Dogs and Anxiety Issues.

It can be difficult to determine if your pet has an anxiety problem. In general, they cannot communicate with us, but the signs your pet may be suffering from anxiety can be determined by paying attention to how they act.

Anxiety in dogs can be seen by how they act when they are left alone. Most dogs will rest and relax when nothing is happening, but a pet with anxiety issues may exhibit all sorts of unusual behaviours to calm themselves. Some of these behaviours include:

● Digging

● Barking at ‘nothing’

● Trying to escape

● Pacing and panting excessively

● Destroying furniture

Being able to spot anxiety in your pet can help in your ability to treat these conditions. The cause for anxiety in dogs can be shown during a few specific events, although it’s important to remember that while these are the main causes, they are not the only ones.

Fear of Loud Noises

Many dogs are sensitive to loud noises, as it can alert them to many goings on in their vicinity, and it is important not to train them out of reacting to sound. One of the most common problems is a dog overreacting to the noise from thunderstorms, vacuum cleaners and other unusual sounds.

There are a few ways that you can help your dog cope with loud noises. You can try using medicinal tablets to help calm your dog. Check the dosage on the packets and try to treat an hour or so before the noise is going to happen. While this is not possible for random noises, it is easy to do before thunderstorms and using noisy equipment like vacuum cleaners.

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety can be difficult to deal with as often you are not home when the problem occurs. However, as many dogs do not have a solid sense of time it can be treated with training.

Your pet is very attuned to your behaviour and what happens when you leave. Try changing up your routine when you leave. Do things like get ready to leave the house, but instead of leaving sit back down. This will break the association between you leaving the home and the dog being alone.

Leave your dog for a very short amount of time. Get ready and go out the door as if you are going for the day. Then after about five minutes open the door and reassure your dog that everything is okay. You can extend this time out until your dog understands that even though you are leaving, you’ll be back soon.

In conclusion, dogs are very sensitive to what is happening around them and will often ‘act out’ to calm themselves down, or to try and make everything better. By using these simple techniques, it is possible to train your dog out of a problem, and medicate to help alleviate any stress and anxiety.