Like us, dogs have anxieties and fears. A dog’s anxieties, may not be the same as our own anxieties, but they cause stress and physical reactions just the same.
Some common dog anxiety problems include –
- Separation anxiety – A dog gets anxious when left alone.
- Noise anxiety – A dog becomes fearful when exposed to loud or unusual noises. Some examples include fireworks, thunderstorms, garbage trucks, and more.
- Travel anxiety – The car is like a den, but dogs are unaccustomed to moving dens. Therefore, they may become unsure and stressed over something so new and unexpected.
- Confinement anxiety – A dog gets anxious when he feels trapped or confined. If a threat should arise, a confined dog may be unable to escape or flee.
Symptoms of Dog Anxiety
When dogs are anxious, they may engage in repetitive or displacement behaviors to relieve their stress. For example, when we are anxious, we may pace, bite our nails, or play with our hair.
Dogs may also pace, groom, and more. Some dog anxiety behaviors may lead to property destruction, may cause us harm, or may simply be undesirable to our human sensibilities. This may include –
- Non-stop barking.
- Chewing up furniture, walls, shoes, garbage, and anything else in sight.
- Pooping and peeing in the house, crate, or other confinement area.
- Eating his own poop.
- Aggression toward people, dogs, or other animals.
Punishment or aversive techniques will do little to stop these anxious dog behaviors in the long-run, because punishment does not address the source of the problem, which is the dog’s anxiety. In fact, suppression of these displacement behaviors, through pain and dominance methods, will make the problem worse, because pain increases stress and uncertainty.
Below are some common ways on how to deal with dog anxiety.
1. Desensitization Exercises
One of the best ways to help a dog deal with his anxiety issues, is by slowly desensitizing him to the problem stimulus.
In the desensitization process, we start with a weak version of the stimulus that is triggering the anxiety attack.
The stimulus must be weak enough, so that my dog is able to stay calm in its presence. Then, I get him to focus on me, by doing eye-contact commands or simple obedience exercises.
If my dog is able to focus and stay in-control, I reward him with a very high priority treat. For desensitization purposes, I usually bust out the really good stuff. I try to pick a highly aromatic or smelly treat that my dog loves, but does not usually get to eat. The smell will help to engage his nose, and further distract him from the source of his anxiety.
When he is comfortable with this exercise, is calm, and able to follow simple commands, I very slowly raise the strength of the problem stimulus. I make each session short, fun, and very rewarding.
In this way, my dog learns alternative behaviors for dealing with stressful situations. He also learns to associate something that was previously a source of fear and stress, with something positive (nice smells, yummy treats), and with being calm.
2. Calm Environment
Another important aspect of helping an anxious dog, is to create a calm and predictable environment for him, in his daily life.
- Fixed routine – I set a fixed schedule for feeding, walking, play-time, leaving the house, coming home, and more. I also establish a fixed set of rules, and a consistent way of enforcing them. A very fixed routine and rule-set, helps our dog understand what to expect from us, and also what we expect from him in return. Greater certainty reduces anxiety and stress.
- Staying calm – Most dogs are very good at picking up the energy of the people around them. My Shiba Inu, for example, is very sensitive to what I am feeling. If I get stressed and anxious, he picks up on that immediately and becomes anxious himself; but with a hundred times more gusto! Therefore, it is important for us to stay calm and in-control.
- Relaxing massage – Some trainers suggest giving our dog a massage to help him relax. There is also the special TTouch massage method, which uses circular finger motions to help relax our dog’s body.
I tried the TTouch method briefly on my Shiba Inu, but it did not seem to have much of an effect on him. Desensitization exercises, together with a fixed routine and consistent rules, helped us most.
3. Calming Equipment
There are a variety of products designed to help calm our dogs. The attraction of such products, is that they require little to no work from us. However, it is also unclear how effective they truly are.
a) Dog Appeasing Pheromone (DAP)
DAP is a synthetic chemical that was developed based on a hormone produced by nursing mother dogs. Mother dogs produce this hormone to help their puppies feel calm and secure. It also helps the mother dog establish a positive bond with her puppies.
Scientific studies *do* show that DAP has a positive effect on puppies. However, it is unclear whether DAP helps with anxiety problems in adult dogs.
There are also a variety of natural calming scents, including lavender, and other herbal remedies.
b) Dog Calming Music
“Music has charms to soothe a savage breast, To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.”
