Pet Forum

Let's discuss the causes, symptoms, and treatments for dog anxiety. Let's begin by defining dog anxiety:

What is dog anxiety? A lot of the behavior problems dogs have are related to problems with anxiety. Anxiety can manifest itself in several ways, ranging from destroying things with their teeth to doing their needs inside the house, barking, growling, grunting, attacking because of fear, or by becoming hyperactive. And these problems occur because of different reasons as well. An example of this is when an owner yells at his dog too much, it can turn a normally peaceful dog into nervous one. Another thing that can stress a dog out is a constant change of his daily routine and it can make the dog become insecure. An example of this could be when a baby comes into the home, or when a member of the family is sick, even birthdays, holidays, or celebrations, people coming to visit etc. The owner must help the dog feel secure and calm in all of these types of events and circumstances.

What causes anxiety in dogs? Separation anxiety happens when a dog becomes stressed each and every time he or she is left alone. Typically the dog paces, whines, chews or scratches door and window sills, makes housebreaking mistakes, barks and generally gets stressed out. It doesn't matter if you're gone for five minutes or five hours, your dog stresses the moment you leave.

What are some symptoms of dog anxiety? Dogs can react to a lack of exercise and or the stress of being separated from their "pack member(s)" by becoming destructive, barking continuously, or eliminating in the house. The degrees can vary, and your dog may only do one, or perhaps all of the behaviors. You may see personality changes in your pet as well. He may become aggressive, or shy. He may become depressed and can even make himself sick. They may begin to chew on parts of their own body. Our neighbor's German Shepherd chewed on his tail so much that it had to be amputated. He had recently lost his favorite "pack member" and obviously didn't have another strong enough pack leader, to take its place.

How can I treat dog anxiety? Keep both farewells and return greetings very low-key, even to the extent that you ignore your dog for 10+ minutes before leaving and 3-5 minutes upon arrival. Offer low-key greeting once your dog settles down. This reduces the emotional roller-coaster many dogs experience when their owners come and go. After all, if you kiss, hug and say sad goodbyes every time you leave your dog, then celebrate your reunion at the door each time you return, the void of being alone without you will make things that much harder for your dog to be without you. In severe cases of separation anxiety, in conjunction with behavior modification, psychotropic medication (such as Clomicalm) may be recommended by your vet or behaviorist.

__________________