What Dog Owners Should Know About Dog Anxiety- All you need to know!

Does your dog appear to be feeling down on himself? Is he behaving in an erratic manner? It’s possible that your four-legged companion is experiencing stress. Let’s have a look at some of the natural remedies that are available today to aid the anxious dog.

Why is a dog anxious?

• Lack of activity: A tired dog is a happy dog! For this, it is essential to take your dog out regularly. Behaviorists recommend three 20-minute walks a day and if you do not have the time, two 30-minute walks will satisfy his physical exercise needs. Moreover, the lack of external solicitation can be a great stressor for him.
• Loneliness: A dog is a social and pack animal. Loneliness is not natural to him and can cause separation anxiety. It will be a question of accustoming him to it from an early age, leaving him alone for short periods at first, then lengthening them. Obviously, the goal of an adoption is to spend as much time as possible with him, as soon as you can.
• The lack of clear rules: In our canids, the lack of structure and coherence can be a factor of anxiety. Don’t be afraid to play your role of “Alpha male or female”, and set a framework that will reassure him. Always be consistent, do not change the rules at will, which would confuse your companion and make him feel bad about himself.
• The novelty: The dog is a routine animal and this routine reassures him. Any new event can be a factor of anxiety, such as the arrival of a new-born, another animal or a move.
• Noise: The hearing of the dog is different from ours, much more powerful. While a human will not perceive a low intensity sound beyond 4 meters away, it will be perceived by the dog up to 25 meters (Engelmann’s experiment). Therefore, loud and unusual noises put a lot of stress on our doggies, as you have certainly already seen with firework. In general, a noisy environment is very harmful to their health, as well as ours.
• Family tensions: If you have a pooch, you already know how emotional sponges dogs are when it comes to human feelings. And that’s normal; they spend all their time watching us! In the event of arguments, cries, tensions within his family (his pack), the dog captures the ambient nervousness. Tensions within the family can also cause stress.
• A difficult past: Our four-legged friends have good emotional memories and traumas from the past, such as abandonment or abuse, which can make them stressed and suspicious in the future.

Symptoms of an Anxious/Stressed Dog!

Anxiety can manifest itself in a variety of ways in dogs. Let’s have a look at how to identify a nervous dog!

• Compulsion licking: The dog licks himself frequently and feverishly on his paws, genitals, nose, or flanks. This is not a sign of a desire to keep clean, but rather a sign that you should be concerned about his mental health. Compulsive licking, on the other hand, can be a symptom of an allergic reaction.
• Self-mutilation: A dog who bites its tail, flanks or legs in an attempt to soothe its agitation.
• Jerky Breathing: When stressed, the dog’s breathing becomes superficial and shallow, similar to how humans breathe when stressed. His heart rate has a tendency to rise. When it comes to panting, it is sometimes accompanied by shrieking or sobbing.
• Destructive behavior: Does your doggy begin to destroy anything he comes across when you are not present? It’s possible that he’s experiencing separation anxiety. The fact that he is attacking the objects in his immediate vicinity allows him to release his stress.
• Regular movements without a defined goal: If your dog is continually moving around the house, going to bed and getting up almost immediately, or going back and forth, he is likely to be anxious. According to the idiom, it’s like having a lion in a cage, which is entirely understandable considering how much stress captive felines in zoos experience.

In an anxious dog, excessive barking, hyperactivity and isolation are all indicators of distress. Anxiety can also manifest itself in an increased craving for interaction.

How to calm an anxious dog?

1. Homeopathic solutions and Bach flowers

Today there are a series of homeopathic remedies intended to calm anxiety in dogs. Given their specificity, a homeopathic veterinarian will help you choose the most suitable for your case. Here are the most commonly prescribed:

Gelsemium 9 and 15CH: the ideal remedy for fearful, phobic dogs, or suffering from anticipatory anxiety as well as all the symptoms associated with it like tremors, diarrhoea, insomnia, etc.

Ignatia 9 and 15CH: generally prescribed for any hyperemotivity and paradoxical behavior caused by a contradiction like modification of a routine, mourning, change of owner, transport, hardship to overcome, etc.

Nux vomica 9CH: remedy for dogs that are excited, irritable following an overflow of emotions or noise, with symptoms such as appetite disorders or digestive disorders with spasms.

Phosphorus 9CH: recommended for very emotional and nervous animals whose psyche is fragile.

2. Calm the dog with massages

Massages are becoming more and more of a habit, and that’s a good thing. How to believe that a therapy proven for millennia on humans would have no impact on dogs? To soothe your stressed dog, give him a regular massage. You should do it in circular movements by marrying the shapes of his body, and by insisting on the belly, the ears and the back.

To do this, make small rotating movements with your fingers on either side of his spine. According to practitioners, massaging your dog reduces pain, improves the functioning of the immune system and harmonizes energy circulation.

3. The Anxiety Wrap

It is in this same spirit of accu-pressure and massage that the anxiety wrap vest for stressed dogs was designed! Thanks to light, gentle and localized pressure, it helps the dog to relax. The vest offers your dog the same feeling of comfort as if you were taking him in your arms. Why not try ?

The Bottom Line

Of course, before applying these methods or giving these remedies, a visit to a behaviorist or a homeopathic veterinarian is recommended. Anxiety in dogs can come from multiple causes: it is not always easy to see clearly or to find the right treatment yourself.

One thing you can already tackle is to note any changes in your dog’s behavior, changes in his environment or change in his usual routine. Also record any symptoms that occur to help the professional understand the sources of his stress.