~~[William_Congreve]
Music can certainly help calm us down and soothe our nerves. Therefore, it is not such a big stretch to imagine that it can also be helpful to our dogs. However, the wrong kind of music can actually increase anxiety in dogs.
What is the right kind of dog music?
According to sound researcher Joshua Leeds,
“Rock music, jazz, heavy metal made them more anxious. Classical slowed them down. It just relaxed them in a way that the other music seemed to irritate them.”
~~[Want to Calm Fido Down? Try Music!]
The Thundershirt looks like a dog winter coat. It wraps around the torso of a dog, and works by exerting constant pressure on the dog’s body. Proponents argue that this pressure, can have a calming effect on the dog’s nervous system.
However, the only study I found was a very limited experiment, from an unsubstantiated source. Therefore, it is unclear whether the claims made on the effectiveness of Thundershirts are true.
Note – Pressure wraps will not work on all dogs. Some dogs may get even more anxious, when they experience continuous pressure on their body. In addition, it is unlikely that pressure wraps can fully solve our dog’s anxiety issues. Wraps and other calming equipment, are commonly used together with desensitization and other dog behavior modification techniques, to achieve true long-term success.
Depending on the dog and the situation, you may need to incorporate training with the cape to show an effect. The Anxiety Wrap recommends an 11-step treatment program for separation anxiety that includes using the wrap and leaving toys filled with favorite food treats for the dog to enjoy while you are gone.
Some people also use clocks or heartbeat pillows, to help calm new puppies.
4. Medication
Do not medicate your dog with over-the-counter human drugs, on your own. Dogs have very different physiology than humans, and dosage is very dependent on weight.
I always consult with my vet before giving my dog any medication.
Some medications used to suppress a dog’s anxiety response include –
- Clomipramine(Anafranil) – This drug was originally developed to treat OCD in humans. With dogs, it is sometimes prescribed to treat OCD and separation anxiety issues.
- Fluoxetine(Prozac,Sarafem,Fontex) – Fluoxetine is perhaps most well-known by its tradename Prozac. Prozac is used to treat heavy depression, OCD, and serious eating disorders (Bulimia nervosa) in humans. Eli Lily makes a special Prozac for dogs called Reconcile.
For lonely dogs with separation anxiety, Eli Lilly brought to market its own drug Reconcile last year. The only difference between it and Prozac is that Reconcile is chewable and tastes like beef.
- Sedatives – Powerful sedatives such as benzodiazepine (benzo) are prescription only. Some lighter sedatives such as antihistamines (Benadryl) and valerian can be obtained as over-the-counter medications for humans. Do not give sedatives or any other medication to dogs, without first consulting with a veterinarian.
The dog medication business is now a very profitable enterprise, and there are a large number of dog drugs available for purchase. These medications treat anything from separation anxiety, OCD, and depression, to motion-sickness, forgetfulness, and obesity. Most dog medications are short term solutions and may have serious side effects.
Dog Anxiety Problems
I believe that the best way to help our dogs with their anxiety issues, is through desensitization, as well as a calm and relaxed home environment.
Dog calming equipment and medication are very tempting solutions, because they involve little to no effort from us. However, their long-term effectiveness is highly questionable. These methods work by suppressing or muting the effects of anxiety, rather than addressing the source of the anxiety itself.
This is in contrast with desensitization and home management techniques, which target the anxiety stimulus, and teaches the dog new ways to cope with fear and stress. Rather than just suppressing symptoms, desensitization helps to build a dog’s confidence, and promotes a stronger bond between him and his human companions.
Ultimately, behavior modification and desensitization techniques lead to long-lasting effects, and a better quality of life for a dog and his family.
I have a one year old Cairn Terrier that we adopted from our local SPCA 6 months ago. He is in his only at night and for the first few months we had him there were no problems but recently he has started growling and snarling at us when he goes in the crate. So we started leaving the crate door open and just closing the gate to the room his crate is in but he will bark when we close the gate. We just had family stay with us over the weekend and while they were here he would single me out and bark hysterically at me and jump on me. His tail is wagging and I really don’t think he is trying to bite This morning I was unloading the dishwasher and he sneaks up on me and when I turned around he started the incessant barking again. If I walk away it usually stops. Any suggestions on what may be causing this and what I should do?
It is difficult to identify the source of the behavior without knowing the dog, his past experiences, and his surrounding context.
