Canine anxiety. It’s a big problem that can lead to a menagerie of other issues including medical problems, strain in the human-animal bond, and sometimes costly repairs to damages caused by stressed pooches. I have personally been challenged with all of the above and see stressed pups at work every day. Fortunately, in the last couple of years there have been some incredible alternatives to medicating our anxious friends.
First, before determining what measure will be most effective in treating your pet’s anxiety, you need to explore the cause of stress. All the medication and treatments in the world may not help your pet if you do not know the reason for anxiety. Typically the most common breeds presenting with anxiety issues are working breeds. The top of the list include Jack Russell Terriers, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds, Huskies, Beagles, German Shepherds, etc. These breeds were created by humans by selectively breeding the most insane athletes of the dog world. These dogs needed to be tenacious, tough, athletic, intelligent, and needed to run most of the day. As I have repeated in many of my posts, I am passionate about knowing why your dog does what it does and you can find those roots in the purpose for it’s breeding. These breeds are some of the most sought-after family pets and I fear that many owners do not consider the needs these working animals require.
Clients often complain that their neighbors are becoming upset because their Beagle barks all day, they are distressed that their Jack Russell spins in circles and chews it’s tail or nails, they share horror stories of their German Shepherd breaking through a window, or their Husky eating their couch, etc. All of these behaviors are signs of anxiety and first and foremost, activity of the animal, both mental and physical need to be addressed. This can be difficult to relay. I often hear responses of, “My Border Collies gets two walks per day,” or “My Beagle sits for his dinner and knows some tricks.” These things are too often considered adequate in engaging the minds and bodies of breeds that require so much more to be satisfied. That Border Collie was bred to run and herd sheep all day, required a load of mental and physical stimulation, those two walks per day are great, but not enough for her. For the Beagle, he needs to use his nose, and he needs to run too. Likely a few tricks per day are not satisfying his needs. Unfortunately stress and anxiety in dogs can often lead to their relinquishment at the shelter due to destructive behaviors.
This blog post would be pages long if I went into all the ways that you can mentally and physically stimulate your dog to keep him happy and healthy, so I will save that for another post. For now, we will just acknowledge some of the common causes of canine anxiety. Another cause of anxiety, which may be more common or at least as common as lack of mental and physical exercise is lack of socialization. Fearful dogs that have not been properly exposed to the world are a big percentage of dogs exhibiting signs of anxiety. Socialization is a big key in preventing anxiety and the issues it causes.
Separation anxiety is another leading cause of stress in dogs. Most if not all dogs display some degree of separation anxiety from their family when left alone.
Last, but not least, changes in the home or family cause dogs anxiety. Even small changes to us, like changes in work schedule, new furniture, or new routine can be difficult for a dog. I often see pets presenting with anxiety issues after a recent move or addition of a family member. These things are less out of your control, but there are things you can do to make these transitions easier.
Now, we have addressed the main causes of anxiety in dogs.
1.) Lack of proper mental and physical exercise. Particularly exercises suited to breed needs.
2.) Lack of socialization, fearful or shy dogs.
Now to briefly discuss signs of anxiety in dogs. The signs can range from severe to subtle, but the dog displaying the subtle signs may be just as distressed as the dog displaying severe sings depending on the personality of the animal. Some common signs are: chewing at the nails or tail, digging, shaking, pacing, chewing inappropriately, eliminating in the home, vocalization, hiding, excessively sleeping, and aggression. A pet may display one or many of these signs if they are anxious.
Of course if you have an active breed exercise may help anxiety, and if your puppy is scared of new situations, behavioral training and socialization will help, but during those times of change; i.e. increase in activity/new activities, or new training classes, there are some tools you can use to your advantage in adding these new things to your pets life and to reduce stress in starting treatments for anxiety. Basically starting treatment for anxiety, training classes, new dog sport, etc, can cause some anxiety initially while your pet is learning and adjusting, and the products I will discuss are geared for this specific purpose. These products are awesome aids while you treat the root cause of your dog’s anxiety.
Thundershirts: My first experience with the Thundershirt was one of desperation. It was my first week with Uma and in that week I had come home to bloody paws and hundreds of dollars of drywall repair. She was eating the house. She had a lot of anxiety issues when I adopted her, but they manifested tenfold when I left her alone. I tried every trick in the book, I tried crate training her, leaving music on, exhausting her before I left, leaving food around the house, chew toys, leaving her in various rooms, leaving her in the open, etc. Not a single thing I did decreased the damages to poor Uma or the house. I had only had her for 7 days, but the injuries and the house repairs were not slowing down. I didn’t feel like she was “adjusting” or improving in any way. I knew I needed to work with her. We needed to find lots of mentally and physically engaging hobbies and she intensely needed socialization with humans and other dogs, but training takes time and in the interum I needed a solution. Resolving root causes of anxiety in dogs takes time, in some cases (like mine) time you don’t have. I tried as hard to be with her as much as possible, but I needed to work to support us. I was ready to try anything. I walked into work, expecting to discuss sedation options with one of my veterinary co-workers and saw advertising for ThunderShirts. I work inside of PetSmart at Banfield and they had just started carrying them. I picked one up that day, but was very suspicious about the efficacy of the shirt. I mean, my dog was EATING WALLS. I didn’t think anything would stop her, let along a piece of fabric. But, it did. The instant the shirt was on, Uma calmly walked to her bed and sat down. I snuck out of the house and ran a quick errand only to come home to find her in the exact spot I left her. I was astonished.
