How To Calm An Anxious Dog
The causes behind your dog’s anxiety can be as varied as the symptoms they present when they’re anxious. Some common causes of anxiety in dogs include separation anxiety, loud noises, crowds and thunderstorms. Learning your dog’s sources and symptoms of unease can help you pinpoint when they need support, and what support to provide them with. Many tips for helping calm your pup are similar to what helps humans!
Physical Contact
Keeping your dog close and petting them or holding them can help their fearful symptoms subside. Touch and contact soothes anxiety, stress and fear in both humans and dogs. When a dog feels physical contact from their human, serotonin is released which in turn helps calm your precious pup!
Exercise
Doggo anxiety can sometimes create uncontrollable energy, which can be alleviated by some exercise! This is the same for humans – walking or running off some tension can be very beneficial for your pup’s stress level. It can tire them out and help them feel more tranquil afterwards – plus it’s also time spent with their human. Double whammy!
Toys
In a lot of cases, anxious dogs can become destructive if they don’t have an outlet to channel their anxiety. A chew toy or bone gives your dog an object to focus on and will prevent your belongings from being destroyed! This focus also takes their mind off of what is making them uneasy, which is very helpful in reducing agitation.
Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
Most pet stores these days have sprays and balms that are made out of essential oils. They are formulated especially for pets and utilize the calming properties of aromatherapy. You can apply this spray or balm to your pet by rubbing it in your hands and transferring it to your pup’s back (to an area they can’t reach and lick it off!) Do some research to find out what you think would work best for your pup and give it a shot – it’s shown to be beneficial for humans and seems to work for puppers too!
Keep Your Emotions In Check
This is by far one of the most important factors to keep in mind when your dog is feeling anxious. Your furry friend feeds off of your emotions, so if you begin to feel uneasy that your dog is anxious, it will only compound your dog’s nerves. We want to subside these feelings, not intensify them! Keeping a calm demeanor will help your pup move in the same direction.
Leave a comment
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Also in The Pack Papers