Does he have high priority toys (e.g. bully sticks, rawhides) in his crate? Does he growl when people come near his food or toys? What is his regular routine like? What type of training is he used to? How does he act towards new people? Is he friendly, or does he prefer not to meet? How is his behavior during walks?
When there are large changes in a dog’s environment or routine, he may become fearful and uncertain. For example, when we moved, my Shiba got a bit stressed from all the changes. Having guests (unfamiliar people) over, can also cause stress and uncertainty.
My Shiba is also very sensitive to the energy of the people around him. When he was young, I had a very difficult time with him, and it seemed that he would single me out for his bad behaviors. A big reason for this, was because of my own energy. I was frustrated with him, embarrassed by him, and also a bit afraid of him. He would pick up on these feelings, become stressed and fearful himself, and act even more crazy. This in turn made me feel even more frustrated and afraid, and it was not a good cycle.
More on my difficult times with Sephy.
To change my dog’s behavior, I needed to first identify the source of his behavior. Is he growling because he is guarding his stuff? or is it because he is afraid of people?, or is it because he is stressed from changes in his environment?, or is it something else. Context matters a lot when it comes to dog behavior.
Here is more on how I deal with bad behavior with my dogs.
During my difficult times with Sephy, I also got help from several professional trainers.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
I have a Maltese Yorkie who has been diagnosed with anxiety, multiple vets want to medicate him, however this isn’t the way id like to deal with the problem. He doesn’t seem to have any real triggers he is just constantly anxious, in fact we have to keep the blinds shut because seeing outside causes him to bark nonstop and be unable to relax. Bentley licks compulsively and will not eat unless he chases a ball first, he will cry at the bowl until a ball is thrown. Recently he has also become unwilling to go outside unless a person goes with him (our other dog always goes and waits for him but he won’t leave the step without a human) on walks (which we go on twice a day) he is completely fine and happy. I’m not sure how to fix his anxious tendancies. I’m worried he is not as happy as he could be. Any advice out there would be great.
How long have you had him? How old is he? When did the anxious behavior start? Did anything unusual happen during that time? What type of training is he used to? What is his routine like? Is his routine pretty consistent or does it change a lot? Is he ok being in a room alone? Is he ever home alone? How does he act towards guests?
To help my dog with his anxiety, I first try to identify the source of his anxiety. That is difficult to do without looking at the dog, his environment, routine, and other surrounding context. If I am not sure where the anxious behavior is coming from, I may visit with several good professional trainers. They can observe my dog, give me their opinion as to what is causing the anxiety, and why. Sometimes, I am too close to the problem, so it helps to get professional opinions from others.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/
Once I have more information, I do more observations and tests to see which sources are most likely. Then I do desensitization exercises on each of the triggers, starting from the one that seems to cause the most stress.
I also create as much certainty for my dog as possible by instituting a fixed routine and a consistent set of rules. I always stay calm while interacting with him, I provide him with a quiet and safe place he can go to whenever he wants, and I give him other outlets to release his anxious energy (walks, and other types of structured exercise).
Hi!! Awesome info on here.
We got our dog a year ago (shes 2 now). When we first got her the only thing that made her anxious were thunderstorms. In the last couple months we’ve noticed she seems anxious/fearful more often, and we can’t put our finger on what may trigger this behaviour. She will no longer come into the den where we watch tv and her bed is. If we are in that room she goes upstairs. She won’t sleep in our bed, which she did every night before. She won’t go for a walk in the evening (sun still out). we can’t even get her to leave the front step in the evening.
She seems to have withdrawn and we don’t want see it get worse.
We would love to help her but we don’t know where to start. Any help would be appreciated.
Large changes in behavior like that could sometimes be due to physical discomfort. Dogs usually try to hide their pain or vulnerabilities (some more than others), so sometimes it can be difficult to tell. Is she eating and drinking normally? Is her poop and pee normal? Does her mouth smell ok? Does she seem a lot less energetic? When was her last vet check-up?
When my Husky Shania is not feeling well, she usually tries to go hide and does not want to be around people. Usually, she is a very affectionate and happy dog, so when she goes off to be by herself and avoids people, I know something is wrong somewhere. After I rule out physical issues, then I look at possible behavioral triggers.
For example, what did she do during thunderstorms? What is her usual routine like? What type of training is she used to? Previously, did she enjoy being outside? Did she enjoy being with people and other dogs? Did something unusual happen in the last few months? Were there changes in schedule? Unexpected visitors? Unusual noises? Did anything different occur during her walks?
