Anxious Dogs: Five Natural Solutions To Reduce Anxiety

Like human beings, dogs can also respond to stress by showing emotions in various ways. Changes in routine, exposure to loud or unknown noises can cause significant changes in your dog behaviour. When a dog is stressed, it can be worrying for a pet owner and prevent your dog from enjoying usual doggie activities, especially if there is no specific reason for anxiety occurring.

Although the problem can be hard to understand, there are different methods of treatment that can be used to make the pet feel safe and happy. While you can purchase medication designed to calm your pet’s anxiety, there are many natural remedies that can help to reduce worry. Here are the top five natural ways that may help you avoid adverse side effects from medicaments and relieve anxiety in your dog.

Usually, it’s simple to tell when your dog becomes anxious, but sometimes you may have to pay special attention to your pet and his behaviour.

These are the most common signs of dog anxiety such as chewing, destructive behaviour, barking, crying, restlessness, pacing, excessive licking and panting, aggression, loss in appetite, refusal of food, trembling or shaking.

Common Types Of Anxiety

Before choosing a suitable calming remedy for your dog, you should determine the type of anxiety they are subjected to, as this may influence your choice of product.

Behavioural anxiety occurs when your dog has constant fear about something like past trauma or abuse. Separation anxiety is widely common in dogs and can have an effect on their overall wellness. In this case, dogs are afraid of being at home alone or separated from an owner since they stay for at least an hour or two each day or eight and more hours if you work full-time.

Situational anxiety happens when your dog is afraid of something specific, like storms and other loud noises, car rides or public transport, as well as visiting the vet.

Five Natural Solutions For Dog Anxiety

Exercise

Sometimes, your stress can be transferred to your pet. If an intense work schedule means you aren’t taking your dog for the walks on a regular basis, a pet can feel anxiety.

The change in routine a pet has become accustomed to, loneliness or a sense of confusion are all possible triggers of stress that can be prevented by simply taking your dog outside to run, play, stretch his legs and get some fresh air.

In most cases, the best and simple remedy for dog anxiety is getting him out of the house and exercise since a tired dog is a happy dog. Even old dogs need regular physical activity if exercises are suitable for their ageing joints, though supplements like CBD can’t hurt.

Mental Activities

Stress-relief techniques work on several levels and can have calming effects. For example, teaching your dog new tricks can distract his attention from the cause of stress. It doesn’t matter what skill you choose to teach your dog, anything that challenges him can help to provide stress relief.

You can also engage with your dog one-on-one, which is usually the reason why most dogs stressed. Pets wait for their owners after many hours alone at home and might develop stress behaviours out of boredom. However, having some fun together can help to prevent stress and anxiety.

Furthermore, try to take a different route for a “scent walk” that can provide both physical exercise and additional stimulation as your dog finds new smells, sniffs new bushes and meets new people.

As an alternative, you can add mental exertion to your pet’s day by feeding him from a special puzzle ball or toy that provide extra mental stimulation and reduce stress.

Herbs

There are certain herbs that can help ease your dog’s anxiousness, such as Chamomile, Valerian, and St John’s Wort. They can be made into a tea, used as capsules or tinctures.

If making a tea, pour in food or your pet water, if having a tincture, add it to water or food or put directly in dog’s mouth.

Chamomile is a gentle herb and effective sedative that can help your dog unwind and relieve stomach when he or she is nervous. Use it in case your dog gets stressed in the car and gets car sick.

Valerian is the most widely known herbal calming remedy. It’s a safe and gentle sedative that might soothe the nerves and promote physical relaxation. Use this herb for stressful events or when your dog gets hysterical or overexcited.

St John’s Wort is a safe and potent alternative to anti-depressant medications. Use it for times during separation or fear-based anxiety occasioned by thunderstorms or fireworks.

Cannabidiol (CBD)

As both humans and pets like dogs have the endocannabinoid system (ECS) pets can benefit from the advantages of this natural remedy. CBD market offers various specially created CBD products for pets in convenient formats such as oils, liquids, and treats.

After intake CBD can interfere with this complex cell-signalling network that is responsible for primary body functions such as sleep, appetite, mood, etc. CBD may support the ECS of dogs to manage anxiety, enhance neurological health and emotional behaviour as well as improve cardiovascular function and promote healthy joints. Also, for many pets, a nutritional profile of CBD can complete the dietary requirements of animals.

Vet-Recommended Essential Oils

Essential oils are aromatic and useful oils that can be toxic if ingested and shouldn’t be applied directly to your pet. However, your dog can benefit from aromatherapy as long as it used correctly in a house without cats.

Lavender oil is one of the most popular remedies for natural pet stress relief. It can be helpful for dogs with travel anxiety before a long car ride. The oil is available over-the-counter and is innocuous when lightly applied to the fabric. Drip a drop or two of the oil on the corner of the blanket or bed of your pet.

If you have any essential oil in your home, make sure to keep out of pet reach. Pets are more sensitive to essential oils and their smells, while most of these oils can be dangerous to pets, especially cats.

Are Anxiety Remedies Right For Your Dog?

Since natural and universal remedies are becoming more popular, their use increases for pets too. However, it’s advised to visit your vet first so they can find the root cause of the anxiety and establish a diagnosis.

After your vet has confirmed that it’s not a severe health issue or condition, these natural solutions for dogs can be worth consideration to return pet his happy life.

Also, your veterinarian can give recommendations for the proper dosage, suitable type of oils or herbs to use, and tell everything about the safe procedure for administration.