Dog Anxiety: What are the Symptoms and How to Treat?

Every dog during their lifetime will experience anxiety, it’s a perfectly normal emotion.

It would be a strange dog that didn’t display some signs of anxiety from time to time.

Pet parents need to be aware of any warning signs of constant anxiety or stress their dogs present and take them to the vet. 

What Are Dog Anxiety Symptoms?

How can you recognize the symptoms of dog anxiety?  Have you seen any of these clues from your dog, constant pacing, excessive panting, habitual licking, hiding under furniture, or shaking and trembling for seemingly no reason? 

Do these symptoms mean he’s suffering from anxiety? Is there anything we can do to reduce or treat dog anxiety?

Have you ever had to stand up and make a speech? How did you feel the first time? How your throat was dry, your palms hot and sweaty, right before an important job interview. Think back to how fear made butterflies flutter in your stomach. 

These are symptoms of anxiety. What if your dog is constantly experiencing something similar? Experiencing such fear every day and having no way to tell his human family about it? 

This article will discuss dog anxiety that if left untreated will become a serious disorder, eventually leading to major behavioral problems.

Different Types Of Dog Anxiety

Dog anxiety is a complex subject. Before you can treat his anxiety, you need to understand what kind he is suffering from.

Your vet will help you isolate the type of anxiety, and help you recognize the triggers that set it off. 

One type of anxiety usually misunderstood is when a dog is aggressive or overprotective.  Many times the dog is anxious because of fear. Something in their close environment is stirring up this fear in the dog.

A Dog that shreds your shoelaces while left by himself at home most likely has separation anxiety. And those that shy away or hide from social situations are experiencing social anxiety. 

Fear And Anxiety In Dogs

Dogs can lash out, growl, bark, or even bite because they are afraid. This is his only way of communicating, he cannot look to you and say, “I’m not happy in this situation, I need to walk away!”

For years, dogs behaving in this way were thought of as a dominant dog or had a pack leader mentality. More open-minded dog trainers and behaviorists have debunked these ideas. 

The dog is behaving this way, not because of aggressive or nasty temperament, but through fear.

Helping A Dog With Fear Related Anxiety

When you realize your dog’s aggressive behavior is through fear don’t choose a dog behaviorist that employs old-school domination methods to ‘cure’ your dog.

You will not get the results you want, only a confused and miserable dog.

Determine the root cause of your dog’s fear and you’ll change bad behavior. Find a good behaviorist who uses positive reinforcement. Work together with him and change your dog’s emotions from fearful to relaxed.

You can help him feel more comfortable while exercising on the leash when family members or friends visit your home. 

Help For Fear Related Anxiety In Dogs

You can help an anxious, fearful dog get control of his emotions yourself if you’re willing to give it a shot.

One method is counter conditioning in which you provide a positive reward like a treat whenever your dog notices but does not react to what triggers anxiety attacks. 

You might also try desensitization. It helps the dog overcome his fear through steady and slow exposure to his triggers. Helping him become disinterested. 

Only exercise him on his leash when visitors come to your home, it will help him feel more comfortable. 

These can be effective methods. But if you aren’t getting results yourself then find a behaviorist as mentioned earlier. 

Dogs With Separation Anxiety

Does your dog sense you are about to leave the home, even before you’ve made any kind of move to do so? 

Does he pace, lick his lips, pants, runs up and down, and whines? And you can still hear his barking when you’re down the road? On your return does he go ‘over the top’ with excitement? All signs he suffers from separation anxiety.

Separated from family can induce fear in some dogs. Fear turns to anxiety. It’s one of the most common anxiety traits. Up to 14% of all dogs suffer from separation anxiety of one form or another.

When you leave your home and your dog is unhappy or even distressed, but calms down and relaxes after a while, is showing signs of some anxiety, and does need help. But real anxiety is something else.

These dogs are in a state of terrible panic. This is a clinical condition and a diagnosis given by a professional behaviorist.

Barking or howling while you’re away, drooling everywhere, sweating from their paws. 

Leading to destructive behavior, peeing and pooing everywhere in the home. Some dogs scratch at the door until their paws bleed and many try to escape.

They develop such close emotional attachment to their families that separation is too much for them to control.

How To Treat Separation Anxiety

Mild Separation Anxiety

If your dog has mild separation anxiety you might try these ideas to calm his nerves:

• Give him a treat you know he will like. One of those toys that can be filled with food, such as, peanut butter. This treat is only given when you leave the home. When you return, take it away.
• Don’t make a big deal about leaving, or especially returning. Even ignoring him for a few minutes when you return home. You want your dog to think nothing of it.
• Leave him with an item of your clothing. It might comfort him to be close to something that smells of you.
• Try CBD oil as a natural supplement to help calm him when you’re gone.