She was at the vet last in February when we discovered she had struvite crystals (after a couple leaking accidents). We have changed her diet to prevent them from coming again. And went for a follow up to ensure the crystals were all gone. They are all cleared up now. She is eating and drinking normally and has normal pee and poop. I don’t notice her mouth smelling any different than before.
In the last 6 months I would say she has “calmed down”, but we feel it’s due to her getting more used to us and her new home (she was a stray and had a couple foster homes before we got her). She still has lots of energy when we go for walks and to the park. She likes to be in the backyard (even in the evenings) and goes for a walk just fine (in the mornings only). It seems to be she only likes going for walks in the morning, and we used to go 3 times a day (morning, afternoon and evening). The only thing I can think of that would have frightened her on a walk is a few times storms have rolled in (usually a thunderstorm). When there is a thunderstorm she gets anxious, paces, pants and usually hides in the bathroom where she seems to calm down after a while. She loves the dog park and plays well with all the dogs she comes into contact with, and LOVES people. We’re really good about keeping her schedule the same, eats at the same times everyday, walks at the same time ect. We live in a new neighbourhood so there are trucks (all kinds) driving around all day. That would be the only noises I could think of.
We work Monday to Friday so durning the week my husband gets up and feeds her before he goes to work, then an hour later I take her for an hour walk and when we get back from our walk I go to work and she stays home for the day. When I get home from work we go for another hour walk or to the park (lately she won’t go for these walks but will go to the park if we drive there and she’s fine at the park). Then she has supper and in the evening another walk (again, lately she hasn’t been going for these walks, we have to drive her to a place and she only wants to go to the bathroom, no playing). We’ve been trying to get her to go to the bathroom in the backyard since she seems comfortable there, but we just got it done a few weeks ago so she’s still getting used to it.
We use positive reinforcement training and incorporate it in everything we do with her (walks, park, in the house, in the backyard ect).
Great point on changes perhaps being physical discomfort/pain. Her yearly check up is in a couple weeks so I will be mentioning these points to the vet. Thank you!
It is very interesting that she still loves going to the park, but has become anxious of the surrounding neighborhood.
Is she calm while inside the car?
When she goes to the car, does she go through the same door as when she goes on walks, or is it a different door?
If you drive just a few blocks away and stop, does she get anxious in the car? does she get anxious about coming out of the car?
Did she ever experience a thunderstorm at the park?
If you play a recording of a thunderstorm (start on very low volume) does she become anxious?
Is she more anxious when the television is on?
My dogs are not afraid of thunderstorms, but both Shania and Lara used to be very afraid of the garbage truck. Sound desensitization exercises, was helpful in terms of confidence building, and they also learned better ways to cope with their fear.
She is calm in the car, and loves going in the car. Sometimes when we drive only a few blocks she will jump out but will not want to walk anywhere or leave the side of the car (in the evenings). And sometimes she won’t leave the car at all. But, if we go to the park in the evening she’s totally fine and will jump out and is ready to play at the park. Now we’ve been taking her to the park in the evenings. At the dog park we’ve been taking her to she has never experienced a thunderstorm.
Great questions, I’m now putting some things together.
To go to the car we go out the back door, and to go for walks we usually leave out the front. We have tried taking her for walks out the back door, but no success.
She doesn’t seem to be bothered by the tv being on.
Desensitization exercises are something new to us (just learnt about them by reading your articles). I have ordered a thunderstorm noise cd so I will be working on that and using the tips you have given.
Will the sound desensitization exercises help with getting her out for evening walks? What other desensitization exercises could I use? I know she is anxious with thunder storms but I’m not really sure what triggers her to be afraid of going for a walk, even if no storm is around or coming. Or why she won’t come in the den in the evenings or come on the couch or sleep with us. All I know is there’s something about the evenings for her.
Thunderstorms can be difficult for dogs to understand, because they come out of nowhere, and for no reason at all. They are loud, scary, and a dog does not know what he can do to make the bad scary event stop or go away.
My *guess* is that she has associated thunderstorms with time of day and location (e.g. den & neighborhood). When the previous thunderstorms occurred, was it usually in the evenings? When they occurred, was she either outside walking or in the den?
