Anxious dogs

Many of our dogs are anxious. We might know this because they startle at loud noises, or look scared whenever they see something new. More tricky to spot are those dogs who bark and lunge at EVERYTHING! They don’t look nervous – they just look angry. They might even run at something, looking like they’re on attack mode. This “charge and retreat” can also be a sign of feeling nervous about something, and trying to chase it away. (Very common in smaller dogs.)

So how can we help?

Have a cup of tea

Yup. You’ve tried this yourself. After a shock, you sit down with a hot, sweet cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit, and you feel much better. Why is this? Our bodies have two states of being: “Rest and Digest” and “Fight and Flight” (there’s actually 5 F’s, but let’s keep it simple for now). We’ve all come across fight or flight – our body is in a high state of alertness, ready to deal with a danger by fighting or running away. Even if the danger is only perceived, like the nerves of going onstage, our bodies still react with this surge of adrenaline. Movement is given top priority over other body functions, including digestion. This may give us butterflies in our stomach, jitters in our muscles, so we’re unable to eat, or to sit still.

When we’re in the rest and digest state, our body is calm, there is no danger about, and our bodies can switch back to normal mode. Digestion comes back online, and we can sit calmly and rest.

The great thing about this is we can help the transition back to the rest and digest stage (and help it to be calm) by eating! Actually, drinking is easier to do. This is why the cup of tea works.

How does this help our dogs? Well, we can give them a “cup of tea” when things are starting to get a bit scary by scattering a few treats in the grass for them to sniff out. Or if this is too tricky, we can try some licky cheese (primula squeezy cheese anyone?!). We can even give them some water to drink, since this is the easiest thing to swallow when those butterflies are about.

Too scary to eat? Well, just do it after the scary thing has passed to help then bounce back quicker. Then it won’t seem as scary the next time.

Confidence through choice

That feeling of being trapped, of having no choice. You best just lie down and take it, right? Ever felt so small because your voice isn’t being heard? That’s low self-esteem right there. So what’s the opposite? Having the freedom of choice, being respected for your decisions., reveling in the gloriousness of having your opinion matter. Soaring in confidence. And yes, our dogs are just the same.

Clearly, there are some safety boundaries for our dogs, since they don’t always have great road safety awareness, etc. But can we allow them to choose where to sleep? Can we let them decide whether they want to be brushed right now, or in a little while. And actually, today they have a bit of a headache, so can we leave the brushing until they’re feeling a bit better?

Wouldn’t it be great if dogs could actually communicate this to us. But they can’t. So we have to offer multiple choice answers:

Three beds in different places in the room. Which one do you prefer?

Do you want to be brushed today? Oh, you’re moving away, that’s probably a no then!

By respecting their answers, we give them the choice, and with it comes the confidence.

What else?

Well, there are lots of other ways to help an anxious dog. If you would like to know more, I offer bespoke training packages to improve confidence, and help your dog live their best life ever. Just get in touch today.