4 Natural Remedies for Dog Anxiety

Does your dog look gloomy? Has your dog become more irritable recently? Just like humans, pets could be stressed and could be in need of natural remedies for dog anxiety.

Symptoms of Dog Anxiety

So how can you tell when your dog is experiencing anxiety?

You could look out for the following behaviors in your dog, as they could be good indications your dog is anxious.

• Increased irritability and aggression toward other animals and people
• Feeding on own feces
• Peeing and pooping in confinement areas
• Chewing up things around your home
• Unending barking
• Gloomy tendencies

What is that seeming to distress your dog?

Is it a thunderstorm, gunshot, car siren, your yell, or even the scary noises made by other animals?

Learning what it is that is causing your Dog to become anxious is key to helping them.

Natural Dog Anxiety Remedies

If you suspect your dog is anxious, what should you do about it?

Our short guide on natural and readily available remedies could significantly alleviate your dog’s stress.

The below natural remedies have had their effectiveness justified by experts, so they should be a good starting point.

As ever, it’s always best to speak to your Veterinarian.

Note: depending on your pet, either one or a combination of the guidelines could help with anxiety.

1. Exercise

Exercising together with your pet is one of the top bonding experiences you can ever have.

But how does exercise improve your dog’s anxiety?

Well, when your dog works out, exercise helps to work off a lot of the pent-up nervous energy.

Research indicated a positive correlation between increased physical exercise in animals and humans and reduced outward anxiety symptoms.

Through practice, organisms achieve hippocampus neurogenesis stimulation. Hippocampus growth stimulation is associated with reduced anxiety and depression symptoms.

Further, exercise triggers stress hormone rush. Consequently, exercise trains animals to cope with stress. Thus, animals that exercise regularly exhibit lesser anxiety during stressful situations.

Consider running a total of between nine and fifteen miles each week with your dog, along with regular walks, just remember to use a good harness and stop for a rest if they’re getting tired.

2. Essential Oils for Dog Anxiety

The science of aromatherapy has been shown to give off desirable results for humans.

Interestingly, the technique has been justified as having relaxing and calming effects on dogs too.

You may decide to put drops of essential oils like lavender on your dog’s collar or near their bed, just remember, the trick is that your dog can smell the oil’s aroma with ease but cannot reach it to lick it.

3. Obedience Training

There’s empowerment in training.

Through training, your dog can gain confidence over anxiety.

Therefore, getting a good trainer and learning some basic commands can play a crucial role in helping your dog to counter stressful and anxious situations.

However, do not expect instant results. Training is not a quick fix but it is a lasting one. It might take you a few months before you finally see the results, but it will be useful in the long run.

4. Use Focus Toys

Is your dog anxious because of an event currently underway?

You can achieve almost instant anxiety relief by redirecting her attention with the distraction of their favorite Dog toy.

There are a wide variety of toys available, but it is vital that you purchase durable toys which can resist tear and wear to avoid unnecessary replacement costs.

We’re a huge fan of rawhide bone toys.

Conclusion

The secret to alleviating your dog’s anxiety could lie in exercise, essential oils, obedience training or even toys.

Usually, a dog will respond positively to any of the above natural remedies.

We recommend that you try each of the treatments one at a time, but you may find your dog could benefit from a combination of the remedies.

Which of the above tricks have you ever tried? Have they proved to be effective? What are your top tips for improving your dog’s anxiety? We’d love to know.

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