The Power of Being Calm

I met again with a client I hadn't seen in a several months.  She has a very anxious dog; he's been anxious every day of his life and now at almost 6 years of age, his anxious behavior is affecting the other dogs in the house, and not surprisingly, the people too. Interestingly enough, drug therapy didn't help this dog at all; we tried several different drugs and altered the doses numerous times with the help of her veterinarian, and all we succeeded in doing was making her anxious dog really tired.  I encouraged the owner to return to behavioral modification to relieve some of the pressure everyone is experiencing in this busy household.  She invited me to come out and help her do just that.

Although the dogs definitely barked when I arrived, no one was over the top and the anxious dog brought me his ball, his go-to stress reliever.  As we talked, the dogs settled in around us, watchful, but calm overall. The owner indicated that this isn't how it is at all and that they were showing off for me! I told her it's more likely that she's relaxed having me there, and her dogs feel that relief too.  We let the dogs out for a bathroom break and she indicated that this is often when excessive barking occurs.  As soon as I saw them all relieve themselves, I used a dog whistle to get their attention, then called them back inside for treats.  The owner indicated that's DEFINITELY not what usually happens.  Because they are really anxious on walks, I suggested splitting the dogs up for walking.  She was afraid this would make more work for her, but I told her the walks would be less work because they'd be less stressful. She could divide her walking time among the dogs, and focus on letting them sniff on their walks to burn off energy, rather than trying to walk a certain distance or for a certain amount of time.  As she was getting the leashes out, all the dogs started getting pretty riled up.  I had brought a shaker can with me (just an old soda can filled with pebbles), so I shook the can behind my back to interrupt their frantic barking.  All the dogs stopped barking and began looking around for the sound.  At this point, she could call them over, ask them to sit, and reward them by putting on leashes.  Out on the walk, I found the dogs to be pretty good overall. I had the owner begin encouraging them to sniff and they sniffed with gusto.  Formerly bark-worthy things like moving cars, other people and dogs, etc. got a few glances and whines, but no frenzy.  The owner indicated that it was my presence that was resulting in their best behavior. I told her no, it was the fact that SHE was calmer with me there, AND we were not trying to walk all the dogs at the same time AND we were redirecting their attention to sniffing.  By the time we finished walking all of the dogs, they were all very calm and content resting on the couch.

Sometimes it really is just a change in mindset that gets the ball rolling.  Reminding yourself to stay calm and in the moment with your dog.  Encourage sniffing.  Stop and assess where you are walking and change direction if you feel overwhelmed.  Little tools like dog whistles and shaker cans are great at interrupting behavior.  You just have to be ready to follow them up with direction to what you really want your dogs to do.  There are no "magic pills," and for some dogs medication does little to relieve their anxiety.  By focusing on what we as dog owners can do to relieve stress and remove some of the pressures our dogs are feeling, WE are essentially "the magic pills."  Small changes can have a large impact.  Never underestimate the power of being calm. And asking for help.

As always, if you need help with your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Ozzie's anxiety on walks has improved over the years.  He's less anxious about bikes and cars, though still very watchful with scooters and skateboards.  He's an avid sniffer and we always encourage him to do so, knowing it helps him relax and enjoy his walks more.