Common Reasons for Dog Anxiety

Believe it or not, people aren’t the only ones who can experience anxiety. Your furry pet dog can experience this as well. And the thing is, there are also various triggers or reasons for your pet dog’s anxiety. Do you suspect that your dog is experiencing anxiety? Take a look at some of the most common reasons or causes of anxiety for dogs:

FEAR

Fear is one of the most common reasons for anxiety in dogs. Loud noises and new environments, various visual stimuli, and many other situations that may generate fear for your pet can cause this. This can also come in the forms of long car rides, and many other activities. While this doesn’t affect all dogs, there are some dogs that are much more anxious, which can generate or trigger more fear or anxiety in general.

SEPARATION

Having separation anxiety or being separated from their owners is also another common reason for anxiety in dogs. This affects more than ten percent of dogs. As an explanation, dogs that have separation anxiety have difficulty being left alone or being away from their family members.

When your pet dog has separation anxiety, this may result or manifest in many disadvantageous behaviors or actions like urinating inside the home, aggression, or sometimes even destroying items in your home as well.

MEDICAL

Anxiety might also be caused by various medical reasons as well. For example, there is a certain type of age-related anxiety that can be developed in dogs that have cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). In this type of situation, dogs will have difficulty learning; their awareness will start to fall or decline. Because of this, your dog may feel confused, leading to a form of anxiety.

The sudden behavior change may also be because of the following medical reasons as well:

• Hypothyroidism
• Autoimmune disorders
• Encephalitis
• Pre-diabetes
• Loss of hearing and vision

If your notice any sudden change in behavior for your pet dog, then it is important to pay a visit to your veterinarian in order to have their condition checked.

GENETICS OR TYPE OF BREED

Unfortunately, there are also certain dog breeds that may be much more prone to anxiety compared to others. These dog breeds are usually the ones that have high energy and those that are also much more intelligent compared to other kinds. These dogs will have a greater possibility of having anxiety or developing it. Below are some of the breeds that are prone or more inclined to developing anxiety:

• German and Australian Shepherd
• Bernese Mountain Dogs
• Dalmatians
• Great Pyrenees
• Labrador Retriever
• Pekingese
• Border Collie
• Shorthair Pointer
• Cocker Spaniel
• Greyhounds
• Siberian Huskies

LACK OF SOCIALIZATION

If your dog was deprived of socialization while it was a puppy, then it might develop being fearful of its environment. This can also happen to dogs that are taken away from their mothers right away, which can be as early as less than eight weeks. These circumstances can lead to the development of social anxiety in your pet.

TRAUMATIZED PAST

Dogs can also begin to develop fears at any certain time, but most dogs usually developed phobias or fear during their first three years. If they were abandoned or abused or mistreated during this time, then there is also a higher chance of them developing anxiety.