How to Tell If Your Dog is Anxious


Dogs do not speak human. I have written about anthropomorphizing your pet and as I said in that blog post, there are dangers in assuming you know what your pet is feeling. BUT, dogs do feel pain, sadness, happiness and even fear. Fear is the basis of anxiety whether it is a warranted fear or not, it elicits humans and dogs into the instinctual drive of either freezing, fighting or flight. Causes of anxiety in dogs can vary, it can be from an illness, aging, a terrible experience or even being unsocialized as a puppy. Regardless of the cause, it is up to us pet parents to recognize our dog's language on when it is frightened:

Mild Cues That Often Go Unnoticed

  • Hiding or seeking solitude
  • Seeking comfort from favorite guardian. Ex: Jumping up into a lap or leaning against legs.
  • Shaking or panting. Keep in mind that normal panting happens when a dog is hot or has just exercised. If your dog is excessively panting for no reason, they are probably anxious.
  • Excessive licking or chewing. This one you need to rule out allergies before jumping right into anxiety.
More Blatant Cues That Often Mean Your Dog is Having a Panic Attack
  • Excessive barking and howling.
  • Aggression towards another pet, you or someone else (that's the fight instinct triggering).
  • Trying to escape
  • Excessive pacing 
  • Excretion in inappropriate places when potty trained
  • Destruction that is not related to being a puppy or juvenile dog
If you notice any of these symptoms in your dog, the first and foremost thing is to go to your veterinarian to rule out a health issue. If it is indeed anxiety, there are many things you can do. After ruling out health issues, you need to identify what is causing the anxiety. Once you have the trigger identified, you can start a desensitization program with controlled exposure and giving rewards for positive behavior. This kind of program is best developed and implemented with a dog behaviorist expert. If done improperly, you could risk your dog's anxiety becoming worse. Veterinarians can also recommend medication or supplements to help with the anxiety. Most importantly, do not leave your dog's anxiety untreated. A dog's anxiety can escalate if left untreated. Your dog can end up in a dangerous situation or cause itself harm. In addition, do not scold or praise your dog when they are having a panic attack. You must remain calm and stable even when your furry companion is not. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

8 DIY Enrichment Games for the Canine Mind

Image
As winter continues on, we all try to ward off the winter blues by taking our handful of vitamin D daily and watching endless hours of Netflix. Sometimes, we take hikes in the winter wonderland...or there is skiing...or ice climbing.  But let's face it, winter is a time of hibernation and cabin fever can take it's toll. A dog's mental health can suffer. While you can go skiing and ice climbing, a dog can't. They get bored when mental and physical exercise are not consistent. And a bored dog equals a mischievous dog. Luckily, humans are also a creative species and below I have found a bunch of DIY enrichment games for dogs. So start crafting away the winter canine blues! What you see above is a "snuffle pad". You can purchase these or make them. The picture above is a snuffle pad from an Etsy store: FleeceBeWithYou . The price of these mats vary depending upon size and weight ($9.00- $50.00) Snuffle pads are also fairly easy to make, but can b
Read more

DIY Enrichment Games For Your Dog

Image
Because we have a great Enrichment Program , I thought it would be fun to post some enrichment games you can make for your dog at home:  Image: Yes Missy The Muffin Tin Game is somewhat like Hide-and-Go-Seek, but with treats instead of humans. It's pretty simple and easy to put together. You just grab a muffin pan, and place a few treats in random indentations in the pan. Then, place tennis balls over all the indentations. You dog needs to A) figure out how to get the balls out and B) figure out which indentations hold the treats. A full tutorial can be found here: Yes Missy . Image: The Nerd's Wife This enrichment game was found on The Nerd's Wife and will keep your dog entertained for hours. I do want to write a little disclaimer: The Nerd's Wife tutorial on how to make this enrichment toy also endorses Purina Beyond Pet Food. Though Bark City thinks this is an awesome idea for an enrichment toy, we are not endorsing Purina Beyond.... Because, well...
Read more

Dog Collar Safety In Daycares

Image
At Bark City, we have a "No Collar Rule" while the dogs are in the daycare. When two dogs are playing and have collars on, they can quickly become entangled. Teeth, jaws and feet can get caught.  Once the entanglement happens, things can escalate quickly. A dog can start to panic: twisting, turning and pulling to get free. This can result in an injury to the area of the body that is trapped. In addition, there is the risk of the twisted collar on the dog cutting off the oxygen supply resulting in asphyxiation. Outside of a dog care facility, collar safety is a must for owners as well. There are three basic types of collars: Each collar serves a different purpose and should be used at the appropriate time. I am using examples found on 2 Hounds Design , simply because they had images of the three types of collars I am want to discuss: This type of collar is called a Martingale Collar and is often used with dogs that have a smaller head than neck. Owners often use the
Read more