Thundershits are a tight wrap that compresses the thoracic region of a dog and this pressure has a calming presence on many dogs. Similar designs are used on children with anxiety disorders that result in similar effects. The wrap was so effective on Uma I did not need to medicate her and owe much of our socialization training success on it’s use. I was so impressed with the product that I encouraged my hospital to buy one in each size to use on stressed animals staying in the hospital. The results were equally astonishing. Though they did not help all anxious dogs, most dogs displayed a huge difference in behavior once one was fitted. Dogs that paced stopped pacing in their kennels, dogs panting excessively calmed, and barking dogs quieted. We used them on patients in exam rooms as well. Pets hiding behind their owners or trying to escape would sit or lay down, visibly less distressed.
The benefits of the shirt are that they fit almost any dog. If you have a dog under 5 lbs or a dog over 100 lbs you may have some difficulty with the fit, but I have not had any issues yet with fitting a pet. If you buy one at PetSmart, they will help you fit your pet and they have a 100% money-back guarantee. If it doesn’t work for your pet, you can have your money back. The shirts are machine-washable and your dog can wear it all day. The shirts are made well, Uma’s shirt was probably washed 100 times and the velcro still works great, she’s even tried chewing an area of the shirt and she only caused minor damage. There are no health risks associated with the shirt and they typically cost under $50. They now come in awesome colors and in a sweater and rain jacket variety. Luckily for us, Uma no longer needs the Thundershirt unless there is a thunderstorm or sometimes if we go on a long road trip. Those two things still cause her some stress, but the minute she has her shirt on she feels so much better. That’s the awesome thing about the shirts, you can tell if they are working almost immediately.
Thundershirts are elevated to almost miracle status in treating an anxious dog when you add Adaptil. Adaptil is a product that has been available in the UK for years, but has recently become available and popular in the US in treatment of anxiety and as a training aid. Adpatil is a synthetic pheromone that mimics the calming pheromone mother dogs release to nursing puppies. In clinical studies, this pheromone has been proven to improve the learning and attention of puppies in training classes and reduce anxiety in dogs of all ages. The product comes in a portable spray that can be used for travel, a collar that releases pheromones continuously for 4 weeks, wipes that can be used in a crate or on bedding, and a wall diffuser that lasts for 30 days. I use Adaptil on both my own pets and my patients. At work, I primarily use the diffusers and the spray. Diffusers are located in all kennel areas and I rely on the spray for fearful pets. The spray is great to use on kennels before putting the pet in or spraying to bedding. I also find that it helps if clients remove their pet’s collar, and replace on pet once a couple of sprays are added. Fearful dogs relax and aggressive dogs are less tense, it makes my job a lot easier! My favorite way to use the spray is on Thundershirts before putting them on a pet and to my car before putting my dogs in (they hate road trips- but Adaptil makes them tolerable for my girls).
The first time I used Adaptil was when I adopted Fyka. She was a typical annoying little sister/omega dog. She was constantly seeking approval of Uma and on especially tiring days Uma would growl at her when she came near. Adaptil had just become available and so I bought the spray and used some on Uma’s bed. About 10 minutes later Uma sat in her bed and Fyka approached. It was the first time Uma didn’t lift a lip at her for coming too near and in fact, allowed Fyka to give her a couple of polite licks. It was the first positive interaction between the two. They are of course best friends today, but I really think Adaptil helped while they were getting to know each other’s boundaries as I continued to use it for about a month during the transition. I used Adaptil again on a summer camping trip. My dogs are generally polite, but tend to act tough “guarding” their campsite. Sometimes they would bark if a passing dog was being boisterous and sometimes they would pace anxiously on their tethers. Before the trip, I bought some collars for the girls. The results were so impressive that a friend that was camping with us thought that I had sedated my dogs! They were so calm that when dogs passed, they casually just lifted their heads from their laying down position and were silent. They also slept better at night and there was no pacing in the tent or on the tethers. It was amazing!
I love the Adpatil collars the most. They have helped my dogs during training classes, vacations, and have helped my client’s dogs with their anxieties. Recently I heard some great positive feedback from a client using the collar on her aging dog that has some dementia. The client reported that her sweet old girl seemed so much more relaxed and had stopped pacing at night and sleeping well. Another great use is with dogs that have been recently adopted and are transitioning into their new life.
Adpatil can be purchased through most veterinary hospitals. To find the products you want at a hospital near you go to www.adaptil.com and click the “buy” tab. Type in your address and the site will show you retailers of the product near you. The products range from about $20-$40 and have a great value as most last about a month.
I hope that you and your dog find the anxiety solution that works best for you. Whether your dog is a little stressed when you leave or is eating through your walls, you and your pet deserve some relief. I hope your pup finds comfort in these recommended products. Remember, don't hesitate to reach out to your vet for advise and remember to seek out the root of your pet’s anxiety. I will write additional posts on how to keep your pet’s mind and body active and discuss socialization solutions, but in the meantime, please feel free to reach out to me. Thank you for reading and never stop exploring :)!
*A note about recommended products. Some dogs will not benefit from non-medication therapies and may require a behavioral specialist consult. This does not necessarily mean that you or your pup is doing something “wrong,” it just means that your dog may need an alternative therapy. So please do not be discouraged if these recommendations do not help your individual pet. Pets are individuals just like us and although I have found these therapies to help most dogs with anxiety, it does not help them all. Please reach out to your veterinarian for further recommendations if you are needing assistance with your pet, there are so many more options available.
PS: The “FeliWay” in the photo is the Adaptil for cats :)! I would need a whole other post to discuss why I love it so much, but in a nutshell it can prevent inappropriate elimination, inter-cat aggression, and fear at the veterinary hospital. It is like a cat miracle worker for me in my career for it’s calming effect on angry felines!
Another great page for canine anxiety solutions is www.aspca.org.
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