How to relax anxious dogs
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Recognizing and treating nervous dogs
After working with animals for quite some years, I have learned to identify quickly dogs that are particularly tense by simply observing their body posture and facial expressions. Nervous dogs exhibit a series of signs that may not be promptly visible to the unexperienced eye, but it may be helpful to learn how to read into these particular hints so to react promptly.
Nervous dogs may be prone to biting as they are often in a "fight or flight" response mode and this is why when working with animals it is vital to identify the nervous dog so to restrain it properly. However, learning to distinguish the body cues of a nervous dog should not be limited only to people working with animals, rather, this may benefit just about anybody that owns a dog.
Dogs use primarily body language among themselves. Years ago, when still in the wild, dogs used to live in a pack and various emotions were continuously transmitted and perceived among one another. Dogs were able and still are able today, to represent a wide array of emotions by just using specific signals that were and still are readily understood by other dogs.
Today, as humans, we must try to understand what dogs are trying to tell us. This way we can better communicate and cherish the relationship we have with them. When it comes to demonstrating nervousness, some dogs may display very subtle signs of being uneasy and some instead manifest very prominent hints of such uneasiness. Common signs to watch for are:
Overall tense body
Rigid muscles
Stiff legs
Tail between legs
Shivering
Panting
Ears folded tightly back
Pulled back lips
Licking lips
Eyes showing white part
Avoidance of eye contact
Yawning
Jumpiness to minimal noise
Startling at minimal movement
Hiding behind owner
Backing away
When the nervousness escalates then other more evident and concerning signs may be added:
Barking
Growling
Lunging forward
Nipping
Biting
As we can see, if we catch the early warning signs we may avoid big trouble. There is still a big debate today on the growling issue. Many people tend to punish a dog that is growling, but more and more dog behaviorists are re-evaluating the meaning of growling. While once, growling was seen as negative warning of an upcoming bite, today a growl is perceived more on a more positive note. A growl may just be a way for the dog to manifest it's uneasiness; try to take the growling away and very likely you will get a dog that will bite out of the blue without warning.
But why are some dogs more prone to being nervous? There are many different theories. The nature vs. nurture debate may be considered here. Some believe that some dogs are just plain and simple predisposed to nervous behaviors. For these believers, a dog's temperament is genetically linked and there is not much that can be done to change it. They believe that it is in the dog's nature, genetically instilled deep in their core.
On the other hand, there are those that believe that the environment is what will shape a dog's temperament. Socialization, interaction with litter-mates and humans will bring out the dog's temperament
While both theories will still be fully debated for a while, there are some pretty consistent theories of what may make a dog more prone to a nervous inclination, here are some examples:
Dogs that were not properly socialized by the age of 12 weeks
Dogs that were not properly trained
Dogs that lacked leadership from their owners
Lack of confidence
Neglect
Abuse
Traumatic experiences
While some dogs prone to nervousness may be challenging to relax, most simply need lots of patience, time and consistency. Many animal shelters work hard on training dogs that lack confidence and a good percentage of them make great progress and are successfully re-homed.
Nervous dogs need guidance, they need to believe in their owner, which in their eyes is a leader. A lot can be done to help these dogs live a full life again.
For instance, dogs that are excessively shy and bark at every person or dog they encounter along the street may be gradually desensitized by making walks a routine. Not only will a routine calm down a dog but it may also turn into a pleasurable event. Passer-byers may toss a treat out for the dog, and the dog once shy, now will look forward to meeting new people.
It is a fact that owners may instill more nervousness into their dogs. One of our clients had a dog that was terrified of thunder. She had medications prescribed by our vet to help her dog cope with the anxiety. One day, dog and owner were in our waiting room. A rumbling thunder sounded off in the quiet reception area. The dog started whining and trembling in fear. The owner picked her up and started a whole cooing and cuddling session.
What the owner thought was a good comforting action, in the dog's mind it was only a reinforcement, a reinforcement that was causing the whole anxiety issue. What the dog really perceived was the following message" Good girl, you are so right for being fearful, continue to do so please".
Dogs need a strong leader, somebody that will ignore their anxiety or even better give the dog a chance to inspect the source of their terror on their own.
Relaxing a dog may take a lot of effort, here are some basic guidelines:
-Exercise your dog. A tired dog has less chances of feeding their fear.
-Study the sources of your dog nervousness and use positive reinforcement and desensitization
-Show your dog your leadership, a weak leader may cause lack of confidence
-Put your dog to work, inquire about the training method "nothing in life is free"
-At home, you can try a pheromone plug in diffuser
-If you believe in holistic remedies try Rescue remedy or Bach flowers
-As a last resort only, ask your vet about anti-anxiety meds
Nervousness does not necessarily mean that your dog is prone to behavioral issues, when caught early, an attentive owner may work on it on a timely matter. By recognizing the tell tail signs of upcoming nervousness, a dog may be taught that the anxiety may be managed and even overcome
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As usual, a well-thought out hub. I will forward this on.... =)
Thanks for this info!!
