One of my readers asked a question about how to help a high strung dog deal with anxiety. She said her family has a lot of anxiety and the dog seems to pick up on it, he is restless and seems on edge a lot. Her name is Jackelyn and I think she must love her dog a whole lot to be concerned about his anxiety.
So, here is what I can tell you, based on what I know about it.
Dogs exhibit anxiety for many reasons, some because of
environmental stressors and many times because of separation. Sometimes they are anxious because they are
bored.
It's very important to remember that a tired dog is a happy dog.
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| Panda |
Also, did you know that your dog is very perceptive of your
emotions and how you are feeling? Some
say that a dog can hear your heartbeat from 5 feet away.
You say that there is a lot of anxiety in
your home, but with no further details, it’s hard for me to know if this is an
ongoing issue, or whether it is temporary or permanent.
Dogs are pretty adaptable and just need to
know that they are part of the family.
We need our time to shine and be the center of attention within the
family, and and we need a chance to work off our energy (after all, we are
dogs).
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| Tessie |
Let’s just say that your house is full of activity and kids
and just busy-ness from two working parents with kids and lots of responsibilities
and chores and activities and more to do than you have time to do it. Where does your dog fit into the
family? Does your dog get to go for a
walk everyday? This is not only
important for your dog’s daily life, it is essential to her well-being, and can
be a huge contributor to stress.
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| Bella |
In
many ways, it is important to put yourself in your dog’s place. Try and imagine how you would feel if you had to stay inside
your house, except for short potty breaks, everyday, all day long. How do you feel when you have gotten out for
a brisk walk or jog, or a workout at the gym?
Your dog feels the same way! For
families who have a fenced-in yard, it is easy to fall out of the routine of
walking your dog, but a daily walk is vital, especially for a dog that is prone
to anxiety.
Does your dog have a job?
Does he get to solve puzzles?
This is a great area to explore, and can be accomplished with a little
imagination and things you have around your house. Here are a few ideas:
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| Rocky |
Get a box (judge how big or small by the size of your dog)
and fill it with crumpled packing (or other non-toxic) paper. Add bits of dry kibble or your dog’s
favorite treat (maybe some chunks of cheese) and let her figure out how to get
to all of those yummy morsels. He will
have to tip the box, rummage through the paper, sniff, scratch, tear and most
of all use her brain to get what she wants out of the box.
Does your dog have a Kong? If not, he is in for a
treat. My mom and dad fill my Kong with
layers of yummy stuff and when I am finished digging all that stuff out of
there, I am exhausted and usually fall asleep when I am done. Here are some ideas of what you can layer in your dog’s Kong
(and don’t let this stop you from letting your imagination go wild, because
your dog is going to love whatever you fill it with):
- dry kibble
- cheese chunks
- pieces of cooked carrots
- cooked peas
- broken pieces of doggie treats
- pieces of cooked chicken
Another idea that will prolong the “job” of emptying the
Kong is to freeze it. You might want to
have 2 Kongs on a rotation so that one can be freezing while the other is being
ravaged emptied.
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| Lacey |
My mom has read about others who buy beef bones at the pet
store, empty them out of all the gross chemical laden stuff that comes inside of
it when you buy them, and then stuff the hollow bones with the yumminess of
your choice. Like I said, let your
imagination run away and you will have one very happy(ier) dog.
One game you (or your older kids) can play with your dog is
the “cup game.” Put 2 or 3 cups upside
down on the floor and put a Very Tasty Treat under one of the cups, but don’t
tell your dog where it is. Challenge
your dog to find which cup has the treat, and then he has to figure out how to
get to it. Do it over and over again,
each time changing the location or order of the cup containing the treat.
Many of my friends that suffer from anxiety wear
thundershirts. If you haven’t heard
about them, here’s where you can read more about this wonderful invention: http://tiny.cc/vwrqvw
Here is a picture of my friend, Cookie, in her Thundershirt. Cookie loves it and it helps her very very much.
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| Cookie |
You can put your dog into a thundershirt if you know she is
getting ready to experience a certain stressor such as thunder, fireworks, or
the vacuum cleaner. If your dog is
generally anxious, at least in the beginning of seeking solutions, you can let
him wear it most of the time. It will
make him feel secure. I have never used
one, but I know they have worked wonders for my friends and I also know they
use them at the shelter for the dogs who need them.
Similar to the theory behind a thundershirt, does your dog
have a crate? A place to call his own,
where he can retreat whenever he wishes?
When used properly, a crate is a wonderful part of a dog’s life. It’s a cozy little place where a dog can go
to feel like nothing can harm him. His
very own den filled with his very own scent where he can go and get away from it all.
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| Snuggles |
I hope I have given you some helpful information, and I am
really happy that you follow my column.
There are lots of books out there about ways to help your dog overcome
anxiety. My favorite two experts on the
issue are Jean Donaldson and Sue Sternberg.
Your dog is lucky to have a guardian like you who cares so
much that you look for answers to his issues.
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