It can be agony to watch your dog suffer from anxiety. No one likes to see their best buddy scared or stressed out. There are some things you can do to help your anxious pup, both in the short term and in the long run. Here’s what to know about anxiety in dogs and how to help an anxious dog:

Start With Understanding Anxiety in Dogs

Anxiety is a normal part of life. It’s related to fear, which is the nervous system’s response to a real or perceived threat. When your dog perceives a threat, their body will prepare for the freeze, fight, or flight response. They may even fawn by turning into a Velcro dog.

Dogs reacting anxiously can be experiencing a normal, healthy stress response, but when a dog has anxiety, they are often experiencing prolonged stress and their reaction is disproportionate to what’s happening, which usually isn’t dangerous.

Symptoms of Anxiety in Dogs

Symptoms of anxiety in dogs may include:

• Shaking
• Trembling
• Barking
• Whining
• Howling
• Drooling
• Panting
• Pacing
• Restlessness
• Repetitive behaviors
• Digging
• Chewing
• Escaping
• Hiding
• Cowering
• Isolating
• Lethargy
• Depression
• Growling
• Snapping
• Biting
• Potty training regression

Dogs in the midst of anxiety can also sometimes experience heart murmurs; in most cases, they are harmless and resolve themselves as the dog relaxes. They may also develop lesions or sores from scratching themselves. A dog may hide and tuck in its tail. Anxious dogs may grind their teeth as well.

Types of Anxiety in Dogs

• Noise anxiety
• Separation anxiety
• Social anxiety
• Age-related anxiety

There are several common fears and phobias in dogs. Dogs may not necessarily have an anxiety disorder to feel anxious in these situations. Many dogs feel anxious during thunderstorms or fireworks, but tend to calm quickly once the situation is over.

When it comes to anxiety, the general types of anxiety in dogs can be categorized as noise anxiety (including storm anxiety), separation anxiety, and social anxiety (including travel anxiety, anxiety in unfamiliar situations, etc.).

Anxiety in dogs can also be caused by underlying medical conditions that cause pain or inflammation, as well as age-related changes, like mental decline or Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome.

Separation Anxiety is Specific

Destructive behavior can manifest, but it is not always a sign of anxiety in dogs. If your pup is destroying the furniture, it might be because they are afraid and dislike being alone. This is more common with separation anxiety, especially if it is focused around areas of egress, entry, and exit, like doors, windows, and crates.

How to Help an Anxious Dog

Whether your dog is generally anxious or you’re working on something specific, like keeping your dog calm during fireworks, here are some of the many ways you may be able to help alleviate your dog’s anxiety:

1. Increase Training

Anxiety may be getting to your dog partly because their concentration levels are too low. Dogs that are bored may start acting anxiously until they have an outlet for that energy. It can also be a sign that your dog is lonely.

Try playing new games with your dog, teaching them new skills, and walking new routes. The more engaged they are in the here and now, the less energy they will use on anxious thoughts and behaviors. Plus, they’ll enjoy spending time with their favorite person while being active and working their brains.

2. Work on Socialization

A common trigger of anxiety in dogs is the fear of unfamiliar situations, people, animals, things, etc. Dogs who were not socialized properly or enough as puppies can often be anxious in unfamiliar situations or around people they don’t know. Puppies may be anxious at first, but can become more confident as they are socialized more.

It’s important to socialize your puppy early and often, and continue to socialize them as they grow. If you rescued or adopted an older dog that isn’t socialized as well, you can still work on socialization with them to help reduce their anxiety in unfamiliar situations. Don’t hesitate to enlist the help of a professional trainer. This is a way to help shy dogs interact with other dogs and people, and can make a big difference in helping your dog.

3. Increase Exercise and Play Games

Anxious behaviors and energy can be a sign your dog isn’t getting enough exercise, or just a sign that they need an outlet for that built-up anxious energy. Increase their exercise and play games with them. Exercise can help alleviate stress and increase endorphins – even in dogs! Playing games with your pup can help them feel better in the moment and build confidence as well.

4. Swaddle Your Pup

Similar to babies, swaddling your dog can also help reduce anxiety in some cases. This completely depends on the dog. Some dogs do not enjoy hugs or feeling constricted. And, some dogs will lash out if they are constricted in any way when they are anxious.

Some dogs will seek out comfort and cuddles from their favorite people during anxious moments, while others don’t. If your dog doesn’t normally enjoy hugs and cuddles and doesn’t seek you out when they are feeling anxious, this probably isn’t right for them.

If it’s the right move for your dog, during stressful moments, wrap your dog in a big hug or a blanket to let them know they are safe. If making a blanket fort or crating isn’t quite right for your dog, you might be able to try compression shirts. Compression shirts can give your dog that sense of safety, especially when it comes to something like storm anxiety and calming your dog during a storm.

5. Try a Massage

If your dog seeks you out when they are feeling anxious, giving your dog a massage can be very helpful to soothe them. Whether a massage or intentional, mindful petting, this quiet, calm, bonding time with your dog can help calm them as well. Use long and smooth strokes to calm your dog’s nerves. You can also try circular motions to calm them.

6. Play Soothing Music

Soothing music could also help your dog with anxiety by creating a calmer, more comfortable atmosphere. In the same way that certain types of sounds and melodies can calm a person, dogs can be calmed by certain sounds.

Try soothing music or exploring musical recordings specially designed to help dogs calm down. Just watch the volume to make sure you’re not playing it too loudly for your dog’s sensitive hearing. What sounds quiet to you may still be too loud for them, especially if they are feeling anxious.

7. Consider Behavior Modification and Desensitization

In more serious or intense cases of anxiety, especially those caused by fear or phobia, you can work with a professional to use behavior modification and desensitization, or counterconditioning, to help your dog’s anxiety. These methods expose your pup to small amounts of the stressor at hand and attempt to lessen the anxious response over time.

Separation anxiety, which is common in dogs, can be alleviated through this technique. You can leave your pup at home on their own for increasingly larger amounts of time, and tie these experiences to rewards like extra playtime, cuddles, or treats to give them positive reinforcement.

If they are afraid to be around people, have a few less familiar, but trusted, friends or family members visit regularly. Slowly build up their tolerance to the source of their anxiety, and they may start to have a less anxious response. A similar approach can be used for cases of car sickness in dogs that are caused by a fear of the car.

8. Visit Your Vet

If your dog is showing signs of anxiety, it’s a good idea to visit your vet. They will be able to rule out other things and make the call on what kind of anxiety your dog has, and whether or not they need medication.

Your vet can also help you figure out the best way to help your dog when they are feeling anxious. They may even recommend trying some catnip, which is one of the plants that are safe for dogs and can help alleviate anxiety in dogs in some cases. While catnip can be more of a stimulant for cats, it tends to have more of a sedative, calming effect on dogs.

These are just a few tips on how to help an anxious dog and work with your dog’s anxiety. Before starting a new activity or routine, or giving your dog anything, it’s a good idea to visit your vet to get them cleared for those things and to rule out any underlying health issues or irritations that could be contributing to, or causing, your dog to be anxious.