calming anxious dogs?

Dogs with separation anxiety will usually do better in their own homes. A neighbor of mine has such a dog, who was best buddies with my own dog. So he knew me well. Yet, he couldn't stay at my house, which is just across the street. We tried a behavioral exercise, where he was dropped off in the morning with me for about an hour, and then picked up. Day after day, the dog sat at the front door, waiting to go home. When he stayed overnight, he was jumping up on a glass-topped table in front of the windows and I was afraid he would break the glass and hurt himself. For their next vacation, they hired a sitter to stay in their home and things went much more smoothly.

In my experience, it's best to make sure the dog is comfortable and not force anything. When we have dogs who are particularly distraught after their owners leave (usually they'll sit by the door and whine), we'll move their bed or comfort item (we usually ask owners to bring something that smells like home, like a blanket or t-shirt) near the door so they're comfortable. Then we just let them be and usually they'll calm down by themselves and come away from the door within an hour to inspect their new surroundings and interact with us and our pup.

Trying to force love onto them by petting, hugging or trying to snuggle them before they're comfortable generally doesn't help and only makes them more uncomfortable. If they indicate that they want your attention, looking at you for comfort, or rubbing against you, following you, then they're looking for physical comfort and petting or snuggling might help. Each dog is different and will cope in their own way.

I find in dogs with anxiety the best thing is to first observe their body language. Are they tucking their tail, hiding their face, getting low to the ground? Each signal they give offers a different feeling. Often, in an "anxious" dog, simply mimicking their body language is all the reassurance the dog needs to feel better.

In my experience, anxious dogs tend to do better in their own home, but most of my clients aren't open to travel sitting for some reason. I've found that when I have an anxious dog in my home, sometimes its best to give them some space to familiarize themselves with their new environment.

I give them 20ish minutes to roam around my home while my dogs are in another room, take them on a long walk and if they're still nervous I'll put them in a spare room (with their crate if they have one) to relax. After this I'm usually able to bring them back out with my pups without them being too anxious/nervous.

*We mean well when we snuggle, kiss and cuddle our pups before leaving for work in the morning, but we are actually pouring gas on a fire. Dogs don't understand our baby talk about how amazing they are. They rely on our body language and emotional vibe to tell how they feel about a situation. When leaving your dog with separation anxiety it is best to walk calmly and quietly to the door without hesitating speaking or looking at your dog. Sometimes it helps to distract them as you walk out of the door with a Kong filled with peanut butter, or an interactive toy with their favorite treats inside. Keep a blanket around that you use often so they can have something that smells like you (Or your PJ's if you don't mind). Leave the TV on or the Radio for some noise so they don't feel alone.

*Exercise is a great way of distraction for anxiety. Dogs release Endorphins while they exercise, just like us. Try to schedule enough time in your morning routine for a walk. So you AND your dog can start the day off right.

*Sometimes anxious dogs just want to be alone. When an unavoidable thunderstorm happens, many dogs will scamper to find a safe place to hide. They take refuge under beds, in closets, or in basement corners. Being the loving parents that we are. Our instinct is to seek them out and comfort them. Forcing them to leave their comfy hiding place may not be the best idea. They may feel more exposed and more vulnerable. If you feel you must be near your pet, just quietly sit by until your dog is ready to come to you.

*There is no shame in asking a Vet for advice. Sometimes relief can come in the form of training, herbs, pheromones or medication. I do think it would be better to keep the Dog in its own home, if someone is willing to stay at your house. If not, then it wouldn't hurt to help your dog cope with his/her anxiety, if you can leave him/her with someone who will take the time do develop trust with your dog. Hope this helped!!!

I will take an anxious dog for a walk. Oftentimes this helps them release any extra energy and it helps them relax. What dog doesn't like to go for a walk? I think they also just want to go out and see if there owner is just outside because they just saw them leave through the front door, for example. I will actually limit the amount of rooms the dog can explore in my house. I put up a dog gate and do not let them go through the whole house. This seems to work well with some dogs. I will also leash a dog to keep it from pacing all over. With smaller dogs, I will get down on the ground with them and let them check me out as to not appear too threatening by my size. I will also wait to introduce the nervous dog to other dogs under my care and to my own dog. Sometimes it is just a matter of trying different things. Usually separation anxiety lasts no more than a day or two.

I think the anxiety I lately see in dogs is a behavioral issue and most likely in my experience, these dogs suffer from anxiety at home as well. New environment of the sitter's home just adds to that and may exacerbate the anxious behavior. There is little you could do about anxious dog except to leave him or her alone. Some of them calm down if you don't fuss over them. Pacing is their own way to calm themselves. I began to think that anxious dogs are a new normal.