How To Treat It
First, talk to your vet to rule out any medical problems. Sometimes dogs have accidents in the house because of infections or hormone problems or other health conditions. It also could be due to incomplete housebreaking. And some medications can cause accidents. If your dog takes any drugs, ask your vet if they are to blame.
Common Symptoms Of Separation Anxiety
The following is a list of symptoms that may indicate separation anxiety:
Urinating and DefecatingSome dogs urinate or defecate when left alone or separated from their guardians. If a dog urinates or defecates in the presence of his guardian, his house soiling probably isnt caused by separation anxiety.
Barking and HowlingA dog who has separation anxiety might bark or howl when left alone or when separated from his guardian. This kind of barking or howling is persistent and doesnt seem to be triggered by anything except being left alone.
Chewing, Digging and DestructionSome dogs with separation anxiety chew on objects, door frames or window sills, dig at doors and doorways, or destroy household objects when left alone or separated from their guardians. These behaviors can result in self-injury, such as broken teeth, cut and scraped paws and damaged nails. If a dogs chewing, digging and destruction are caused by separation anxiety, they dont usually occur in his guardians presence.
EscapingA dog with separation anxiety might try to escape from an area where hes confined when hes left alone or separated from his guardian. The dog might attempt to dig and chew through doors or windows, which could result in self-injury, such as broken teeth, cut and scraped front paws and damaged nails. If the dogs escape behavior is caused by separation anxiety, it doesnt occur when his guardian is present.
How To Handle A More Severe Problem
Use the techniques outlined above along with desensitization training. Teach your dog the sit-stay and down-stay commands using positive reinforcement. This training will help them learn that they can remain calmly and happily in one place while you go to another room.
Exercise and mental stimulation are critical to reducing anxiety and stress. Be sure your dog receives adequate exercise before you leave. Walking the same city block each day wont reduce anxiety, but sniffing and exploring new places will.
Create a âsafe placeâ to limit your dogâs ability to be destructive while youre away. A safe place should:
- Confine the dog loosely .
- Contain busy toys for distraction.
- Have dirty laundry to lend a calming scent cue or other safety cues.
Symptoms of puppy separation anxiety vary from mild to extreme and may include the following:
- Excessive barking or howling when left alone
- Chewing and other undesirable behaviors
- Accidents in the house, although this could be related to age and not a symptom of separation anxiety
- Scratching or digging at doors or windows
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What Does An Anxious Dog Look Like
There was a meme going around social media a couple of years ago that featured a small dog on a couch. A large portion of the couch was obviously wet. The caption read, We have a little licking problem.
People thought it was funny because they didnt know the signs of dog anxiety. While the excessive licking is a sure sign, you could also see the whites of the dogs eyes , its back was hunched, and its tail was tucked. It was not a funny meme, it was sad. The dog was very, very stressed.
Another scenario. You are walking your rescue dog. You dont know much about where it came from, but it seems to have some training. However, a firetruck passes you and your dog drops to the ground. It wont get up, wont walk, wont do anything. It might be shivering or have its head down or it might be whining. The dog is anxious.
Or maybe you are at home with your dog who is a barker. It barks at everything. One minute it will be laying beside you and the next minutes it is packing back and forth, barking. It may pant a little or come back and lick you, the furniture, a toy, anything. That is a very anxious animal.
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The Position Of Dog Ears
The shapes of dog ears differ, but stress will make any dogs ears react one of two ways. Some dogs ears perk up under stress, appearing rigid. However, most dogs will display stress by pulling their ears back and laying flat against the head, looking pinned back, as one article suggests.
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Having Accidents In The House
Dogs who are anxious or fearful may often have accidents in the house due to loss of bladder and bowel control. It is one of the most common dog anxiety symptoms. Humans may also have similar issues in moments of extreme fear. Notice when your dogs experience these accidents to try to identify what is triggering them. Are they happening during the night, or when someone knocks on your door?
How Do I Know If My Dog Has Separation Anxiety
As humans, were used to battling anxiety. Whether its situational and temporary, or youve managed anxiety as a consistent part of your life, were used to working through and balancing it. We can recognize what it is and understand its effects on our life. But did you know that your dog can also deal with anxiety?
One of the most common forms of anxiety your dog can deal with is . This is where a dog becomes distressed and may act out in the absence of its owner, or the person theyre most attached to. It can be a frustrating issue to deal with, and can be a scary experience for your pet.
In todays blog post were going to discuss:
- How to tell if your dog has separation anxiety
- What causes separation anxiety in dogs?
- How to help your dog with separation anxiety
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How To Deal With A Fearful Dog
There remains some disagreement among animal professionals about the best way to treat fear in dogs. This symptom, incidentally, is often the most difficult problem to treat when rehabilitating shelter animals. Many of these dogs lack proper socialization. Some have been abused.