However, this is only a guess based on our online discussion. There could be other factors (environmental or otherwise), that I am not aware of. For a more accurate evaluation of the behavior, it may be best to consult with a good professional trainer or behaviorist. A good trainer will want to meet with the dog, read her body language, and observe the surrounding context.
http://www.cappdt.ca/public/jpage/1/p/ChoosingTrainer/content.do
Whether sound desensitization will help or not will depend a lot on the cause of the behavior, which is usually the first thing that I try to pin-point with my dogs. I try to observe them closely, and identify differences in the surrounding context for when they are anxious and when they are not. I try to be very detailed about this, because sometimes, even small things can be significant.
Once I figure out the most likely trigger, I do desensitization exercises to help my dog build confidence and to teach her new ways to cope with her stress. At the same time, I also try to manage her environment, so that she does not go through more panic attacks. For example, with the garbage truck, I just changed our schedule so that we do not accidentally encounter a garbage truck when we are outside and far from home. Then, when my dog is ready (after the taped sound desensitization exercises), I expose her to the truck slowly and in a controlled way – first when we are inside the house, by the door, in the front-yard and so on.
Managing the environment is more of a challenge with thunderstorms because we have no control over where and when they come. Also, I have not gone through thunderstorm desensitization with my dogs, so I do not have any first-hand experience.
One possibility that sounds interesting is the “safe area” idea. If the forecast predicts thunderstorm, then we can try keeping our dog in a low-stimulus (no windows/few windows), sound proof area, before the storm begins and *before* our dog starts to panic or becomes overly anxious. We can try masking out the sounds from outside with calming music, or a calm t.v. channel. At the same time, we distract our dog by giving him something interesting to do that he loves, for example playing a game, chewing on his favorite chews, playing with his favorite interactive food toy, etc.
This article from Patricia McConnell has a good list of techniques for dealing with thunderstorms-
http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/theotherendoftheleash/thunder-phobia-in-dogs
More articles from McConnell on this topic-
http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/thunder-phobia-and-sound-sensitivity
Hi! It’s been a while. Hope all your pups are doing wonderful! Looking adorable as always. My Shiba, Reptar, (now 4 years old) has recently developed a fear of thunder. He used to not be bothered by it and would sleep right through storms. Now he tries to bury himself in me, as if he cannot get close enough to me. Of course the excessive panting and shaking occurs simultaneously. I eventually put him in his crate and cover it with a blanket and he calms down and sleeps but will not go in there to be safe on his own in the middle of the night when this happens. Since this fear has developed, the thunderstorms in my area have only occurred in the dead of the night…2am, 3am, 4am….which makes desensitization and conditioning very difficult. If it were to happen in the afternoon or evening I could easily work with Reptar to teach him to be OK with it again. Nothing I do seems to calm him down though. Especially because I am also not thinking with a clear head at 3am. Does Sephy have a fear of thunder? How do you help her or do things like the thundershirt actually work? I feel like it would just cause more anxiety for a Shiba.
Oh – I have also tried to reproduce the thunder and lightning storm sounds with different sound machines but Reptar has no reaction to those noises. He carries on as if they are just regular background noise.
Hmmm, how loudly were you playing the sounds?
When I was doing coyote sound desensitization exercises with Lara, she would ignore the low volume stuff. Therefore, I very slowly increased the volume a little, observe, and repeat. At some point, I noticed a change in reaction, so I dialed back and used that as a starting point.
I also tried several different coyote recordings. Some of them sound scarier than others.
When he first showed this behavior, did you notice anything different? Was it a particularly bad storm? Is it a particular sound that he seems most anxious about – sometimes it could be the sound of water hitting the roof or the tree branches hitting the windows, and not the thunder itself.
Another possibility is to record one of the thunderstorms at your house, and then use that for desensitization.
Yeah, in the midst of a thunderstorm it is often difficult to calm a dog down because we cannot control the volume or ferocity of the storm. This is why a recording is so useful. I can start at a level of volume that is not too loud, where my dog is still able to stay in control and learn.
Sephy isn’t very fearful of thunder or other loud noises. Both my Huskies were very afraid of the garbage truck, and Lara got anxious with coyote singing and the sound of skateboards. I think I probably get the most anxious of thunderstorms out of everyone in the family. 😀
I am not sure about the Thundershirt. I don’t think it would work well with Sephy because he really hates any kind of restraint, and does not like any kind of pressure on his body. He does not even like wearing a bandanna, so I think he would get even more crazy with something like the Thundershirt.
