Tips for Managing Anxious Dogs

These days, many of us find ourselves spending more time at home, which may be a new experience for our furry friends. While it is great to finally be able to spend more time with our pets, they may grow attached to us and could potentially cause issues in the future such as separation anxiety, especially in dogs. By doing the work now and knowing what signs to look out for, we can manage anxiety in our dogs effectively.

Here are some of our top tips for identifying and managing your dog’s anxiety.

Signs of an anxious dog

First, we need to know what signs to look out for when identifying a dog with separation anxiety. There are many responses a dog can have when experiencing this. It ranges from destructive behaviour, excessing barking or howling, digging or pacing, to attempting to escape sometimes. If you notice an increase in any of these behaviours, you may have a stressed-out pup.

To help manage anxiety in dogs, try doing the following:

Copy Cat Dog

When leaving or returning home, do so calmly and without a fuss. If you leave your home and return to an excited or hyped up dog, try to respond calmly or wait until they have settled. This demonstrates that leaving and returning home is a common occurrence and not an event.

If leaving the house gets them riled out, try walking out the door and returning home a few times a day to signal that leaving the house does not mean you’re gone for good. You can start by leaving them for a few minutes and slowly increasing the time that you’re away. If they start to act out, go back to reducing the time you are away and slowly increase it again - this is what we call “easy-challenging-easy”. We iron out triggers by increasing or decreasing the challenge (in this case, the time that you are away) until they are no longer triggered by this.

Distraction Is Key

Who doesn’t love a treat? For your pup, treats can pertain to a favourite chew toy, some challenging toys, or an actual treat. These will keep them preoccupied while you are away. And if you offer your dog a challenging treat as you leave the house for a period of time, such as a kong with peanut butter, they will be kept entertained and content for a while.

Treats not only keep them busy, but it also keeps their minds active.

A Tired Dog Is A Calm Dog

There are times when dogs simply have a lot of built-up energy, hence why they would act out. Before leaving the house, remember to allow your dog to have some fun and exercise. Dogs are less likely to dig around, destroy pillows, or bark the house down after a walk or a game of fetch.

Just as with us humans, morning walks are good for them too, so why not incorporate that into your morning routine? Not only will the exercise help manage your dog’s anxiety, but it will also have you up and ready to start your day.

These are only a few tips on how to help your dog manage its separation anxiety. There’s more you can learn through research and actual training with an organisation that specialises in dog training, such as Happy Paws Happy Hearts.

Our programs cover different aspects of dog training, including how to keep your dog calm, teaching them door and gate manners, and essentially setting them up for success. Enquire now to chat with one of our friendly team members and get more information.