Some mildly fearful dogs may be treated by loving owners without professional help. In these cases, one must be patient and have an understanding of the dog’s reality. Sometimes it’s difficult to keep in mind that a dog who runs away from a welcoming owner is genuinely afraid.
One widely agreed-upon strategy is to give such a dog as much space as you can. Distracting the dog with obedience commands sometimes works. Valuable treats are usually helpful. It is rarely successful to punish a dog who has committed some act of aggression or engaged in destructive behavior. In a sense, a fearful dog expects to be punished. That may be one reason why the dog is fearful. This association needs to be stopped without punishment.
Highly fearful dogs typically require professional help. Good dog trainers go far beyond obedience issues and are better qualified to retrain a greatly fearful dog than even the most loving owner. In many cases, the outcome will be an improvement but not total rehabilitation. Look for a skilled dog trainer or behaviorist with excellent recommendations.
Why Is My Dog Acting Weird And Avoiding Me
The reasons your dog may not be listening might be medical in nature, but most often, if your dog will not come to you or ignores you completely, it is because of a training or a behavioral issue. … Some of the medical and behavioral reasons your dog may be ignoring you include: Ruptured eardrum. Depression.
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What Can I Give My Dog For Car Rides
Dramamine, Bonine, and Antivert are over-the-counter human antihistamines that can be purchased in many stores, and even some gas stations. Not only will they stop motion sickness, but they can also sedate your pup to help ease their anxiety while in the car. Benadryl is another human antihistamine that does it all!
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What Causes A Dog To Feel Depressed Or Anxious
A major change or a stressful event can affect a dog’s life and sometimes bring on symptoms of depression and/or anxiety.
For example, the loss of their owner or a companion animal, or even a sense of grief being experienced by those around them, can all affect a dog’s overall emotions.
Big life changes, such as a move to a new house, a new baby, or a new pet may also have an impact on a dog’s emotions. Generally, any significant change to your dogs daily routine may bring on symptoms of depression or anxiety.
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‘i Was 48 When I Got My Adhd Diagnosis’
I read the list of symptoms out to my husband.
Always late, easily distracted, impulsive, struggling to focus, prone to emotional dysregulation. Who does that sound like?
Id expected him to say our daughter, but instead, he replied:
Thats you, Kim. Thats you to a T.
I was researching ADHD for my eldest it hadnt crossed my mind that I could have it too.
I put my husbands comment to the back of my mind while I focused on our daughter, but every so often I would mull it over.
Could I have ADHD too?
A couple of months later, one of my clients I work as a health and mindset coach told me she had just found out she had ADHD.
I began researching immediately, trying to find out everything I could about the condition, so I could be best placed to help her. But the more I found out, the more my husbands words rang in my ears.
With every discovery, I saw more of myself.
Where Can You Get Help
âIf you donât know how to proceed, please reach out to a positive-reinforcement-based trainer who can help you understand and truly address your petâs anxiety,â Pachel says. âThe long-term goal should be to focus on teaching coping strategies that your pet can use in those stressful situations.â
A helpful training and behavior program will focus on reducing the exposure to potential triggers , creating new, positive emotional responses as well as teaching the dog effective coping skills.
If your dog has severe anxiety, itâs likely your veterinarian will recommend prescription medication in combination with a positive reinforcement training program. But for dogs that just sometimes need a little extra help at specific times you can try an over-the-counter anxiety treat product like Composure treats, but be sure to talk to your vet first before introducing anything new to your dogâs body.
Thereâs a lot of information you can find on the Internet, but it can be tough to find quality resources when you donât know what to look for. Discover in-depth tips on how to recognize canine body language and signs of anxiety, by going to iSpeakDog.com. Reading books focused on understanding your dogâs emotions and how to ensure your dog is happy are also great steps to addressing anxiety concerns.
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Try New Strategies In A Safe Environment
Abrupt desensitization, where you expose your dog to the thing that is causing stress until they no longer react, is no longer thought to be the best way to help with stress and anxiety in dogs.
Continuing to introduce triggers often increases your dogs fearful responses. Instead, you should teach new strategies and ways for your dog to respond to stress.
To establish a new response to a stressor, you must develop a reward program for your dog, such as offering food, love, or an activity/playtime. The reward should always be earned, and training will be slow and steady. This should be done in a stable, safe environment, and not during anxious situations.
Treatment starts with learning control strategies at home, where your dog is required to earn everything by responding appropriately when you give a specific cue. This creates a predictable response from your dogs perspective. Starting with calm tasks such as sit or lie down and then eventually moving to focus and escape responses will help set expectations for what will happen.
