anxiety in dogs

​Just like humans, dogs can experience anxiety, and it varies in severity. It can be from past trauma/experiences, to genetics. My golden retriever, Hodor, suffers from anxiety/phobias but he wasn't always that way. It got to the point where he would literally hide from me when I brought out his harness and leash because he associated that with 'scary things' are about to happen. 
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A little backstory on Hodor:
I did all of the right things when I brought Hodor home at 8 weeks old. We completed the puppy socialization checklist (remember: the goal is that the puppy has positive experiences, not bad ones). We also did several puppy classes, and I hired a positive-based trainer. He exceled at everything I put in front of him and he was a very confident and social pup. That is why I was so shocked when he started to show anxiety/fear-based behaviors- it began in his 2nd fear-period in puppyhood (when he was a little over a year old). First Fear Period: occurs between 6 and 14 weeks of age. Second Fear Period: occurs between 6 and 18 months of age. 

So knowing all that, now lets discuss what happened and how it began... we were at a park enjoying ourselves when out of the blue he suddenly noticed a workers truck parked behind my SUV when we were walking up to my car to leave the park. It had its boom lifted but it wasn't in motion/moving (no one was even around it), it was just very unusual looking, 'scary' to Hodor. He frantically darted sideways and I lost grip of his leash, it all happened in a split second, and he ended up running into the road from fear but thankfully no cars were coming, and another hail mary was his excellent recall- we trained so hard at recall for emergencies and it ended up saving his life that day. 

His anxiety then turned into fear-based behaviors and phobias such as: trying to frantically flee if he hears/sees a loud sound, or if he sees any type of worker trucks. What I find most interesting is that when he is enjoying an activity he loves (dock-diving, agility, scentwork/sniffari's, game of fetch), his fear-based behaviors just vanish right before my eyes. It literally amazes me how dogs minds 'work'. Once you figure out how a dogs mind works, you will unlock the key to their brain and you will be able to start the process to helping them gain back some of their lost confidence. 

Having a dog with anxiety (whether it be separation anxiety, or fear/phobia based), it is important to understand that being with them 24/7 is not going to fix the issue (especially with sep anxiety), if anything, you are making the problem worse by never giving them the opportunity to properly learn its ok to be home alone and/or having them experience the world by always avoiding the 'scary things'. Your first step should be to find a positive-based trainer who can teach you how to navigate this journey properly. If you need local positive reinforcement trainer recommendations (Bay Area, CA) I have several I can share with you that I have personally used myself and I highly recommend them! 

Another thing you can try is to find an activity or dog sport that you think your dog will like and give it a go! I tried several in the beginning and I stuck to the ones my boy enjoyed most. Each season we have a sport to look forward to (Spring- Agility, Summer- dock diving, Fall/Winter- scentwork/agility). These activities have truly helped to build up his confidence and he enjoys life so much more now. We still struggle with walks in our neighborhood, but with patience and training we are able to enjoy a walk here and there now- usually early in the morning when not a lot of people/traffic are around. I just have to be mindful not to push his threshold and to let him lead the way on what he is comfortable with and what he is not comfortable with.

Some dogs may need a behavioral vet visit if everything else you have tried has failed (positive-based trainer, activities your dog loves, etc). The vet will evaluate your dog, to make sure it isn't medical related (pain-related, sick, etc), and then you can give them details regarding the behaviors your dog is exhibiting, and then they will let you know their recommendations. Behavioral modification medications can be a great tool! Try to stay open to those kind of options because it will lead to a better quality of life for you and your dog. I know I wouldn't want to live in fear or panic-mode all of my life... so why would we force our dog to live that way if there was another option?

Remember, always listen to your dog... they are always communicating with us. 

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