If you share your life with an anxious dog, you will know that there are many challenges to overcome and situations in everyday life that can act as a trigger resulting in fearful, frantic behaviour, reactivity towards dogs and people, excessive barking and gut issues to name a few. It can seem a lonely road to travel and that you take two steps forward one day followed by three steps back the next.
So here are a few hints, tips and links for further advice that I hope will help you and your anxious dog.
It is not just our dogs stress levels we should be mindful of! Dogs can read us like a book and are extremely sensitive to our emotions, our energy and the environment they are living in. It is important for our own health to manage stress and make some time to rewind from the stresses and strains of everyday life.
Taking even 10 minutes a day to concentrate on bringing your stress level down will have a knock on effect to your dog. Simple practises such as gentle breath work and meditation, preferably with your dog by your side, really do help. There is a free 12 minute guided meditation which is particularly lovely by Holly Husler. It can be found at the top of her page on this link FREE OFFERINGS — Holly Husler Sit somewhere quiet with your dog, slow your breath and completely unwind with your best friend.
Diet. Feeding a more natural, minimally processed diet, without excess carbohydrates and sugars will help in creating a more even temperament and put them in a mindset where it is easier to learn a better way of living. Here is a blog to help get you started introducing fresh food into your dogs diet https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/news/improve-your-dogs-diet
Dogs love to sniff, lick & chew. Giving your dog something suitable to chew has huge psychological benefits as chewing releases serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin which are all calming and feel good hormones. If raw bones aren`t suitable for your dog then there are lots of healthy, natural chews available as well as providing Kongs and tracheas stuffed with tasty ingredients.
Allowing your dog to sniff when out on a walk or perhaps setting up an area in the garden where they can freely explore is incredibly beneficial to anxious dogs. Dogs are natural seekers of food so both the house and garden provides lots of opportunity to introduce scent games and hide and seek their favourite treats.
Dogs need to move and be in a safe place to unwind to process the stress they are feeling. They need to ground themselves on the earth, not carpet, laminate, concrete or synthetic lawn but actually on the earth itself. Creating a peaceful environment in your garden is a perfect place to do this and it`s somewhere to relax with your dog too. Just as pottering around the garden is very relaxing for us it is equally valuable to your dog.
Using snuffle and Lick-it mats, and interactive toys can be used in the house and handy to have when the weather limits time outside or maybe your dog is particularly stressed and needs some time away from the triggers of being outside. We have some gorgeous snuffle balls available here: https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/products/snuffle-balls
Read the Snuffle Mat Blog here: https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/news/snuffle-mats-and-balls
Calming herbs can also help, plus concentrating on easing any gut discomfort which undoubtedly goes hand in hand with a stressed, anxious mind. There is a link below with a few suggested products that could help. Both the Tranquil blend and Digest & Rest are particularly valuable in these situations.
Time to chill. Having time out or chill out days can be very beneficial to anxious, reactive or even very active dogs, to bring them back into some sort of balance and down from their constantly stimulated state of mind.
A dog that is in a heightened state of fear, stress, panic and self preservation will not physically be able to process and learn what is being asked of them. So by bringing down their stress levels they will be in a better frame of mind to learn new skills, cope with their stress and grow in confidence to make better decisions that are not fuelled by fear.
When dogs are over excited, anxious or constantly alert to potential dangers their autonomic nervous system releases the fight or flight chemical adrenaline into the bloodstream, over time this becomes very damaging to the whole body and the gut in particular. The other subdivision of the autonomic nervous system is the parasympathetic which is sometimes called the “rest and digest system” and creates calm, relaxation and a happy gut and this is what we are hoping to nurture on these quiet, restful days.
Finding a trainer or behaviourist that has experience with nervous dogs is invaluable. They will help you and your dog to learn skills at home which will help them cope with stressful situations when they arise in the future.
The old advice of just keep talking your dog out and they will get used to it” just doesn`t work and you will find that each outing will just top up the stress levels, adding fuel to the situation. Having as many chillout days as the dog needs, where there are no triggers or unnecessary demands made on the dog, is often a necessary step forward.
If you are looking for a private enclosed field to exercise or train in then there is a website where you can search for one in your area. https://www.dogwalkingfields.co.uk
There is a particularly good Facebook group that offers support, set up by Niki French called Pup Talk and she has recently released a book called Stop Walking Your Dog which has invaluable advice to help with anxious dogs. https://www.puptalk.co.uk
Sleep: Adult dogs require 16-18 hours of sleep a day, so it is important that your anxious dog gets enough rest and has a quiet space where they feel safe. This could be a crate with the door left open, a comfortable bed in an area where they are not disturbed by other dogs or people passing or observing where they always choose to sleep and make a cosy bed there.
Anxiety can present itself in many ways, here are a few to look out for:
• Digestion problems - IBS, Diarrhoea
• Over excitability
• Reactive behaviour (aggression)
• Excessive barking
• Noise sensitivities
• Humping
• Resource guarding
• Chewing or scratching the body
• Inappropriate toileting in the house
• Excessive licking
• Ball obsession
• Pacing
There are a number of products on the shop to help relax and support nervous, anxious and reactive dogs
Tranquil is a herbal blend created specifically with the nervous, anxious, reactive & stressed dog in mind https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/products/tranquil-relax-calm
Digest & Rest https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/products/digest-and-rest
Gentle massage and body work such as Tellington Touch can be really helpful but do be mindful that for some dogs, touch is not a positive experience. If they are fearful of hands they may be happy with a soft brush or cloth initially.
Body wraps and pressure vests such as the Thundershirt can be very useful for comforting an anxious and stressed dog, read the following blog which covers the topic in detail https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/news/body-wraps-pressure-vests
Walking anxious & reactive dogs: Walking anxious, fearful and reactive dogs can be incredibly difficult and stressful for both dog and owner. I can clearly remember a daily walk at 5am for many months on the arrival of a particularly reactive rescue dog and having to drive to areas that were very quiet in order to keep their stress levels down.
Rehabilitating an anxious dog can be a long process, so as well as getting support from a compassionate trainer I would suggest joining a group on Facebook that supports anxious dogs and their owners and also looking up Sarah who started her business My Anxious Dog after her Spaniel became very stressed and reactive around other dogs and discovered just how difficult it was to inform others that her dog wasn`t nasty but just frightened and it would help if they just gave her space.
So, Sarah from My Anxious Dog has created a national #dogsinyellow day on the 20th March 2022 to raise awareness and to really educate others to understand the meaning of dogs wearing yellow. So please spread the word!
Sara says “Yellow warning or yellow space awareness products are used when walking an anxious, nervous or reactive dog.
Walking reactive or anxious dogs in public is challenging, especially when strangers and dogs walk over to say “Hi” to your fearful dog. Sometimes avoiding scary triggers is impossible, so we use yellow dog warning products or yellow space awareness products to let people know that our dogs need space or to be ignored”.
You can download your free awareness pack, shop for the fantastic products and make contact with Sarah via the website http://www.myanxiousdog.co.uk
www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk
Caroline Hearn MICHT. Dip.ICAT. MIAAT