Also, I have not been able to find any truly convincing studies on the Thundershirt. The only ones I could find were sponsored by the Thundershirt company. This one looks somewhat interesting and talks about a hide-box and measuring cortisol levels and heart rate, but I was not able to find the actual Journal publication that they alluded to in the article.
This WSJ article talks about another pressure wrap study, on the StormDefender, which showed –
I have a 4 year old Yorkie that has been crate trained since she was a puppy. We only crate her when we are at work. If we leave for a few hours to go eat or to the store we let her run the house. We have done this since the beginning. My routine every morning was to take her outside for her potty break before I went to work. We would get back to the front porch and I would let her off the lease and she would run and get in her crate with no problem. However, our house was broke into a year ago and she was of course in her crate in the living room when this happened. After this happened she would shake and not want to go in her crate, she would run to the bedroom and sit on the bed and shake. I had to start picking her put and putting her in there when we got to the porch. I tried a new approach, as soon as I get up I started taking her for walks in the morning. After our walk I come back and get ready for work then take her outside one last time before I leave. This helped as she did stopped shaking however I still have to pick her up and put her in the crate. I thought to myself I could deal with that as long as she was not shaking. We went to my in-laws condo on vacation in July and we do not crate her at all while we are there. When we came back she had stress colitis. Now I am back to her shaking again since we came back from vacation. Sometimes she pees and sometimes she does not. I am not sure what to do or how to handle this issue. I hope that you might have some suggestions for me.
How long was she alone in the house during this time?
It sounds like she developed separation anxiety (fear of being alone) after the house break-in. Being in the crate will make the anxiety worse because if someone breaks in again, she cannot run away or hide. That is a big thing for both dogs and people – not being able to run away and hide when there is a big threat close by.
Here are some articles on separation anxiety-
1. Separation Anxiety in Dogs from UC Davis.
2. ASPCA.
3. Humane Society of the United States.
4. What I do to help my dogs with separation anxiety.
She is at my in-laws condo no more than 2 – 4 hrs. at the most maybe 5. This would be while we go to the beach or go eat etc. We are usually back and forth throughout the day checking on her.
I will check out the articles.
Thanks,
Michelle
Thank you for this thoughtful article.
Our 4yo female Golden (Riley) has suddenly developed anxiety which does not seem to be related to *any*thing identifiable. At first we thought it was weather related – not a storm or thunder or lightening – but anticipating a change in weather. Mostly just rain.
We hike in the woods every day, off lead, for over an hour. Now it seems, every day when we get back home she is panting, pacing and can’t settle down – wanting to crawl in our laps. It’s happened daily after our walks for the past week or two. And today it started before our walk.
We consulted the vet, tried benadryl (no effect) and now have a script for a benzo which we’re trying as I write this.
We also have an 11mo old male Golden (Otis) who we’ve had for about 7 months. He is very calm and laid back and he and Riley generally get along fine.
Desensitization isn’t an options since there is no contributing event. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
Based on what you describe, it sounds like the anxiety may be related to something that happened during the walks.
One thing that I try with my dog is to walk him on-leash in a different but quiet area (e.g. around a quiet part of the neighborhood). Initially, I may just walk him in the front yard or close to the house, so that we can start to have successful walks again. I make sure to reward my dog well for staying calm, and I supervise him very well to make sure that the walk is a very positive experience.
If necessary, I may drive him to a different location that is comfortable, safe, and quiet.
Walking him on-leash allows me to observe him closely. In this way, I can see exactly when he starts to become anxious, and what is the surrounding context during this time. The different area helps me to determine if the anxiety is related to location (e.g. some sound, event, or animal encounter, that may have occurred in the previous location).
I’ve noticed that lately my almost two year husky is showing her teeth and growling at my two year old daughter a lot. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix this? I’ve had out a positive reinforcement trainer and have seen no results, help please.
There are many types of aggression and dog behavior is also very context dependent. To address an aggression issue, I first try to identify the type of aggression.
I also carefully observe my dog and the surrounding context, for example, is he in pain, is he afraid or over-excited, what was my dog doing before the behavior, what were the other people doing around him doing, are there toys or food around that he is trying to protect, and more.
The dog’s temperament, past experiences, training experiences, routine, exercise and activity, will also affect his behavior.
Here is a short but useful article from UCDavis on dog aggression-
http://behavior.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/local-assets/pdfs/The_Truth_About_Aggression__Dominance_dogs.pdf
Here is an article from the ASPCA on the different types of dog aggression-
http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/aggression-dogs
Did the trainer say what was triggering the aggressive behavior? What type of retraining did he/she suggest?
