How to help your anxious dog
How to help an anxious dog
Each year countless dogs are diagnosed with anxiety disorders and prescribed medication. As a Dog Trainer for over 25 years I am contacted daily with inquiries on how to calm an anxious dog. In Many cases a consultation is required to figure out the best course of action. Let’s take a look at a dog who came in for a consultation and whose owners enrolled in Family K9’s Board & Train in kennel training program named Stang.
Does my dog need anti-anxiety medication?
In this video, we will take a look at a young dog named Stang.
Stang is a young German Shepherd, whose owners were told that the dog suffered from anxiety and needed to be put on medication.
This video represents a grand total of three days of training for Stang.
At this point we are only just beginning and the progress she has made is nothing short of remarkable.
Rather than calling her anxious, I would say she’s exactly what a young German shepherd should be:
- Energetic.
- Driven.
- Intelligent.
- Needs a job.
Is my dog Anxious ?
How to calm an anxious dog
Of course people immediately think of physical exercise as a key component. There is merit to tiring out your dog on a physical level. However, do not overlook the mental side of things. Your dog has a mind (and in the case of a dog bred to work) a powerful processor and this energy and focus needs to be directed and spent as well.
Here are some tips for tiring out your dog mentally:
- Obedience training
- Nose work
- Hide toys or treats and ask your dog to search and find things
- Play hide and seek
- Teach/Practice trick training
Finding balance between the physical & mental stimulation, providing routine, rhythm and building teamwork and bonding will go a long way to help keep your dogs anxiety at bay.
