5 Ways to Help With Your Dogs Anxiety

Anxiety is not only something that can be found in humans, but animals as well. Dog anxiety can affect all types of breeds but may affect each dog differently. Anxiety is a healthy emotion, however, if it is left for a long period of time your dog may begin to develop an anxiety disorder.      

Some common signs of anxiety in dogs are pacing, shaking, constant lip licking, a decrease in appetite, increased salivation/drooling, increased heart rate and panting. If you are fearing leaving your dog home alone, check out our blog on how to prepare for this. 

Below are some easy remedies on how you can calm your dog’s anxiety:

• Exercise – taking your dog out for some exercise is a simple yet effect way to help deal with your dog’s anxiety, especially if they suffer from separation anxiety. Whether it is taking your dog for a walk or playing in the garden, tiring them out is a great way to prevent dog anxiety as this emotion takes up a lot of energy.     
• Physical Contact – expressing physical contact with your dog helps calm their anxiety. If you spot these signs early, you can stop them by petting your anxious dog or by giving them a cuddle. When dogs are stressed, they also tense and their muscles begin ache. Giving your dog a massage can help relieve some of this built up tension and reduce anxiety.             
• Music – whether it be music, a radio station or even a tv show, playing sounds will help calm your dog by giving them a sense of comfort, distracting, and blocking out sounds that may scare them like traffic noise.      
• Safe space – creating a safe space for your dog is always a good idea. Whether it is their cage or bed, this is a place they can escape to or be put in, giving them a calming space to calm down.   
• Dog calming treats - we have a range of calming treats for dogs and cats available to shop in our WCF Pet & Equestrian stores to help with stress and anxiety.

Vets4Pets have some useful advice on dog anxiety, and for more tips and advice on anxiety and returning to work please click here.