I have a 3 year old German Shepherd rescue that was abused/neglected. She was tied outside prior to her rescue. She spent time in a wonderful foster home before I adopted her. She is a fantastic companion – loving, intelligent, and very good with people and all other animals. Unfortunately, she has terrible anxiety – loud noises (thunder, fireworks, etc.) will send all 80 lbs. crawling under a bed shaking. She gets constant bouts of diarrhea = the most recent one lasted for six days (concidentally the length of a set of storms and the Fourth of July holiday). I took her to the vet and she was given antibiotics and meds to calm her stomach. I also got the herb – Composure. She’s finished her meds a week ago. I took her to my son’s last night to play with his puppy – she had been there the night before with just us – however, last night there were several other people there. This morning she started with the diarrhea again. She eats Blue (which is supposed to be a good food), doesn’t get table food, and only get’s Dentasticks as treats. She only goes outside with me (she’s afraid to go out alone) so she doesn’t get in to garbage. Can anyone give me any ideas as to what I might be dealing with?
With noise anxiety, I do desensitization exercises with my dog. Desensitization helps my dog build confidence, helps her to stay calm, and slowly teaches her to reassociate the negative stimulus with positive experiences.
As for the diarrhea, does it only occur after she has an anxiety attack? Over-excitement may sometimes also cause an upset tummy. How is her stool quality during regular times when she is calm and relaxed? If it is purely a symptom of the anxiety, then dealing with the root of the anxiety will help to alleviate the symptoms.
Otherwise, there could be a food allergy or something else, and the anxiety merely exacerbates the condition. When my dog gets diarrhea, I usually switch to a bland diet. I use boiled/microwave chicken and white rice only, no treats, no extras. That helps to settle their tummy. For dogs that are allergic to poultry, we will need to use a different meat source. Once my dog is on a steady state, I very slowly reintroduce back her normal food, one at a time, to try and locate the source of the food allergy (if any).
What Blue formula are you currently using? How many Dentastixs does she get per day? The teeth cleaning treats usually have wheat, which some dogs may be allergic to.
What did her vet say? Did the vet say that the anxiety was the primary cause of the diarrhea?
This is a great article that discusses dog anxiety in depth! Dogs can be afraid of a lot of things, including the vacuum cleaner, the food blender, car sounds and desensitizing them can be the best method.
I have printed out much of what has been posted so can read it thoroughly. My Shiba, Keeta, suffers from anxiety. She is afraid of noises, Even if we acquaint her with it, it can come back to her and she sits and shakes. I have used the DAP collar, and my homeoapathy vet’s tranquility drops. I can understand thunder and lightening and shooting, but I don’t know what to do when she continues the fear and won’t let go of the anxiety when sounds and actions are gone for a long time. Also, after 5 years, she now shakes when we bathe her. Oh yes, we just completed a month long session with an ear infection; she would tuck her tail and shake every morning anticipating the treatment. We discovered she was gluten intolerant and she hasn’t had the ear infection in 4 years, but she got one. As I said I haven’t read everyth8ig thoroughly but would appreciate any comments.
Yeah, Sephy is also particular about being handled. What has worked well with him are desensitization exercises.
1. I start with a very weakened version of the scary stimulus. I make sure I weaken it enough so that Sephy is comfortable and relaxed to begin with. The key with desensitization exercises is that we want our dog to associate the “bad stimulus” with positive events so that he slowly learns to tolerate it.
2. Then, in the presence of the weak stimulus, I get Sephy to do very simple commands and reward him very well for it. This teaches him what behaviors to use when he is stressed, gets him focused on me, and distracts him from the environment.
3. I always start small and go very slowly so that Sephy does not show any fear reaction, learns to relax in the presence of the scary stimulus, and learns to trust me to protect him.
I also make sure that I am very calm and positive during such sessions. Sephy is very sensitive to my energy, and if I am worried, stressed, or frustrated, he will pick up on that and get even more stressed himself.
Here is more on desensitization and counter conditioning.
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-to-calm-a-fearful-reactive-dog
With Sephy, it was also helpful to get help from a professional trainer. Dog behavior is very context dependent, so it was good to have someone observe Sephy, get to know his temperament, and help us come up with a plan for retraining.
http://www.apdt.com/pet-owners/choosing-a-trainer/