Anxiety
Anxiety in pet dogs is typically a display of behavior due to the dog feeling uncertain, worried, and/or anticipating something negative happening in the face of a particular stimuli, situation, and/or environment. These cases are quite common for what I see.
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Dogs can develop anxiety through a number of ways including genetics, challenges in early development, lack of appropriate socialization, traumatic events, or any combination thereof.
Anxiety in your dog may look like frantic behavior, pacing, abnormal panting, excessive whining/crying, an inability to settle, etc. and may occur around other animals, other people, when in certain environments, on walks, or even around yourself and in your own home.
These cases include but are not limited to:
Anxiety when left alone
Anxiety when confined
Anxiety in the car
Anxiety in new places
Anxiety on walks
Having a dog who displays anxiety can be emotionally draining and stressful. It’s very different from having to deal with “basic” behavior problems (like jumping and leash pulling) because there’s a huge emotional component at play. Therefore in most cases we cannot treat anxiety as we would treat obedience problems. Most other dog owners and even many dog trainers don’t understand this, which is why I’m here to help.
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It’s important to understand what anxiety is and how to differentiate between normal and even acceptable displays of anxiety, versus displays of anxiety that could potentially escalate to self injurious behavior, and/or excessive anxiety that can inhibit the dog’s quality of life. Anxious dogs are not having a good time, and usually their owners aren’t, either. Forming realistic expectations for your individual dog is imperative, along with accepting who your dog is and what they are capable of.
This can all seem incredibly daunting, but with the right mindset shift and solid commitment we can greatly reduce the overall stress that both you and your dog are experiencing. Together, I can help you understand how to reduce your dog’s overall stress, how to help them feel more comfortable, and how to create more structure and predictably in their daily routines.
PRO TIP
If you are currently experiencing situations where your dog is displaying fear, it is best advised to avoid putting your dog into these situations entirely until you have a professional plan set in place. However if that is not entirely possible at the moment, try creating a daily routine for your dog that is predictable for them - because when we know what to expect, we don’t need to worry.
And For More Tips...
