction), if you always walk at a leisurely pace, add a hop or skip to your step during the middle of your stroll and keep your pup mentally engaged. Does your dog always eat the same thing for Breakfast and Dinner? Why not add a healthy seasonal snack such as a pieces of apples or asian pears or pumpkin to their diet this month. Imagine eating granola everyday, boring!! This may become especially evident during this Mercury Retrograde. Mercury Retrograde is a time to SLOW DOWN and take inventory of habits and patterns that you’d like to revisit. It’s also a time to wrap up loose ends and close up unfinished projects.
Here’s our list of 7 recommended activities to do with and for your pup during this Mercury Retrograde:
1) Purchase/Make your dog’s Halloween Costume (get a head start before the costume stores are all picked over.
2) Do you have a bunch of treats that you purchased that your pup decided he/she didn’t like. Donate that to your local shelter or give to your neighbor’s dog! Sharing is caring!
3) With Summer Friday’s long gone, have you been putting on the hours (and perhaps the pounds) at work? Use this time to take your pup out for a longer walk and or change up your walk route.
4) Your pup likely eats the same thing everyday. Why don’t both of you add some pumpkin and seasonal fruit to your meal starting today! Nothing boosts your immune system like the full nutrients of locally sourced ingredients. Can we say Green Markets and Whole Foods?
5) Take this time to train your pup to get their commands down solid. Can Fido sit but only until the treat is dispensed then is up like a rocketship? Does your pup only respond to paw when there’s the inclination that a high value reward is hiding in someone’s pocket? Use this time to really master those basic commands and if your pup has those down extend the time between the trick is employed and the reward is delivered.
6) Did you purchase a doggie daycare package of 10 or 20 days but have been lagging on socializing your pup. Use this period to bring your pet in and use up those days!!
7) Do you have a year’s supply of dog shampoo? Now’s the time with the season’s changing to give your dog a bath at home or bring him in for a professional one. With the season’s changing the and weather getting drier, it’s the perfect time to get a deshedding treatment or a nice soothing bath to kickstart the fall with hydrated skin and coat. Be sure to pick up a shampoo with soothing ingredients like lavender and chamomile.
Written By: Cynthia Okimoto, a Holistic Pet Practitional, Animal Communicator and Reiki Master. Okimoto owns and operated a hotel and daycare for small breed dogs in NYC. @holisticpethealer @newyorkdognanny
