What Causes Dog Anxiety
- Fear of being abandon brought on by being given to a new home. This is especially true for dogs that have been rescued as a stray or dogs that have been adopted from the animal shelter. These dogs can be prone to developing separation anxiety difficulties.
- Daily routine changes, from the dog spending most of the time with his owner, to where the dog is alone most of the day.
- Moving to a new residence or any other significant changes in the dog’s environment.
How To Lessen Dog Anxiety
The first thing you need to do to deal with your dog’s anxiety is to evaluate his environment. Some dogs just don’t handle changes very well. If perhaps, there is a lot of stress in the dog owner’s life this could have a negative affect on the dog. Even bringing home a new baby can cause a dog severe anxiety. Giving extra special attention to your dog during this time can really help the dog handle the changes more calmly. Try to maintain a regular schedule for walking, feeding and playing with your dog, because this will help alleviate dog anxiety.
If the above suggestions don’t help, then it is probably time to see a veterinarian for advice or perhaps for some anti-anxiety medication. Medicine might be necessary for a short while combined with additional changes that you could make.
Certain dogs just possess an anxious temperament. Dogs certainly can get anxiety issues exactly like people can. These types of dogs might need long-term medication for their anxiety, however, environmental and behavioral changes ought to be tried out first.
Daily anti-anxiety medication is which is designed to be given once daily in order to keep the dog tranquil through out the day. It isn’t made to be given to the dog when they become overly excited or anxious on certain days. The first thing to do in such moments is to calmly speak to your dog with a comforting but firm voice. As long as your dog is not becoming aggressive, calmly and slowly pet your dog. A number of dogs could become aggressive and can try to bite. When possible, take the dog away from the situation that is causing the anxiety. Most importantly, stay calm yourself, since your dog will notice your behavior.
Please take note that “service dogs” like Seeing Eye dogs shouldn’t be given any kind of anti-anxiety medication unless a veterinarian has prescribed it. Otherwise, the medication could be too sedating and they won’t be able to correctly preform their job. A dog which is extremely anxious will obviously not be a great candidate for being a service dog. Also, dogs which compete in dog shows need to have calm dispositions, too. Competing in a lot of dog shows and competitions can result in stress for some dogs.
To sum it up, always use a calm, reassuring voice whenever you see that your dog is highly stressed or is having an anxious moment. If possible, then move your dog to a quiet room.