Dogs are pack animals and naturally desire the company of others. They need interaction with others. Their needs can be filled with other animals as well as their human care takers.
Similar to scenarios where children become too close to their mothers or fathers, dogs can also become too attached to their owners. This is an unhealthy attachment and can be the cause of separation anxiety.
You should bring up the problem to your veterinarian. In some cases, medication may be necessary. This is in the more extreme situations but when a dog gets themselves so anxious that they will hurt themselves with their behavior, medication may be the only answer. This is for the most extreme cases.
Small dogs and senior dogs are the categories that are most likely to display traits of anxiety.
Some of the typical signs that your dog has got anxiety tendencies:
- 1. Your dog greets you with over enthusiasm. You are greeted with over abundance.
- 2. Your dog follows you everywhere you go and wants to be at your side as much as possible.
- 3. Your dog misbehaves when left alone.
- 4. Your dog shows anxiety when you are getting ready to leave the house.
Sometimes these behaviors can be a display of boredom but in most cases it is anxiety brought on by being left alone.
Signs of Anxiety
Here are some of the behaviors you may see in your dog:
- 1. Peeing – This can happen after you’ve returned after a few hours or when a new person visits yours home. Usually the dog will lower its head and will dribble a trail of urine along the floor. It’s possibly a physical condition that could be contributing to the problem but it is very common as an anxiety behavior.
- 2. Panting
- 3. Trembling
- 4. Lowering the Belly – this is when the dog lowers its belly to ground level and then creeps along. This is displaying submissive behavior.
- 5. Nipping and Snapping – It is very common for small dogs to show aggressive tendencies possibly to compensate for their small stature.
Dog behaviorists cannot explain exactly why some dogs develop anxiety. It may be brought on by an incident they experienced such as an exceptionally loud and strong thunderstorm that occurred while they happen to be home alone.
Ways to Deal with Anxiety in Your Dog
Dealing with your dog’s anxiety is not easy and you may not be able to “cure” them entirely but you may be able to alleviate the problem to make your life and your dog’s life easier.
Here are some recommendations you can easily implement.
Be Cool and Calm
When you return home, play it cool. Don’t greet the dog. You should pretend the dog is invisible until you see signs that your dog is calming down. You shouldn’t feed into the excitement and anxious behavior when your dog initially greets you with an over abundance of enthusiasm. Only greet your dog after you see signs that their excitement is abetting.
Be Confident
Act with Consistency and Confidence
You should display a calm confidence when dealing with your dog’s anxiety. Your confidence will help your dog overcome their own security. They pick up on your feelings. You have to be confident and consistent with your behavior to give your dog a sense of who is in charge and to give them guidance they can count on. Consistency will make it easier to teach them the behavior you expect from them. Inconsistency will confuse your dog.
Use Distractions
Distract your pet to help alleviate their anxious behavior. If you pet is afraid of thunderstorms, take action to get their attention away from it. Close your windows and put on some music to drown out the sounds of the storm. Give your dog a toy to involve it’s attention.
Medications
In the most extreme problem cases, tranquilizers may be prescribed by your veterinarian. When your dog is getting sick with anxiety or hurting themselves during episodes of anxiety, medication may be the best answer.
Although you may not be able to cure your dog’s anxiety, you have the ability to alleviate this stress on your dog and the disruption it causes to your life. Try our various suggestions and be consistent. Your hard work will eventually be worth the time and effort you put into it.
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