With more people able to go to work and get out of the house, dogs are left home and becoming more anxious. To a pet owner this can look like destructive behavior, so we are here to help explain the signs of anxiety in your pet, and give you some hints on how to help!
Below we mention several different anxiety warning signs, different types of anxiety, and how to help rid your pet of anxiety and/or help manage it.
Types of Anxiety:
Separation Anxiety (most common): this happens when your pet is separated from you or any other regular caregivers. It can also occur is there is a big move or even a significant schedule change.
General Anxiety: can seem to be for no reason or “out of nowhere” in any dog, even trained ones.
Environmental Anxiety: this can be fear of going to a specific place (like the vet), or can be triggered by loud noises such as fireworks or sirens.
Social Anxiety: big groups of people or other dogs can cause social anxiety in your pet, or not enough socialization with people and dogs.
Signs of Anxiety:
Obvious signs of a dog with anxiety include: panting, pacing, barking/howling when you’re not around, shivering, running away/cowering in the corner, destroying furniture, digging, escaping the yard, inability to settle,urinating more frequently, and not eating.
Some more hidden signs include: lifting a paw, lip-licking, showing whites of eyes, and looking away.
Ways to Help Your Pet with their Anxiety:
- One way to help socialize your pet to help with social anxiety is to bring them into daycare a couple times a week. Daycare gives your pet an opportunity to meet and play with other dogs in a safe environment. For more info click here.
- Manage your routine. In other words make sure you have a set routine your pet can be accustomed to. Dogs enjoy having a regular daily routine and have lower anxiety with one.
- Play some music for your pup! Some classical or reggae helps calm dogs down if they are feeling a little anxious.
- Give your dog lots of pets. Sometimes all your pet needs is a good cuddle from you.
If your dog continues to have anxiety no matter what you try, seeking professional help may be the best option. Talk to your vet or a pet behavioral specialist to help find the root issue of the anxiety.
Here at Shaggy Shack we care about your pets’ health and well-being, and we hope this article helped you and your dog. Have a PAW-Some day!!
