These Tips Can Help Calm Your Anxious Dog

Do you have an anxious dog at home? Anxious dogs have always been around, and even more so after the coronavirus pandemic. The world is big and scary to dogs and many have gone through their own horrors that have contributed to their anxieties.

How can you help take care of your dog when they’re an anxious ball of fur? 

Before you dive into the tips we’re about to share, it’s important to identify what your dog’s triggers are. What are the factors and environments that bring them anxiety and discomfort? Understanding what troubles your dog is critical in deciding what steps to take next. 

“Once you learn how to detect when your dog is anxious, you can begin to identify the triggers that are causing the anxiety,” PetMD shares. “Write down the signs that you see and describe the situations and circumstances when your dog showed these signs. Then schedule an appointment with your vet so they can rule out underlying medical issues,and help you get the right treatment for your dog.”

Tips For At-Home Dog Anxiety

Take Your Dog For A Walk Before You Leave Home

A lot of anxiety is built up around your departure whether it’s for a grocery errand or a work engagment you have to attend. One way that dog owners help their dogs deal with their separation anxiety is to go for a walk before you have to leave.

Grab your walking gear, head out for an hour with some added playtime, and your pup will burn some of that energy that would have otherwise went towards the anxiety fuel. 

Give Your Dog CBD Supplements

Stores are well-stocked these days with CBD products to offer a more holistic approach to pain management, beauty care, and more. Defined by Project CBD, it's a "cannabis compound that has significant medical benefits, but does not make people feel “stoned” and can actually counteract the psychoactivity of THC. The fact that CBD-rich cannabis is non-psychoactive or less psychoactive than THC-dominant strains makes it an appealing option for patients looking for relief from inflammation, pain, anxiety, psychosis, seizures, spasms, and other conditions without disconcerting feelings of lethargy or dysphoria.”

The same benefits apply to our fur baby friends as well. It’s not uncommon to see CBD supplements and products that use CBD for dogs.

Give Them Attention & A Massage

Sometimes all anxiety calls for is a little tender love and care. While dogs can’t repeat words of affirmation, you can give them the company and support needed to offer them security. When it comes to massages, the CCSPCA offers this bit of advice:

“Start at the neck and work downward with long strokes. Try to keep one hand on the dog, while the other works to massage. Over time you may even be able to identify where your dog holds its stress and just work on that one particular area.”

Tips For Social Dog Anxiety

Your dog might not be the most social butterfly at the dog park, and that’s okay. That just means they need a little more love and patience to get through it. What are things you should keep in mind when it comes to social dog anxiety? It’s a little different from separation anxiety. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Don’t Push It!

If your dog is overly anxious in social situations, don’t overkill it. Dogs may react differently when in situations of high stress. And that spectrum includes aggressive reactions. Be mindful of how much your dog can handle in one sitting and keep a close eye on their body language when out and about.

Don’t Unleash

It’s really cool to walk around with your dog following you like a shadow, and maybe your pup is really good at that! But when you’re testing social waters with your dog, keep them harnessed and leashed. This is just one protective add-on to the Don’t Push It! tip for the safety of your dog and others.

For more doggie photos and pup-related fun, follow us on Instagram at @joyrideharness. And for a more detailed blog post about finding the best size dog harness for your pup, check out this blog post!