Dogs get anxious for all sorts of reason and while some dogs are anxious by character and will always need plenty of comfort, other dogs will develop anxieties because of a bad experience or a major change in their life or situation.
Many dogs that come from a rescue are anxious dogs, both because of their experience of being abandoned, or given up to a rescue and as a result of the unnatural situation of a rescue, which is generally full of other frightened dogs. (That's no criticism of rescue homes, because they do a fine job, but precisely how they explained it to me).
Sometimes dog anxiety can be so intense that they'll tremble or run and hide at the sound of the word 'walk ', and thunderstorms and fireworks are classic scenarios which will set a dogs anxiousness off.
Now and again anxiety can be more of short term problem where for instance a dog that has got a health problem can suddenly become anxious as they feel more vulnerable. In some other cases the anxiousness will set in over time, such as when dogs age, especially if there are younger dogs around them.
What makes dogs anxious is not always straightforward to understand as dogs can react badly to just about anything. I have heard dog keepers say their dog is afraid of men, or beards, or any person wearing a hat, or the sound of one special newsreaders voice... The list is both bizarre and never-ending.
The Way To Calm An Anxious Dog
If you look at the huge range of things that may make your dog anxious, from being nervous by character, thru bad experiences, to being scared of very loud noises and having strange fears, it is maybe not what they do that matters, but how you react to their anxiety that may be of help to your dog.
Definitely key to helping your dog calm down is to be very calm yourself. Dogs are highly sensitive and if you tense up when they get anxious or start worrying yourself, they will pick up on that and it will simply confirm that they have good reason to be anxious. Essentially, your dog will be thinking, if you are stressing out as well , there has to be something wrong and they were right to be anxious in the first place.
An anxious dog will also benefit a lot from you being very clearly the leader of the pack as in nature, the remainder of the pack will take their lead from the what the Alpha dog does. This means that if the leader is calm and not bothered about what has happened, they are going to stay calm too.
Anxious dogs have often thought that they're leader of the pack and therefore responsible for decision-making and the packs safety. This is a really difficult job for a dog in a human world as frequently they don't understand it, which means anything from the postman, to someone on a bicycle, or perhaps on the Television might be a threat that they react strongly too.
One of the best things you can do for an anxious dog is learn how to show them you are the pack leader and in time they will learn to trust you and your judgement, which will immediately scale back their anxiety.
Many dogs that come from a rescue are anxious dogs, both because of their experience of being abandoned, or given up to a rescue and as a result of the unnatural situation of a rescue, which is generally full of other frightened dogs. (That's no criticism of rescue homes, because they do a fine job, but precisely how they explained it to me).
Sometimes dog anxiety can be so intense that they'll tremble or run and hide at the sound of the word 'walk ', and thunderstorms and fireworks are classic scenarios which will set a dogs anxiousness off.
Now and again anxiety can be more of short term problem where for instance a dog that has got a health problem can suddenly become anxious as they feel more vulnerable. In some other cases the anxiousness will set in over time, such as when dogs age, especially if there are younger dogs around them.
What makes dogs anxious is not always straightforward to understand as dogs can react badly to just about anything. I have heard dog keepers say their dog is afraid of men, or beards, or any person wearing a hat, or the sound of one special newsreaders voice... The list is both bizarre and never-ending.
The Way To Calm An Anxious Dog
If you look at the huge range of things that may make your dog anxious, from being nervous by character, thru bad experiences, to being scared of very loud noises and having strange fears, it is maybe not what they do that matters, but how you react to their anxiety that may be of help to your dog.
Definitely key to helping your dog calm down is to be very calm yourself. Dogs are highly sensitive and if you tense up when they get anxious or start worrying yourself, they will pick up on that and it will simply confirm that they have good reason to be anxious. Essentially, your dog will be thinking, if you are stressing out as well , there has to be something wrong and they were right to be anxious in the first place.
An anxious dog will also benefit a lot from you being very clearly the leader of the pack as in nature, the remainder of the pack will take their lead from the what the Alpha dog does. This means that if the leader is calm and not bothered about what has happened, they are going to stay calm too.
Anxious dogs have often thought that they're leader of the pack and therefore responsible for decision-making and the packs safety. This is a really difficult job for a dog in a human world as frequently they don't understand it, which means anything from the postman, to someone on a bicycle, or perhaps on the Television might be a threat that they react strongly too.
One of the best things you can do for an anxious dog is learn how to show them you are the pack leader and in time they will learn to trust you and your judgement, which will immediately scale back their anxiety.
About the Author:
You can learn more about dog anxiety and how to calm an anxious dog when you visit the authors blog, plus pick up a free report on the major symptoms of dog separation anxiety.