Stress and anxiety are a normal part of life, for us and for our dogs. Work deadlines, bills to pay, or if you’re a dog, things like fireworks, or the new neighbor dog next door – these can all be acute triggers. For some dogs, just like some people, though, the stress isn’t acute. It’s chronic. They’re constantly stressed and anxious like they can’t turn it off.
Chronic stress in our pets causes distress in us too – we know that our poor dogs don’t want to live this way. They’re wonderful when life is good, but it’s so hard to see them suffer when they’re overwhelmed. They don’t want to live like this, and you don’t want them to have to either. The good news is, you are not alone and neither is your dog. We’ve got your back with good advice here to help you and your stressy pup out.
Design Your Dog’s Best Life
The first step to handling chronic stress in dogs is to try and reduce the triggers as much as possible. This can sound daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Managing your dog’s environment can make a huge difference in helping them out. For example:
- Does your dog bark at outside noises? A white noise machine strategically placed near doors or windows can help muffle some of these sounds. This inexpensive one on Amazon works great.
- If the struggle is with visuals, like seeing the neighbors or their dogs walk past the house, try privacy film. It’s fairly inexpensive and easy to install. Unlike curtains or blinds, your dog can’t push past it to peek, and it will still let the light in.
- For dogs who struggle seeing people, other animals, or cars on walks, try walking at quieter times of day, or avoiding walks completely if you have a yard. Contrary to popular belief, dogs don’t need to go on walks to have fulfilled lives, especially if walks are very stressful. Check out other enrichment options like flirt poles, lickimats, trick training, and more.
- If you have to walk your dog for potty breaks, try to go out at odd times. These vary depending on the neighborhood, but it’s generally a good bet to try taking your dog out before the pre-work rush, after the lunch rush, and later in the evening before bed.
- If you have to walk your dog for potty breaks, try to go out at odd times. These vary depending on the neighborhood, but it’s generally a good bet to try taking your dog out before the pre-work rush, after the lunch rush, and later in the evening before bed.
- For dogs that struggle with visitors, consider meeting friends out for dinner or letting someone else host a holiday gathering.
By minimizing and avoiding triggers as much as possible, you should start to see your dog’s stress levels dropping in just a few days! These changes don’t need to be forever (unless you want them to be). This management plan goes hand in hand with careful training to help your dog overcome their emotional response to scary things.
Explore Calming Aids
For dogs who need a little more help, there are a lot of great calming aids on the market these days, both natural and pharmaceutical!
- DAP (Adaptil) is a synthetic hormone that mimics the one nursing mother dogs produce. It can help relax your pup. They come in collars, sprays, and plug ins depending on when your dog needs it.
- Composure is a chew you can give your pup to help them relax. It contains natural supplements that can help take the edge off during stressful times.
- Thundershirts are an item of clothing that your dog wears for short periods of time as a type of compression therapy. For cuddly or very touch-oriented dogs, this can be very helpful. Just don’t leave it on beyond the recommended amount of time or your dog will get used to the pressure and it can lose effectiveness.
- CBD comes in oil, chews, and treats. It’s a relatively new product commercially, and there is limited research on its effectiveness for anxiety at this point. If you want to try CBD, be sure to ask your veterinarian for a recommended brand, as the pet supplement industry is unregulated.
- For dogs with more severe stress and anxiety, pharmaceuticals can be more effective than over-the-counter supplements. Discuss medication with your veterinarian. When you meet with them, be sure to provide a history of your dog’s behavior (when it started, if it is worsening in severity) and a description of what occurs (what does the behavior actually look like and what triggers it). There are many types of behavior medications on the market now, and having this information will help your veterinarian select the correct one. Keep in mind that seeing your regular veterinarian is like seeing your general practitioner doctor – they are amazing at what they do, but their experience with behavior medication varies depending on their background. If your vet is unsure what to prescribe, ask for a referral to a board-certified Veterinary Behaviorist.
Training: Build Patterns to Create Predictability
Predictability relieves stress – just like us, dogs can relax best when they know what to expect! When working with dogs with anxiety issues, building patterns around their triggers is a vital tool to help your dog feel confident and in control in an unpredictable world.
Pattern games for behavior issues can be as simple as “you saw a dog? You get a treat!” When done correctly (before your dog has an emotional meltdown), your dog should learn that “scary thing = food!” Before you know it, you’ll find they are turning to you before you even notice the trigger.
However, the training will not work if your dog is too stressed out to learn or if they are getting mixed signals – the pattern needs to occur every single time the trigger is present, which means your dog should not have uncontrolled exposure to that trigger. Otherwise, the training isn’t actually a pattern, so it can’t become predictable. Managing their exposure to the triggers is just as vital as the actual training!
You can start to build coping patterns through these games at home before using them in stressful situations:
“Get It”
“Scatter”
Up Down
Take Care of Yourself, Too
Caring for a pet with chronic stress takes an emotional toll on us, their caregivers. We love them with all our hearts, and it can be so frustrating and exhausting to deal with these difficult behaviors. There are groups on Facebook where you can find support to vent and commiserate with other pet parents. It’s easy to slide into feeling guilty when you’re upset about your pet’s behavior, but it’s a really normal response to a hard situation. It doesn’t mean you love them any less! Finding a place to get support can help you be more centered and calm, which in turn will help your dog relax and build confidence too.
If you need help and guidance, we’re here for you both online and in person. You can reach us at www.caninecountryacademy.com/contact-us
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