Clinical Separation Anxiety In Dogs

 If the problem is very serious, doing anything with treats is not going to help. Try these methods:

• Dogs sense when you are leaving before you’ve made a move, so go through the motions as if you’re leaving, put on your shoes, pick up the house or car keys, then sit back down and don’t leave. Do this a few times every day.
• When he becomes less sensitive about these actions, then goes a step further. Now go to another room in the home, but don’t let the dog come with you. Wait for a minute or two then return. Overtime repeat this, but every visit make the stay a little longer.
• Now repeat this exercise with a door leading outside the house. If you have more than one door use a door which is not the one you usually leave the house by.
• Don’t try and rush things. If you do you’ll have to start everything again because he won’t trust you now.
• Over time you will be able to extend the time you’re away. Yes, it’s going to take time and lots of patience. Even then you might not see the results you want. But, it’s worth trying.

What Is Social Anxiety In Dogs

Dogs with social anxiety are afraid of unfamiliar places, other animals, loud noises, human beings they don’t know, and anything else they might see as some form of threat.

When they’re in their home environment they are happy and relaxed, but as soon as they go outside this they become fearful and nervous. Because of this fear their personality changes and they behave out of character.

It’s a misunderstood behavioral problem that an alarming number of dogs and their owners face each day.

The anxiety of social situations, for our faithful furry friends, can be a far cry from how it is with people. 

When a person feels an anxiety attack while being in or near other people they can leave so they can feel better. A dog can’t express to you he’s scared, and when he’s on the leash, he cannot walk away.

Signs Of Social Anxiety

You may think your dog is shy if he tries to hide behind your legs when strangers lean over to talk to him. Or as children run to greet him. He will quite often become aggressive, growling, and barking in these situations.

A terrified dog might exhibit certain actions. Such as tucking his back end under him, huddling closer to the ground, and even avoiding eye contact with people and things around him.

He might be excessively drooling and panting, severe fear might see him peeing and not even realizing it.

Sure signs he has social anxiety and needs help urgently.

How To Treat Social Anxiety In Dogs

Treating a dog with social anxiety can take time, desensitizing needs patience and hard work. 

Encourage your dog to meet new people one at a time. Allow your dog to approach them, but not in an enclosed area where there is nowhere for him to go if he’s uncomfortable.

Have his favorite treats ready, when his behavior is friendly. If he shows any signs of aggression or fear don’t pet him, you are only reinforcing his fear.

If your dog is aggressive or badly behaved when he meets other dogs, then keep him away until you can control the situation. If you’re out on a walk and another dog walker is coming towards you, cross the street.

When you want to introduce him to other dogs do it slowly. You need the other dog to be calm and non-threatening, let your dog see him but don’t move too close. Over time close the distance slowly for a longer time. Any sign of fear back away. 

Never force an anxious dog into any situation that scares him!

Your dog may never accept the company of other dogs, but as long as he can tolerate them when he accidentally meets one, it makes life so much easier.

Dog Anxiety Treatment

Positive reinforcement, such as petting and playful exercise, if applied consistently, can help an anxious dog.

But fear is a powerful emotion and can be very dangerous to handle for everyone involved.  Especially if you are not confident and well educated in canine body language and training theory. 

Medication For Dog Anxiety

Should your anxious dog develop a serious anxiety disorder, it might require medication. Now, this is a vet’s job to prescribe medications. So if the condition is getting worse, visit the vet.

He will assess and recommend what’s needed. He may well prescribe selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and antidepressants. Including fluoxetine and clomipramine.

The anxiety is not a serious disorder, but you still feel medication is necessary. Say during fireworks, thunderstorms, or if he gets anxious during car journeys. Then your vet could prescribe something like benzodiazepine along with an antidepressant.

CBD Oil For Dogs With Anxiety

CBD oil can reduce anxious behavior in dogs. And it can achieve even better results using it in tandem with other calming therapies. If it can reduce stress levels, a dog may experience, then it could be the key to helping a dog with acute anxiety live a more comfortable and happy life.

Is It Safe For My Dog To Take CBD Oil?

There’s very little THC in CBD oil, so your dog will not get ‘high’ because you give it to him. He might get a little drowsy, but even that doesn’t happen to every dog. Sometimes dogs have experienced mild skin irritation and vomiting. If it affects your dog this way, then stop using it,

In Conclusion

It’s so important that you treat dog anxiety with some urgency. Mild anxiety can very quickly escalate to something a lot more serious.  

The sad thing about the way a dog reacts to anxiety has owners believing their dog is naughty and stubborn. When it couldn’t be further from the truth. Your dog’s destructive behavior is a cry for help.

There are too many dogs in shelters and being re-homed because of this mistaken belief.

Consider meeting a veterinary behaviorist or certified applied animal behaviorist. Either can help you formulate a plan to change your dog’s emotional state. Because you want him back to his happy, tail-wagging self.