Anxiety in Dogs

Just like with people, anxiety in dogs can show up at any time, for any reason. And like humans, canines have emotions too.

The key is to know what your pet is upset about and how to correct the problem.

You can tell your dog's emotions by watching and observing him in various situations. And yes, they have long memories either good or bad.

Pleasant experiences bring about happiness whereas bad ones bring on anxiety in dogs. You are not a psychiatrist and can't have your dog lie on the couch and tell you what's wrong.

You can, however, observe and try to help your pet through his "anxiety attacks."

Some of the most common anxieties in dogs that we've experienced over the years and "re-training" are listed below:

The big #1 anxiety in dogs is fear of loud noises, specifically thunder and gun shots.

Your pet may go crazy barking, spinning and lunging or may slink away and hide. Ours did the previous.

When a thunder storm was approaching, our dog would become anxious and start to pace. By the way, animals are sensitive to change in barometric pressure.

At the first rumble of thunder, off he went. The best thing to do is do nothing. Ignore his behavior. This lets him know that there is nothing to be upset about.

If you are not upset, he will see that there isn't anything to worry about.

Did this work? NO! So we tried something else. We turned on the TV or stereo so there was extra noise. It took awhile for our dog to start to ignore the thunder, but he finally did.

Also, we would give him a chew bone and have him sit beside us while we watched TV so he could take out his frustration. Eventually, storms were not an issue any longer.

But, when a huge clap of thunder and lightening happened, we all jumped and he would start again. Just bring him back to your chair, give him his chew and he would settle down.

I'm not saying that your dog will stop altogether, but we found it helped ours tremendously.

Separation anxiety in dogs is another biggie. Again, one of our "kids" developed it. We found that having another pet in the house can help with this problem.

This behavior starts when you leave your dog alone. He has become so dependent on you that when you leave, the anxiety starts.

This can lead to destructive actions such as digging up carpet, chewing on walls and doors, destroying furniture, etc.

You can start re-training or desensitizing by leaving your pet for short periods of time. Walk out the door, wait a few minutes, then come back in.

You will increase the time away gradually, and vary your returns.

Doing this, your dog thinks you can return at any time and therefore settles down waiting for you.

If this doesn't work, talk to your vet. There are anti-anxiety meds out there for you to give your dog before you leave that will mellow him out and stop the destructive behavior.

The best way to prevent this kind of anxiety in dogs is not to let it get started. Crate training your puppy from the beginning will teach him separation is ok and that you will return to him.

Carsickness is a common anxiety in dogs. Think about it for a minute. If taking your dog in the car means the vet for shots, he will relate a bad experience with the car.

So, to start, give him pleasant experiences riding. One of our dogs had to have the back windows cracked so she could smell out the window. Do not let your dog hang it's head out.

Road debris, airborne particles and such can get into your dog's eyes, nose and throat.

Back to carsickness, start with just sitting in the car with your pet. Play some soothing music on the radio. Your dog may not even want to get into the car.

Our trick was to put her favorite treat on the seat and she eventually got in. Praise for going that one big step. Then sit for awhile and enjoy the music.

On the next "trip" start the engine. If your dog starts to get anxious put on the music and sit until he settles down.

Next step, drive down the driveway and keep the music on. Go back up the driveway, repeat. Give praise when he settles down.

Then go a little further up the street, praise. Go further. When your pet has settled down riding, take him into town and maybe go to a fast food stop. Get yourself some lunch and sit in the car with your dog. Maybe even give him a french fry for being good.

I can hear you all now, don't shout. One little fry won't hurt and it will give your dog a treat showing him car rides can be fun and not traumatic. It works for ours.

They even know when a certain food chain is in site (by the arches) and anxiously look for us to pull in. Sort of like human kids.

These are just a few of the major anxieties in dogs you may have to deal with. Anyway, the bottom line is to start preventing anxieties before they start, when your dog is a puppy.

You will find you will have a pet that is well adjusted and will eliminate a lot of problems in the future.