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Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

One of the most emotionally trying experiences for any pet owner is dealing with the problem of canine anxiety. Some of the behavior demonstrated by dogs with anxiety is what some may consider to be ‘strange’ behaviors. We wonder, why is my dog behaving in this strange manner? There are many ways to interpret the term anxiety, and certainly many degrees of anxiety as well. Our dogs are thinking, feeling beings that are capable of experiencing a wide range of emotions.

Anxiety is a physical and emotional reaction to unpleasant and unwanted stimuli. As with humans, severe anxiety takes a significant toll on us, both emotionally and physically, and it can do the same to our pets. The good news is that there are methods that can help significantly reduce or eradicate anxiety in our pets.

There are many reasons why a dog might develop anxiety. The causes could be due to a combination of many underlying factors or a more direct cause. However, in order to treat anxiety, we must first understand it.

The important thing is that anxiety is a real issue for many dogs, and it is a condition that requires immediate attention. If left untreated, canine anxiety can lead to more severe behavioral issues, which are not as easily treatable. At the very least, anxiety will make your pet unhappy, and believe it or not, they can develop ulcers as a result of chronic stress. What do people diagnosed with anxiety or stress do? They go to the doctor. Dog owners can do much the same thing for their pet and bring their dog to the veterinarian.

Causes of dog anxiety

Dog anxiety is a common but often misunderstood condition, attributed in many cases to a dog’s breed or just an overly emotional dog type. While there are some characteristics of anxiety within a specific breed or personality trait, it’s important to recognize that all dogs, just like humans, are individuals.

There are a variety of causes for anxiety in an individual dog, and they sometimes may vary from those found in humans. Certain behaviors in dogs, such as learning disabilities, mean that they don’t respond to situations in the same way as humans do, which is why it’s so important to address your dog’s problems in a way that is tailored specifically to them.

Dog anxiety can be brought on by any number of circumstances, and for today’s dog, the days in which they’re running free and socialized with other dogs are greatly reduced. Our modern dogs live with us most of the time, home alone for hours at a stretch. While that’s fine for certain breeds and older, more settled dogs, it can be especially stressful for highly charged breeds, especially puppies.

Most adult dogs are fine with being social animals some of the time, but your average bred-for-a-job strong and smart dog may not be so fine with it all of the time. Topics that can cause anxiety include socialization difficulties, over-dependence on their human family, stimuli associations, fear responses, ignored triggers, and pregnancy.

Definition and Symptoms

The term anxiety is a problem that has gone beyond and no longer makes sense when it is used so broadly. Anxiety can be defined as an emotional condition of a dog characterized by lack of enthusiasm, sadness, avoidance, or fear as behavioral manifestations, never being able to interact naturally with its owner, observed through the timidity and inability to enjoy things that most dogs enjoy, consequently showing continual tremulousness or ambiguous fear of situations typical of the animal species. It is a repetitive behavior, caused spontaneously or by anticipation of conflict, which may compromise the welfare of the dog and its species.

Clinical signs vary widely, and most dogs show lack of enthusiasm, sadness, and at times seem to be without attention, but some dogs present more active signs; for example, wagging the tail, which are easily distinguishable signs that the dog is not feeling well. Dog body language is the source of many of the dog’s personal habits, and humans tend to understand canine visual communication as part of their environment.

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