dog anxiety symptoms
Symptoms of anxiety in dogs
- Panting and Shaking - of course it’s normal for dogs to pant or shake due to other reasons such as having been running or having been hot or cold. However, if your dog is shaking or panting during a thunderstorm they are likely overly anxious
- Hiding or “seeking cover” - some dogs will look for safe areas of solitude, avoiding the additional stress of numerous people. Our dog Max will frequently slide underneath our bed during thunderstorms.
- Excessive Chewing - this symptom may be easier to relate to if you or someone you know has a habit of biting their nails when being nervous.
- Sudden or changed bowel movements - dogs may be unable to control their bowels and may poop inside your house when they feel anxious.
- Aggressive behavior - this one is hard to accept and deal with because dogs under stress may “switch personalities” and suddenly snap out at their owners
- Ongoing barking - when dogs hear a strange noise in the house or nearby, it’s very common that they bark as an initial reaction. If the dog continues to bark for an unusual amount of time it’s likely a symptom they are feeling anxious.
- Shredding and chewing destructively - anxious dogs may actively shred and rip their dog bed, dog toys, or your couch/furniture.
Anxiety in Dogs
HOW TO MANAGE dog anxiety symptoms
Are Dogs scared of thunder ?
Our dog Max does NOT like thunderstorms ! In fact, his reaction is so extreme it can easily cause our kids to panic (his emotions “infecting” and impacting their emotions). This can create quite a crazy scene in our house. The first few times we had thunderstorms our house became a circus of nerves and we all needed some quiet time (some needed wine) to calm down.
We soon realized our dog Max is NOT the only dog that does not like thunderstorms. Many dogs are scared of thunder. Considering the violent rumbling and sudden crashing, who can blame them ? We humans had the benefit of our moms verbally telling us everything would be ok and physically holding and hugging us when we were kids experiencing our first storms. Even Ted, the disturbing animated stuffed teddy bear had Marky Mark Wahlburg as his “thunder buddy” to explain the storm would end soon.
Our dogs can not get solace and comfort from our words. Sure we can say “it’s ok, it will end soon. You will be fine…” but obviously dogs can not understand that 🙂 We recently had a thunderstorm and I tried so hard to cuddle Max and breathe slowly and speak softly to him…trying my best to be a “dog whisperer” but his natural instinct and fear had his heart racing. He was panting like he had run from a mile away and his eyes looked like they had grown 3 sizes. Of course the storm soon ended and Max calmed down but I tell the story to share that it’s very common for dogs to be afraid of thunder.
