02/23/2024
Tips on dog anxiety:
Anxiety in a dog is caused when a dog reaches a certain level of expectation: expectation that the dog can leave (confinement anxiety), or an expectation that the dog can get closer to you (separation anxiety). How about an expectation that the dog can constantly pace around the room, play, look out the window, go outside, get treats, be spoken to verbally, be held, get excited, or to be constantly petted (general anxiety)?
Easy to spot signs of anxiety in a dog include walking back and forth (pacing), high respiration rate (panting), whining, drooling, excessive head and eye movements, excessive itching, diarrhea, and an inability to settle. Pacing, panting, whining, and excessive head and eye movements are the most common and easiest to spot.
If your dog has anxiety, break their expectations and replace them with down/stay (and eventually putting their chin down to settle) and "place" (teaching the dog to go to a defined area on the floor) training, before they get whatever they are expecting. Keep the dog away from doors and windows. Dogs do not naturally relax by people watching like we do. Rather, they become more stimulated. To break your dog of their anxiety, reward any signs that your dog is relaxing (calming signals), and make calming signals a desired behavior before you reward or "release" the dog. The ultimate goal is for the dog to put their chin down or lay on their side, and any sign that they are getting closer to that should be rewarded. Anytime you reward the dog, do it without getting them excited. Only treat and reward the dog when they settle. When you release the dog, you can pet them and get them a little excited (but not over excited). Then, bring the dog right back to the same area to do down/stay or "place" again, and again, and again, and again, until the dog realizes that your expectation is that they should be calm or show calmness before the next activity. These techniques will make your dog permanently less anxious and are not designed to be a quick fix. They require consistency and a big change in how you interact and engage with your dog, as well as changes with how much freedom your dog has in your home.
P.S. While supervised, keep a leash on your dog inside the house, and make sure you aren't over-stimulating them by staring them in the eyes and talking to them. Always reinforce personal space unless you invite the dog to get closer 👍
Share this post if you know someone with an anxious dog that needs help!