When a dog is feeling anxious they’re predicting that something is going to happen that they’re scared of. That may be a direct threat like another dog coming up to them, or it may be something that is associated with the fear, for example their owner picking up the car keys. The keys are not the threat, but they associate them with their owner leaving them home alone.

Anxiety in dogs usually comes from their social learning (or the lack of it) and their prior experiences, but some dogs are just a little anxious by character. Often a dog’s anxieties are difficult to understand, but the good new is that whatever the reason for their fears, there are several ways in which you can help lower your dog’s anxiety levels.

1. Do Not Make Them Face Their Fears

Avoiding circumstances that are scary for your dog is the simplest way to immediately reduce a dog’s anxiety. As an example, if your dog is fearful of vacuum cleaners, don’t vacuum while they’re close by till you have done some desensitisation training with them and they are relaxed about it.

Contrary to popular belief, getting a dog to face their fears head on is not going to help, and is likely to result in heightening the anxiety. On the other hand, ignoring anxiety in dogs in the hope it’ll go, sadly won’t help either and the anxiousness will most likely increase over a period of time as the dog learns to be a little more scared from each experience that compounds the fear.

2. Use Desensitization Behavior Training

Desensitisation training can slowly help your dog overcome fears, so taking one fear at a time, put aside some regular time and make a step-by-step plan to desensitize him.

Using the example of a dog afraid of a vacuum cleaner, you might start by getting the vacuum out but not putting it on, and then putting a treat in the same room as the vacuum, or playing a game in the same room, steadily getting the dog closer to the vacuum. Carry on doing this till they relax and take no notice of it.
Your next step is to have someone put the vacuum on while you are in another room with the dog. Again use the method of treats and play (whatever they enjoy best) till they relax while they can hear the noise. Gradually move them closer every few sessions, observing your dog all the time. If they start showing they are scared, back up a little and progress slower.

3. Be Calm and Positive With Your dog

Staying calm yourself is exceedingly important for an anxious dog because if you are feeling anxious too , they are going to pick up on those feelings and become even more worried.

It can at times be difficult to stay calm yourself if you’re worrying about how your dog is going to react, for example coming face to face with another dog on a walk when you know it will cause them a lot of worry. If possible, it is smart to avoid those situations altogether, but if faced with a fearful situation, your dog may look to you for a reaction first, so be sure you act as if it is nothing for your dog to stress about. That doesn’t mean you have to carry on and ‘brave out ‘ any frightening situations, you could similarly decide to turn and walk off.

Reward your dog for being brave and showing confidence whenever it’s possible to show they are doing the right thing. On the other hand, never scold or punish them for showing fear. Shouting at them or shocking them may get you the desired reaction like stopping them from doing something (like barking forcefully), nonetheless it won’t make a difference to the underlying problem that causes the anxiety in the first place.

It might take a little time for your dog to start responding positively, but keep it up because your dog really needs you to have patience with them while they cope with the anxiety. Eventually they should be able to deal with a load more stimulus and lead a much happier life.

Author Venice Marriott is a writer and dog owner and runs a website, which provides help and information for dog owners dealing with dog anxiety. Get more information about the ways you can reduce anxiety in dogs, when you visit the site.