I believe I know where I make my error with Leah Kay, now! I pick her up and "Make" her meet new people....I won't do that anymore and maybe we can finally get her fear of new people out of her system....instead we will "ignore" her when we are out and talking to people, then maybe she will realize that "hey I'm not part of this and I want to"....Hope it works....
Sharon, Brian & Leah Kay
Let me know how it turns out! Perhaps if the new people could casually "drop" a treat while talking to you she will even learn to love them!
Good hub,but as I'm dealing with this issue with a person who bought a puppy from me right now, I'd like to add that even the most well-bred (meaning having parents who have sound temperaments and no fear issues) and best socialized (meaning in early puppyhood) dogs can become fearful when forced to live in an environment that makes them feel unsafe. The owner of this dog has, most likely through ignorance, did things to this dog in its first year and likely beyond that have destroyed the dog's trust in her, such as putting whitening products on the dog's face that burned the dog's skin -- and continuing to do so even after the skin was red and sore, and then when the dog started running away from her because it was afraid she was going to put more product on her face, the owner decided the dog was "shy" (this was the alpha female of the litter) and randomly throwing things at it to try to "desensitize" it and "toughen it up." (This on the advice of an instructor who also "flooded" this dog at 8 months old by tying it to a chair in the middle of the room and crowding its space with the other dogs in the class -- all much larger dogs -- and the instructor herself throwing things like rails and chairs so they would land behind the dog.) After being scolded not only by myself but several others for this treatment, the owner has become much more secretive about her "training methods." Although the dog is fine around everyone except the owner, around whom she displayed fear behaviors, this woman, probably because she changes her stories about what has happened to make it appear that she was not culpable, has now paraded the dog around to enough vets to finally find some who are prescribing mood-altering medicines for the dog. The NYC ASPCA, on their website, says that one sign of abuse is when the dog is fearful around its owner, yet, because other than the way she has treated this dog (all of which she denies now), this woman keeps the dog well-groomed, fed and provides adequate shelter for it, plus invests in medical and training for it, no one will believe that she's an abuser. I've tried repeatedly to get this dog back from this woman because I know that the dog is going through hell living with her. The woman has refused all of my offers to take the dog back and refund her money, leading me and others to wonder what pleasure she's deriving from this sad experience. I know in my heart that if I could only get this dog away from this woman, she would, because of her good breeding and socialization as a pup, rebound and once again because the joyfilled, loving, trusting pup I sold and which her littermates still are. Unfortunately, because vets and a well-known behaviorist under whose "care" this dog is define the nurture narrowly as socialization in early puppyhood, and since the well-known behaviorist refuses to call even the vet who was this dog's vet before she went to a new home, this woman is able to keep the dog and indeed, even is applauded for being such a "good pet owner." Yes, early socialization is critical for the development of a well-balanced, temperamentally sound dog. But one should remember that nurture also includes the treatment the dog is receiving every day of its life. If the dog can not trust its owner to take care of it and not hurt it repeatedly, then it would be unreasonable to expect the animal not to show fear around this person. If the vets don't see the fear behavior for themselves, if the dog presented to them displays none of the behaviors that the owner says it has (as in the case of the pup I sold), then they should dig a little deeper into the situation before rushing to prescribe meds that might help the abuser conceal his or her abuse.
All I can say is wow, it surely is amazing how people can destroy a well tempered dog, brought into this world with great genes and stable temperaments. This owner could have owned the most stable tempered dog in the world and ruined it within days. What she did was awful and repulsive. And what is worse is that she is able to hide it under a false reputation for being a good owner. I think the vets should have prescribed the meds to the owner not the dog!
I wonder though how can the vets dig deeper here to find the truth. This is a difficult situation. They very likely do not have sufficient proof. It would have been ideal to question those scars from the chemicals being used but if there is no trace now, there is really not much the vets can do.
This is more something that should be taken over by animal control but again they need proof of her mishandling the dog. Perhaps you may give them a warning of what you know about and they may follow through?
This may be a helpful hub:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Tips-if-you-suspect-abuse-
My best wishes.. hopefully one day there will be enough proof to have this person brought to justice.
What kinds of things, will cause a dog to lose trust in its owner? I've been having some "issues' with my dog...he's a mini-Aussie and I adore him. Problem is, he's always so anxious. He was a rescue, of sorts, so, I don't know exactly what happened to this dog, in his first year of life. I take him on regular walks... but, it's getting difficult because, he's constantly trying to eat every dog or cat, that crosses our path. I've been scratched, nipped at and, tripped by this dog, when he's on his quest to attack the other dogs. And, it doesn't matter what size the other dog is either. He paces at home. Is constantly panting.. and is always on edge. He throws himself at the glass patio doors, when somebody walks by, and starts barking. I've tried bark collars.. and spray bottles but neither of them has worked. I didn't like the bark collar (extremely low voltage) because it seemed like it only put a bandage on the problem. I've had him for almost three years now, and am just at a loss. I don't know if he's lost trust in me but, it's what it seems like. He still likes to crawl up in bed with me.. or lay at my feet on the couch. He gets a bit overzealous when he wants attention and gets in my face but, when I tell him to get down, he does. He kennels too... and, pretty much listens to me other than when we are out on walks...and he sees a dog or cat. Does it sound like he's not being responsive to me because of that loss of trust? Just curious.
