Anxiety in Dogs

WHAT IS ANXIETY?

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, apprehension, worry, or nervousness. It’s a normal part of life, and we all feel anxiety from time to time. For some, it can become debilitating.

Anxiety can be short-lived and related to certain events or triggers, such as thunderstorms, fireworks, car rides, the vet, new people, etc. 

Anxiety can also be chronic, ongoing, and seemingly have no triggering event. This is called generalized anxiety and is typically considered an anxiety disorder. 

CAUSES OF ANXIETY

Just as with humans, anxiety in dogs is caused by a variety of factors, including: 

• Genetics - if either parent is anxious, the anxiety genes may be passed down to the puppies.

• In utero stress hormones - if mom is anxious and stressed while pregnant, those stress hormones will pass through the placenta to the puppies in utero. This is an evolutionary trait to allow the puppies to come into the world equipped to handle the stressful environment, and this can be incredibly helpful in the survival of the puppies. After all, a cautious, fearful puppy is more likely to survive.

• Learned behavior - puppies will watch their mother to learn how they should feel about a new situation. If the mother is anxious, the puppies will learn this anxious behavior. Anxious behavior can also be learned from owner behavior as well.

• Lack of proper socialization - The socialization period for puppies ends at 12 weeks, and before then they should have lots of positive exposure to new people, animals, smells, sights, sounds, etc. The more early socialization, the more confident they're likely to be. Puppies with limited socialization are far more likely to have anxiety issues, such as those born in shelters or puppy mills or kept in the house until fully vaccinated.

• Being a singleton puppy or being removed from the litter too early - puppies learn a great deal of social skills, frustration tolerance, and coping skills from their littermates and mom. Young pups are constantly jockeying for a good teat during feeding time, which means they’re being stepped on, shoved, and nipped at by pushy littermates. Likewise, they experience these same intrusions while they’re sleeping. But these mundane irritants help puppies learn to cope with stressors and handle frustrations reasonably. Puppies who don’t get these lessons in stress often struggle to cope with life.

• Traumatic experience(s).

• Poor physical health.

• Not having their needs met - love, attention, exercise, quality food, water, and mental stimulation.

• Big life changes - moving to a new home, divorce of owners, etc.

SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY

Each dog shows anxiety differently. Some common and less common signs of anxiety are: 

• shaking/trembling

• muzzle licking or lip licking

• drooling

• tucked tail

• heavy panting (unrelated to temperature or activity)

• pacing/aimlessly wandering

• barking at nothing

• excessive barking or whining

• aggression - growling, snapping, aggressive barking

• restlessness

• hypervigilance

• excessive self-licking or biting, often to the point of injury

• hair pulling - yanking out their own fur

• tail chasing or spinning

• refusal to play

• refusal to eat or take treats

• lack of interest in activities they normally love

• less responsive/obedient than normal

• avoidant behavior - trying to leave, not wanting to be petted or touched

• excessive humping of objects or sexually self-stimulating

• destructive behavior

• intense attempts at escaping confinement, often to the point of causing injury

HOW TO HELP YOUR DOG’S ANXIETY

Exercise: Just as with people, exercise is a powerful tool to combat anxiety, and one that is highly underutilized. According to studies in people, exercise can be as effective as medication due to feel-good endorphins, chemicals produced in the brain to combat pain, stress, and anxiety. 

Studies show that a vigorous workout can reduce anxiety for hours after the exercise has ended. Regular, routine exercise can have longer lasting effects. 

Play fetch, go for a run, leash up your dog for a bike ride, or go for a hike or long walk in nature. Train a recall so your dog can be off leash. Go to a Sniffspot.

Training: This can help in several ways. First, if your dog has a specific trigger, you can work to teach them it’s not a big deal and they can cope with it.

Second, it helps your dog build confidence and makes it easier for you to communicate with them. Finally, it opens up their world. Teaching your dog to come for instance, allows them freedom to be off leash and run and explore the world. Teaching them not to pull on leash makes walks a lot easier so they get more of them. Teaching them to come when called means you can let them off leash to have freedom, and more freedom and more fulfillment lowers anxiety - A LOT. 

Play is a huge confidence booster in general, both for dogs and people, so incorporating play into training is a huge bonus. It has the added benefit of increasing endorphins.

Exposure to the world. This should be done in a way that the dog can handle, but avoiding the scary things won’t help them overcome anxiety or build confidence. A dog who is terrified of new people needs to meet new people. A dog who is scared of dogs needs to make dog friends.

WHAT WILL WORSEN YOUR DOG'S ANXIETY

1. No fulfillment.
   Most anxious dogs are underfulfilled and bored, spending their day at home. Get your anxious dog out on a hike, explore a new place, take them swimming, take them camping or to the beach. Do they like to chase things? Throw the ball or use a flirt pole. Whatever your dog LOVES to do - do that. Do it a lot. Dogs need to be off leash, running, swimming, chasing, sniffing, digging, etc. Very few dogs actually get enough of that.

2. Overprotecting your dog.
   While it’s natural to want to shield your dog from stress, being overly protective can backfire. If your dog is never given the opportunity to face their fears, they miss the chance to build resiliency and coping skills. Well-meaning owners often try to eliminate all sources of stress in their dog’s life, but this only leads to a dog that struggles to navigate the world comfortably.

3. Forcing your dog into scary situations they can’t handle.
   Pushing your dog to confront their fears with the hope that they’ll "get over it" or "get used to it" can do more harm than good. For instance, taking an anxious dog to the dog park, hoping they’ll learn to like other dogs, can significantly heighten their anxiety. This approach, known as flooding, often worsens the problem rather than solving it.

4. Not having rules or boundaries.
   Fearful dogs are often made worse by owners who allow the dog to do whatever they want, no matter how inappropriate, because they believe telling the dog to stop will worsen anxiety. It doesn’t, and the opposite is true. By allowing your dog to continue spiraling into anxiety in a loop of bad behavior, you’re letting them strengthen those neural pathways and the behavior and emotions just get stronger. It is fine to interrupt and stop bad behavior and enforce rules with an anxious dog. Helping them understand that some things are simply not allowed takes away the anxiety around decision-making.

5. Drugs or supplements.

   Chemically altering your dog’s brain isn’t a solution. It does not teach coping skills - it simply suppresses. And it comes with potentially serious side effects. Nothing makes me sadder and angrier than seeing dogs doped up on clonidine, trazodone, gapabentin and going through life in a drug-induced haze. The same goes for CBD, L-theanine, and the rest of the “anxiety” supplements. They’re all a scam. Find a good trainer and actually help your dog instead of medicating them.