Anxious about anxiety?
10 weeks ago | 268 Views | (5) Comments
This is Mystic, a dog that likes to chew things up when his foster dad is gone. His foster dad gives him appropriate things to chew on when he leaves to help alleviate some of the stresses from being home alone all day.
It’s that time of the year for anxiety. The fireworks will soon be going off (see last year’s blog for tips on how you can help your dog through this loud and difficultly disruptive time of year here: http://wichitapaws.com/caring+hands+humane/blog/4309). Dogs will be trying to escape, run, stray and outrun the noise.
Luckily this time of year only happens once and it will soon be over.
…And then there are the rest of us, where the anxieties in our dogs begins long before fireworks and last throughout the rest of the year for other things.
Separation anxiety plagues so many dogs these days. In fact, I had a dog with separation anxiety so bad that when I was home when I normally wasn’t, he was so worried about my leaving that he’d become anxious. I can’t imagine what was going through his mind or why it stressed him out so much.
There are social anxieties. Meeting other dogs make some dogs anxious. In fact, sometimes the mere sight of another dog can cause a dog to go into a frenzy. There are people anxieties, such as the veterinarian or her staff members. There are small animal anxieties and children anxieties. And we can’t forget about the dogs that are afraid of mailboxes, shrubs or other random objects that just don’t seem like they belong. And the most common one, ‘gun shy’ dogs.
Anxiety can be anything from shutting off completely to pacing to whining or chewing an entire couch to shreds or breaking through a window because they just don’t know how to deal. There are so many things that can make a dog anxious on the inside and each dog projects that anxiety in various ways.
Each year we see more and more dogs coming to us with more and more anxieties. I’m quite certain that ‘back in the olden days’ that dogs didn’t have as much anxiety. Old Yeller and Lassie found plenty of things to do way back when.
I wonder what has changed. Is it our environment or the genetic make ups of the breeds? Is it something we are doing? With all the training we provide our dogs with, are we teaching them they can’t function without us leading them??
Thankfully, each year come more and more techniques to help our stressed out overly anxious pets! From using an anxiety wrap™, to medicines, to providing sufficient exercise directed towards the breed specific needs, to canine massage to mental enrichment/brain puzzles and desensitizing. All come with a behavioral management program that your behaviorist or veterinarian can guide you through.
I’m curious how many of you are working with an anxious dog. What treatments have you tried—and were they a failure or a success? Perhaps all of us working together and sharing ideas, we can help each other.
Lori Smith, Kennel Manager, Caring Hands Humane Society 1400 SE 3rd St, Newton, KS (316)283-0839 Lori@caringhandshs.org
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schmidta says:
HI Lori, I am still working with Lily my Yorkie, I got her and she was scared of men, well we have almost gotten over than but she is still scared of my husband. We have tried everything from making him take sole care of her, walking her, feeding her spending time just trying to get her to come to him, nothing has worked. I am beginning to think that maybe it is the pitch of his voice? What do you think?Posted 10 weeks ago
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Caring Hands Humane says:
Perhaps it's his voice or his scent? Odd suggestion, but have him use your soup, shampoo, conditioner and if he's home alone and feeling motivated, your perfume. Have him wear just socks and walk softly and remain low to the ground not hunched over or anything. Has he ever yelled at her or anyone in the house? She may be afraid because she has seen him be 'manly' or fatherly and it scares her. Maybe she will never like him persay, but I hope that we can get her to at least toperate him!!Posted 10 weeks ago
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Samiam13 says:
My German Shepard has anxiety issues around lots of people, which is not uncommon for the breed i hear, and i give her benidryl to help when we have people over or in a situation that warrants it. It also does not hurt her sensitive stomach.Posted 9 weeks ago
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Caring Hands Humane says:
Benedryl has been a great help to many people!! I have heard much success with its use!!Posted 9 weeks ago
