Dogs may suffer from much of the same problems we do as humans. It's not limited to breed or age and can occur in any dog that you have. Your dog may be suffering from anxiety, but you might mistake it for something else. Misdiagnosis makes it more difficult to pinpoint the problem and suggest solutions. If you don't realize your dog is suffering from anxiety, it may grow, and before you know it, your pet may develop a disorder. How can you tell if your dog has anxiety? How can an owner treat their dog's anxiety? This article looks at some of the telltale signs that can inform you about your dog's anxiety, and offer you simple ways to deal with it.
Dog anxiety may come from several factors. Among the most common ones you may encounter are:
Older dogs suffer from anxiety related to their advanced age. As dogs get older, they may start losing their cognitive ability. The term for this malady is cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). Dogs with CDS become anxious because they don't know why they can't think straight. It's much like humans that are suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
Typically, when pets are left alone, they aren't much bothered. However, if a pet became abandoned earlier in life, they develop separation anxiety when they can't see or hear their owner. In such a case, the pet may start displaying all sorts of undesirable behavior, including urinating and aggressiveness towards furniture or other fixtures.
Dogs that are startled by loud noises may demonstrate anxiety as part of their response mechanism. Strange people or animals may also prompt this anxious response. Specific situations such as a vet's office or car rides might also trigger their anxiety. While some dogs might only have minor anxiety episodes, their impact may be longer-lasting and only show up after a long time.
One of the most common ways to spot anxiety in your dog is aggressive. There's no specification as to whether it's targeted aggression or not. They may just lash out at anything in front of them, including your pillows or other household items. Direct aggression happens when your pet aims its ire at a particular person or animal. If you have other pets, you might find that they start acting aggressively towards other animals in your home. Indirect aggression happens when a person gets between the dog and the target of its direct aggression. Both of these situations can be dangerous for the owner.
One of the most common fallouts of separation anxiety is urinating or defecation within the house. Separation anxiety leads to a dog working themselves up about their owner, not coming back for them. This sort of mental anguish can lead to them letting go, the fear causing them to urinate or defecate in their enclosures. Getting a calming pet bed can help them deal with separation anxiety. However, if they keep up this behavior, it may be more deep-seated than simple separation anxiety.
Destructive behavior also happens with separation anxiety. As an owner, you're likely to see this destruction near the entry and exit points of your home. While you might not care if your pet destroys some of the less critical stuff near your doors, there's something else to worry about here. Dogs that engage in destructive behaviors are also a danger to themselves. When they're kept in dog crates or enclosures, they might try to break out of them and injure themselves in the process.
The first step to treating your dog's anxiety is checking in with your veterinarian. They'll be better suited to diagnose the type of anxiety your dog suffers from and suggest potential ways to help them cope with it. A trained vet will spot what's triggering your pet's anxiety and help you deal with the root cause. Between counterconditioning and medicine, your dog will be back to its regular self in no time.
Counterconditioning is a type of training that replaces the anxiety response with something else. Instead of acting aggressively when the trigger prompts them, their response behavior might be something like sitting or focusing on their owner. Desensitization is another method of helping your dog cope with anxiety. This method sees the owner introducing the stimulus for the anxiety in small doses. Over time, the dog becomes desensitized to the trigger and doesn't pay it any mind. Obviously, these training techniques are only useful in some cases. Aging anxiety, for instance, may require medicine to help soothe the dog's emotions.
The drug selegiline is the most commonly used medication for dogs suffering from CDS. It reduces some of the symptoms of the disease and is even used extensively to treat anxiety in Europe. If your dog suffers from a severe anxiety disorder, then you may need to look at SSRIs and antidepressants. If your dog only acts up during certain events, such as thunderstorms, your veterinarian may prescribe benzodiazepine alongside other antidepressants to help them deal with the stress. Some dog owners have stated that they've seen some improvement in their dogs' condition while using CBD oil. While the therapy is still new and experimental, anecdotal evidence suggests some validity in its use. However, owners should be aware that CBD products are not yet regulated, so you're unsure what your furry friend is getting per dose.
Most owners see their dogs as significant members of their family. Helping them deal with their anxiety is essential to keep them healthy throughout their lives. As a responsible owner, it's up to you to determine if your dog's suffering from this problem and how you can help them get over it. Pet anxiety is something that they can only overcome with your help. With training and the right medication, you'll both see an end to this problem.
