Treatments and Medications for Dogs With Anxiety
When your dog has anxiety, it is stressful for the entire family. Fun activities can be significantly altered. You’re ever watchful when you go for a simple walk. On high alert if strangers are nearby. And if you have a dog with anxiety being home alone, your outing is fraught with wondering what you’ll be walking into when you return home,
Dogs with anxiety are at risk of health problems, injury, pain, reduced quality of life, or even a shortened life. Families spend fortunes on trainers, products and veterinarians in many cases trying to solve the issue.
What Causes Anxiety In Dogs
We don’t always know. But here are a few considerations:
Anxiety could be something that happens during a fear imprint phase in puppy development.
Anxiety could be triggered by trauma, injury, or an experience.
Anxiety can also be related to gut health — and the gut-brain relationship. Most people don’t consider that. Food changes & supplementation could make significant improvements.
Anxiety could be reflected back to the guardian, mirroring their own emotional needs.
Medicating Dogs With Anxiety
Most veterinarians want to put a dog with anxiety on anti-anxiety medications. In many years of healing anxiety in dogs, I have only ever suggested 1 dog stay on anti-anxiety medications. Only one.
I prefer to have a dog appropriately weaned off any prescription veterinary medications for anxiety they may be on before we begin training. Yes, that’s scary for some pet parents. But we need to see the real dog at their very core in order to be able to help them. Veterinary medications for anxiety often simply mask the root cause and sedate the behaviors.
I have many options for alternative medicines for dogs with anxiety. Let’s talk about them.
Treating Dogs With Anxiety
Build Life Skills
Many people see a dog with anxiety and keep them stuck there. Either by continuing to hold on to a story of rescue or a story they have made up in their minds as to why this anxiety is present. Let it go! People often see adding any level of pressure to a dog that is under stress, fearful, nervous, or anxious to be too much to bear. That’s a human emotion. Your dog will move forward if we allow them and teach them to do so. Of course, we do not want to overwhelm any dog, nor punish anxiety and fear in any way - but we do have to move them forward. We do have to make gentle pushes and increase expectations. We often cannot begin with obedience training. Instead, we need to build confidence, create relationships & teach them to rely on & engage with you, We need them to need you. We teach them to solve problems, to be brave, and try incrementally new things in order to create small successes for everyday life skills & resources.
Who is Your Dog Without Anxiety
We need to find out. But it begins with what we know for sure today. What are the normal characteristics of their breed(s) and how can we start to embrace those natural instincts? Game Play that simulates their natural instincts is one big factor. Games or feeding protocols that require them to problem solve help build confidence. Building trust is essential.
Emotional Release Work & Energy Work
Amazing results can be achieved by using alternative approaches or integrative approaches beyond training. Instead of the medications noted above, we were able to address the anxiety with nutrition, supplements, essential oils, emotional release work using essential oils or homeopathy, and vaccinosis detox work.
Work with the dog that stands before you at this moment, and remember it takes a little stress to make diamonds!
This process works! We just have to figure out what motivates your dog, a reward system for the dog, and get beyond your own emotional blocks.
I love, and I do mean absolutely love seeing a dog become free of their anxiety. It’s one of the most emotional things I do. It brings me so much joy to help move a dog forward, even if the breakthroughs are baby steps along the way.
Let’s treat your dog’s anxiety and help them lead a more happy & fulfilled life — and one you enjoy with them.
The inquiry call to me is free, to see how I can help you.