I wrote a rescue about this...and got some good information and, we put it into practise but, really, very little has changed. So, I wrote the rescue back, and asked them to take the dog. I was told that I should just probably have him put down. Huh? What? This, from a rescue? What? Do they only take dogs that are perfect? Guess so. Made me lose a lot of faith in animal resuces... So.. what do I do?
Wow, I am surprised as well to hear this from a rescue, without even getting a chance to evaluate your dog.
Let's face it, you have a rescue dog. You really do not know what sort of baggage he has behind. At this point honestly I do not think it is worth it trying to figure out what happened to his past especially since dogs live in the present and react more because of learned experiences.
What do you mean he does not trust you? Does he appear fearful with you at all? Like if you pet his head does he cower, or if you move suddenly does he appear startled? The things are two here: either he was abused and is fearful or he is insecure because there is lack of leadership in the home.
I am wondering if it is just the latter. Maybe he just needs a calm, relaxed yet assertive leader. I know this may sound like something from the mouth of Cesar Milan, but since you stated after trying a lot of effort in correcting him ''it seemed like it only put a bandage on the problem'' it sounds to me like there is something deeper to deal with that at this point cannot be dealt with e-collars, spray bottles or other.
From your description he sounds like he is a nervous, anxious dog that feels the need to take charge of the home and the outdoors. This is seen mostly in dogs that think they are alpha. Only once the owner takes over the leader role, these dogs start calming down gradually.
I would stop allowing him in bed. In nature, only the leaders of the pack are allowed to sleep in elevated spots. I would also stop with the cuddling and too much attention. Do not feel sorry for him because he had a bad past. Do not resort to cuddling to make him feel better rather focus on the future. Please remember that this is not cruel, it is just natural..
Dogs in the wild do not have pack leaders petting them and cuddling. I am not saying that dogs should not be pet, but they should be pet at the right times, therefore only when they are in a calm and submissive mind.
Start NILIF training immediately. That is nothing in life is free training, google NILIF, there is a lot of info out there.
I know you may feel like you are the leader of the home because he obeys to you but being a pack leader is much more than having a dog sit or get off the bed on request. The fact he is asking you for attention is already a sign that he is pushy. Never pet him when he asks. Ignore him. Rather, when he is calm, call him to you and let him sit and pet. When you stop you stop. Ignore his requests for more.
Dogs often lose trust in their owners when they do not have leaders. Therefore they feel the need to be alert in the home and take over the role. This causes stress and the need to take charge of the situation both in the home and on walks.
I have 3 helpful articles for you that I have personally written:
This one is about leadership:
http://dog-care.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_sh
and this one is about distraction proofing dogs:
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Teach-Your-Dog-to-F
this is about leash pulling
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-stop-dog-from-pulli
Of course, a dog will not change attitude in one day, nor in a week, nor in a month. It takes lots of effort. Do not give up walking. Practice though in quiet roads if possible at first. I do not know if you ever tried using a prong collar but it may work wonders as it mimics the type of correction a mother dog gives to a pup. It pinches a bit the skin on the neck every time the dog pulls. You may need a trainer to fit it up for you. However, keep in mind sometimes this may worsen the problem. So you should see how your dog reacts to it.
I also recommend obedience training as well because it teaches the dog to be distraction proofed. You may want a trainer that will start with you and your dog individually while gradually adding other dogs.
If you have a friend that has a dog, try walking your dog together from a distance and then gradually closer as days go by, learn to recognize at which distance your dog reacts..
I know this may seem like a lot, but he needs your help. A dog behaviorist may be great, but not everybody may afford one. All your dog needs at this point is a firm leader and he must learn to obey to your commands out of the home as well. A sit is a sit no matter where you are.
I hope this may help a bit.I must say that the leadership role benefits owners greatly as well. I have 2 rotties I walk every day off leash and it feels very powerful to be their leader. Even with years of training, the work never ends..If you must be a leader, it is done 24/7 week ends included. Hope this does not discourage you, but just think how it may benefit both you and the dog. Let me know if you have other questions.
Kind regards
More links
Good dog info here. Thank you for this hub.
Why pet rescues don't always want to take on trouble dogs...
Pet rescues are always full and have to move dogs in order to be able to save more. That is why they don't aways take on a dog that has behavior problems even if they had extra foster homes. They don't want a foster to end up with a dog that cannot be placed and then they end up keeping the dog and no longer fostering. Saving one messed up dog can mean many other dogs die because they cannot get into a foster home and then adopted.
Also many rescuers don't know how to fix these troubled dogs any more than the current unhappy owner.
If you love your dog - take the responsibility to keep working at finding a way to fix your dog's problem.
Great article again. This can be a very serious problem and leads to many dogs being sent to rescue shelters.
Eileen Hughes says:
17 months ago
Great hub this should help people to understand how a dog feels when threatened. And to be more informed on how to handle the situation. Very helpful hub. Thanks from another dog lover.