Training your dog can take a lot of time, but it's worth it. A dog is more than just a pet. It's your companion through life. Training your dog helps them to get acquainted with the world around them and stop them from misbehaving. If you've ever had to walk a disobedient dog, you know how challenging it can be. To teach your dog obedience needs more than just mental commitment. It requires a regimen that needs to be adhered to. Many owners make mistakes when training their dogs that they aren't even aware of. This article intends to cover a few of the more common mistakes that owners make when training their dogs.
Generalizing behaviors can sneak up on you. When you teach your pet to sit in the quiet, controlled sitting room, they learn that this behavior should happen in this place. Generalizing actions has the side effect of making it impossible to replicate that behavior in any location. To ensure that behaviors don't get generalized, you'll need to start slowly introducing distractions into the training area. At first, training in a quiet, isolated spot is a good idea. However, as you progress with the training, you should start introducing more distractions so that your dog is aware of these potential disruptions. These disturbances could come in the form of noises or another dog or person. You can be creative with how you introduce them into your training sessions.
Ideally, when you give your dog a command, they are supposed to follow it immediately. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen. Instead, you may need to repeat yourself a few times. Your pet may take a while to respond to the command and perform the action. This stalling is a learned behavior, and a hard one to break. When your dog ignores an order, it may be because they see it as one they're not comfortable with. Some dogs are merely headstrong, while others refuse to perform certain behaviors. You should only deliver a command once. If your pet refuses to listen to the order, it’s a sign that they should be retrained. Doing so can start with a quiet location alone. Don't be afraid to let them know you're disappointed if they don't listen. As a last-ditch effort, you can deliver the command, then each time they ignore it, move closer while looking the dog in the eye. Eventually, they will comply, and then you praise them.
Training your dog does go hand in hand with delivering treats. It's a far more effective method than punishing a dog if he or she disobeys. However, many owners rely on treats too much for rewarding behavioral training. Praise and celebrity should also come as part of the reward for behavioral training. Using food as the primary motivator risks your dog losing focus on the task at hand. Eventually, the tasks become a means to an end. They don't perform the tricks because they're trained to, but because they're hungry or want a treat. Instead, intersperse treats with praise and celebration. Dogs are smart animals, and once they start expecting rewards such as food, they lose their focus on why they're doing tasks.
It typically takes several sessions to get your dog's behavior sorted out. You can't expect your dog to learn a new trick after a single session, no matter how good a trainer you are or how smart the dog is. A typical problem many owners make is trying to force their dogs to learn long after their attention span has become depleted. When you manage to complete a task, end the session with some praise and a treat. Please don't push the session beyond your dog's comfort limit. The other problem is ending a session too soon. If you quit a session before any progress happens, your dog will never learn those new skills. Keep in mind that training ten times for one minute apiece may be more effective than training once for ten minutes.
Dogs can sense your emotions. That's why, when you get angry or irritated, you might find your pet running over to their safe spot in the house. Try to deliver your training with neutral emotion. Don't be hyperbolic in your behavior, either with your disappointment or your excitement. These emotions can interject into your routine and make it harder for your dog to learn. The best mood for an owner to have while training is calm indifference. If your dog gets something wrong, don't scold them. Just calmly state that that's wrong and withhold a treat. Similarly, if they do something right, calmly praise them and let them know that they succeeded with a treat. This sort of behavioral control will go a long way towards training your dog.
Dogs need to have something constant around them. Inconsistency will throw off their training regimen. Dogs that have microfiber blankets display attachment to them because the dog is sure about their surroundings when wrapped in them. Similarly, as a trainer, your training should be consistent. If you train them extensively one or two days for the week, then leave intermittent time in between sessions, you'll impact your dog's learning capability immensely. Dogs rely on consistency to predict behavior in the people they trust. If your action is inconsistent, it weakens the bond between you and your dog. Trust is essential in training your pup.
Dogs are natural predators, and if it's one thing that predators sense before everything else, it's fear. If you show a lack of confidence, your dog will exploit it. They'll see where they can gain the advantage over you and use it to their advantage. Dogs didn't become humans' pets by simply obeying masters they saw as weak. But they certainly took advantage of them. Attending a training class with your dog will help to build that confidence between you. They will see you in a room with other dogs, and your bond with them will grow as a result. This shared experience is essential to establish yourself as a confident trainer. Dogs typically don't like to listen to those who show fear.
While you can make a lot of mistakes as a trainer, you shouldn't be afraid to devote yourself to teaching your dog. A well-trained pup can be a joy to have. Some owners have trained their dogs to such an extent that they can be comfortable letting them roam around within their apartment with company over. However, you should be aware of these common mistakes since they may lead to your dog being harder to teach. Learning takes time. These mistakes could increase how long it takes to get your dog to do what you want them to do.
