Living With an Anxious Dog

I see a lot of anxious dogs every day.  Some belong to neighbors and other people I see when I am out walking with my own dogs or running errands.  Many belong to my clients. Living day in and day out with an anxious dog can be stressful, frustrating, and maddening at times.  I've had clients question whether they were the right fit for their anxious dogs; that is, would the dog be better off (i.e. less anxious) living with someone else. When your dog seems anxious no matter what you do, I can easily see why you might question your fitness to be their caretaker.  So, what can and should you be doing for your anxious dog?

First off, don't take it personally.  While it is the case that anxious people can make their dogs anxious as well, there are a whole lot of dogs out there living with profoundly anxious people, helping them cope and adjust every day, who never display any anxiety themselves.  More likely than not, anxious dogs are a product of their genetics and/or early environmental influences.  Anxious parents can create anxious offspring.  It behooves breeders not to breed anxious dogs thereby potentially perpetuating the problem in future litters of puppies. In addition, puppies who experience fearful situations during critical periods in their development may manifest their anxiety into adulthood. For example, a puppy who was startled by firecrackers on the 4th of July may mature into an adult dog who is anxious with all loud noises.

Second, recognize your dog's anxiety, but don't reinforce it.  If you lavish an anxious dog with attention, you can make them even more upset. And punishment will only make it worse as well.  If instead, you take your anxious dog aside to a place where they feel safe, and stay with them until they calm down, you are helping them to cope.  If you know what triggers your dog, you can avoid those situations in an effort to keep your dog's stress level manageable.

Third, acknowledge that you may need help.  If your dog is anxious all the time, even in their own home and without any obvious triggers, it's time to get some professional help. Your first stop is your veterinarian's office.  There are several medical conditions that can manifest as behavioral changes.  So, if the anxiety had a sudden onset without any recognizable trigger, it's time for a check up to rule out medical problems. If your vet gives your dog a clean bill of health, then it is time to pursue treatment of the anxiety using a combination of behavioral modification, handling techniques, and maybe even drug therapy.  Don't just jump to the conclusion that your dog needs Prozac. While some anxious dogs certainly do benefit from that drug, there are many who don't need it.  Their anxiety can be managed and lessened by other, less invasive means.  The bottom line too is that more often than not, drug therapy alone is not enough to resolve the anxiety; dogs, like people, need to change their behavior as well to get relief.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

My sweet collie, Ozzie, suffers from situational anxiety.  

Knowing his triggers is the key and behavioral modification 

has made all the difference in the world for his quality of life and ours.