Canine Anxiety Symptoms

The Dog Psychology Help website reports that 14 percent to 35 percent of dogs suffer from anxiety. If you are the proud owner of a dog, it's important to recognize the symptoms of canine anxiety so that you can seek treatment. Treatment for canine anxiety can be as simple as creating a consistent schedule for feeding, playing and walking or may involve giving your dog anti-anxiety medication.

  1. Obvious Canine Anxiety Symptoms

    • Obvious canine anxiety symptoms include continual barking, pacing, whining and urinating or defecating in the house. These symptoms are common in dogs suffering from anxiety brought on by fear of separation from their owner. When the owner leaves the house without the dog, the canine can panic out of fear and start barking uncontrollably, pacing and whining. Some dogs can panic to the point where they get aggressive or jump out of a window. Training your dog to be independent is one way to ease anxiety symptoms. When a dog with anxiety issues sees you putting on your coat, he'll associate it with you leaving and will start getting anxious. Next time you put on your coat, don't leave the house. Do this numerous times and eventually your dog will not associate the coat with you leaving and it will stay calm.

    Subtle Canine Anxiety Symptoms

    • Subtle canine anxiety symptoms include panting, yawning, shaking and licking. These anxiety symptoms can easily be confused with everyday calm behavior, and dog owners will have to pay closer attention to diagnose anxiety. Panting without having exercised, for instance, is a sign of anxiety. If your dog is very active and runs around the entire house, it can be a request for attention, but it can also be an act of anxiety. Another subtle symptom can be a dog hiding behind the couch. Finding out the reason why your dog is behaving this way, might clear up whether you are dealing with anxiety. Maybe it is just happy to see you when you come home from work or maybe the loud sound of the vacuum cleaner is causing an anxiety attack.

    Diagnosing And Treating Canine Anxiety

    • The best way to diagnose your dog with anxiety is by observing it closely. See what brings on the anxiety. Maybe it's the loud sound of thunder or fireworks; maybe it's the fact that it knows you are leaving. Whatever the cause is, if you cannot self-treat the symptoms by convincing your dog that everything is OK, you may have to bring your dog to the veterinarian. The vet will do blood tests and look at your dog's urine, heart rate and digestion to confirm canine anxiety. He can prescribe anti-anxiety medication that should be taken once a day to keep the dog calm throughout the day.