The mental health of your dog can be a difficult thing to manage. Dogs are incredibly sensitive to everything around them from the sights and sounds of their environment to the emotions and actions of the people surrounding them. Ultimately, if you detect any signs of anxiety or nervousness in your dog, it is not something to ignore.
Anxiety in dogs can often lead to other issues. Nervous dogs can easily become aggressive or begin to exhibit other undesirable behaviours. It is essential that you, as his owner, take control of the situation and create a calm and relaxing environment for your anxious pup. Moreover, maintaining a calm setting for your dog is the best way to prevent anxiety from creeping up unexpectedly.
Here are two things that you can do to help create a calm environment for your dog.
Get the Right Supplies
No one likes to see that their dog is suffering from anxiety or panic attacks. Such situations can be made even worse for you and your pet if you don’t have the right supplies on hand to help calm things down. Some supplies will be constant comforts for your dog while others can help when anxiety sets in unexpectedly.
If you know your dog is prone to feeling anxious for a particular reason, it is a good idea to keep a few CeeBeeDoo treats in the house. Dogs who experience separation anxiety when their owners leave the house can be given such a treat to help them relax before you have to go somewhere. These also come in handy if you know that your dog’s anxiety will be triggered by a scheduled firework show one evening or something of that nature.
Other supplies that you should always have in the house include a comfortable dog bed that your dog knows is all his own and a kennel. Many dogs derive great comfort from being placed in a kennel that they are familiar with as they feel as though they can hide from whatever is causing them to become nervous. A calm place that your dog knows he can retreat to when he is feeling anxious is essential to have in your house.
Keep Calm
One thing that might be causing your dog to become anxious without you knowing it has to do with the way you feel. You are your dog’s leader and guide. When you feel nervous and exhibit signs of anxiety, they will follow suit. The ability that dogs have to feed off of the emotions of their owners is uncanny at times, but it is very real.
When you come home excited and happy, you notice how easy it is to get your dog excited and jumping around with joy. They have no idea why you are happy, just that you are, which makes them happy too. The same goes for when you are nervous or anxious. They might not know what is causing you to feel this way, so they will go on the alert and feel nervous as well.