With focus responses, the goal is to have your dog make eye contact with you or focus on a treat/toy to distract them from stressors. Escape response is training your pet to go to a safe, calm environment as soon as they feel stressed. Using yummy treats can be helpful until they learn where their safe space is.
Ruling Out Pain Or An Underlying Medical Condition
The symptoms of depression are commonly similar to those displayed in a dog suffering from an underlying medical condition or chronic pain. Sometimes these can even be triggers for depression.
Dr. Sinn always encourages owners to have their dog medically evaluated to rule out any medical problems. In general, if a dog is slowing down or is reluctant to engage, especially in the absence of some life-changing event, then I would bet huge amounts of money that it is medical or pain-related, she says.
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Tips For Helping Your Pup To Feel Happier
Dogs that are anxious or depressed generally benefit from predictable routines and environments, closely monitored social interaction, and lots of physical activity.
Below are a few more tips on how to help reduce your dog’s depression:
Visit the Vet for An Examination
Some symptoms linked to depression and anxiety can actually have physical causes that need urgent veterinary attention. If your dog seems sad or particularly edgy it’s time to schedule a visit with your vet.
Although dogs will often recover from depression with just a little extra love and attention from their pet parent, your vet can rule out any underlying physical conditions and provide medications such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety aids to help calm your dog’s nerves if things dont begin to improve.
A Busy Dog is a Happy Dog
Bored pets often get into mischief, and become anxious or depressed. Make sure your pooch gets plenty of exercises before you leave the house for the day, and supply your pup with enough toys to keep them busy and help curb dog anxiety. Look for toys that are interactive or can be stuffed with treats to keep your dog’s body and mind active while you’re out of the house.
Dogs Love Their Friends Too
Show Lots of Love & Patience
Our canine companions need lots of love and patience to feel safe and contented, especially when they are feeling depressed or anxious. By giving your pup a little extra time and attention you may be able to alleviate these issues.
How Can I Help My Dog With Anxiety
There is no single best way of helping dogs cope with anxiety. Every dog and every anxiety type is different.
For example, some dogs respond to pheromone diffusers and collars , while others need anti-anxiety medication. There are also anxious dogs that need behavior modification like desensitization and counterconditioning and dogs that calm down simply by wearing a thundershirt.
Pet owners must work with their veterinarians and veterinary behaviorists to find the best management plan for their dogs anxieties.
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Dog Separation Anxiety Crate
Dog separation anxiety crate training can be a difficult process, but it is possible to crate train your dog if you are patient and consistent. It is important to choose the right size crate for your dog and to make sure that the crate is comfortable and inviting. You will need to slowly introduce your dog to the crate and make sure that you praise them when they enter the crate willingly. Dogs with separation anxiety may need to be crated for longer periods of time at first, but with patience and consistency, you can crate train your dog successfully.
When a dog is missing its owner, it develops separation anxiety. Crying, barking, destroying things, and even using the bathroom inside are examples of this behavior. By successfully crate training them, it is one of the most effective ways to control this. Here are 11 suggestions for making the procedure as simple as possible for both of you. It is critical that you do not speak too much when entering or leaving your home. It is critical to train your dog to expect you to return. Play with toys like puzzle and chew toys to keep your child busy.
How To Calm An Anxious Dog
It isnt always easy to identify pet stressors, but if Fido seems frightened, learn what options you have to help him overcome anxiety and depression.
Much like humans, dogs show anxiety in different ways and can be triggered by different factors. Separation anxiety and general fear commonly cause other behavioral issues in dogs. Knowing how to calm an anxious dog before it adopts dangerous, hyperactive or destructive habits is important, and understanding what puts dogs at ease is the first step to helping them be well.
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How To Prevent Separation Anxiety In Puppies
Itâs important to prevent separation anxiety in puppies considering how widespread this behavior problem has become. Did you know that separation anxiety in dogs is prevalent in between 20 and 40 percent of all dogs that are treated by animal behavior specialists in North America? .
On top of being a widespread issue, separation anxiety is one of the leading causes why pet owners relinquish dogs to shelters. This is often due to the amount of household damage produced by affected dogs and the complaints of neighbors about these dogsâ excessive barking.
Not to mention, separation-related distress is ultimately a welfare concern. These dogs are truly suffering as they become inconsolably worried and panicked when they are separated from their favorite person.
Affected dogs are often drooling, panting, pacing, vocalizing, engaging in destructive behavior especially targeted towards doors and windows, urinating and defecating indoors, refusing to eat when left alone, and even inducing self-trauma like licking or chewing or injuries in attempting to escape a crate.
The good news is that you can start puppies from the right paw if you intervene when they are young and growing. By inoculating puppies against potential problems from an early age, you can therefore prevent a lot of future headaches. As the saying goes âan ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.â
Did You Know?
with Karen L. Overall, MA, VMD, Ph.D., DACVB, CAAB