How Do You Treat A Dog With Anxiety?

You can treat a dog with anxiety with natural remedies, medication, and/or behavioral modification. What helps your dog may be different than what helps another dog. What will work best for your pet depends on several factors, such as the age of the dog and the severity of the anxiety. Effective remedies include calming products such as collars and diffusers, herbal supplements, prescription medication, and behavioral modification.

Treating Your Dog for Anxiety: Where To Start 

The first step is to determine the severity of your dog’s anxiety. Symptoms of mild cases include whining, urinating in the house, and pacing. At the other end of the spectrum are the dogs who will chew holes in the walls to escape, destroy everything they can reach, and bark and howl nonstop.

If you’re not sure on which end of the spectrum your dog falls, you could try some of the simpler methods and then move on to more rigorous treatments if they don’t work. Keep in mind that the longer your pet goes without getting effective treatment, the worse the anxiety may get.

That’s why visiting your vet sooner rather than later is a good idea because she will assess your pet’s behavior and develop a treatment plan that gives your pup the best chance for success. Possible treatments include:

Natural Medications 

Herbs, pheromones, and other natural remedies provide excellent results for some dogs. Keep in mind that even though these products are available without a prescription, you should still talk to your vet before giving them to your dog.

Prescription Medications 

Several prescription medications are approved for treating anxiety in dogs. Each works in a different way, so finding what is most effective for your pet may take some trial and error.

Behavior Modification 

An animal behaviorist can show you how to replace your pet’s negative feelings about being alone with positive ones. This takes some time, but this method has helped many dogs overcome anxiety.

Set your dog on the path towards an anxiety-free life. Effectively treating your pet’s anxiety isn’t just good for them — it’s good for you as well.