Social AnxietySocial anxiety can stem from a lot of different things or a combination of them. Your dog could be worried over changes in your home or his routine, they could be upset over something in their environment, or they may have been poorly socialized when they were young. For more on early socialization read my blog post here.
Most people immediately assume that their pet had a traumatic experience from their past and that will color their future but just as you and I move on from bad experiences so do dogs. Unlike us, most dogs can get over any issue from their past, even if they lost a limb or were very sick. Other common misconceptions about anxiety is a general feeling of "my dog doesn't like ....." but this is usually not true either. Most dogs can tolerate anything with training and will make a full recovery. Last but not least others feel that they have failed or made a mistake along the way that has caused all of their problems. I don't know a lot of people with as much dog knowledge as me but I Never met anyone who was born with it. Many people give advice to you about your dog and most of it is conflicting. You may have tried to train your dog yourself and hit a brick wall . These things are discouraging but after you get a unified voice in training it is quite solvable. Curing social anxiety can be tricky and has to be worked on slowly. If your dog is fearful of something then you have to show them that they have nothing to fear from it. Try not to talk softly or sweetly to your dog when working on these problems. Soothing them only upsets them further. Bring them near the object and wait for them to calm down. Do this every time they are afraid of something and the exercise will get easier. Training your dog in obedience often fixes these issues or can make them bearable. If you feel like your dog exhibits extreme symptoms then contact me immediatley. |
Separation Anxiety
Many of my customers lately are asking about their dog having some social anxiety. If this sounds like you, I have a few little tips for you.
Does your dog go crazy as soon as you leave the house or do they wait until you've been gone for a while? Do they have a lot of toys or things to keep them busy?
If you don't know for sure then you can leave a recorder or some kind of device and find out. If they are going crazy as soon as you leave then you will have to work on their anxiety.
If your dog waits until you have been gone for a while then they may just not have enough to do!
The last question is does your dog piddle in the kennel? it may be time to restrict water before bed. Place some scraps of paper under or in the kennel and see if they have been wet. Next time I will talk about helping your dog cope with anxiety.
Does your dog go crazy as soon as you leave the house or do they wait until you've been gone for a while? Do they have a lot of toys or things to keep them busy?
If you don't know for sure then you can leave a recorder or some kind of device and find out. If they are going crazy as soon as you leave then you will have to work on their anxiety.
If your dog waits until you have been gone for a while then they may just not have enough to do!
The last question is does your dog piddle in the kennel? it may be time to restrict water before bed. Place some scraps of paper under or in the kennel and see if they have been wet. Next time I will talk about helping your dog cope with anxiety.
Adam Madore
professional dog trainer with Artisan
dog training
Lexington / Nicholasville
professional dog trainer with Artisan
dog training
Lexington / Nicholasville