Most dog owners understandthe grandness of a nutritive diet and daily walks for a dog ’s general public assistance , but how many dog owners make out the factors that may affect a dog ’s psychological welfare?Anxiety in dogsis a real experimental condition , and if you will it untreated you may end up very unhappy . Anxious dogs have toilet issues , behavior trouble and may even become aggressive .
While the idea of your dog popping a paroxetime with his kibble may seem absurd , domesticated dogs have been diagnosed with many well - hump anxiety disorders , such as generalised anxiety disorder , phobic neurosis , andseparation anxiousness . There is sure enough alarge genetic componentto these anxious personality traits , but surroundings plays a fundamental role .
Because a hot dog ’s environment can be mostly controlled by its owner , it is crucial for dog owners to sympathise the environmental factors that chip in to uneasy behaviour in dogs . Understanding the science behind this stipulation may help owners realize the severity of it and the grandness of treatment .
ALSO READ:7 Proven way to simmer down Down A Dog ( Backed by Science )
Science of Anxiety in Dogs4 Causative Factors (Based on Research)
1. Early life experiences & maternal care
Like humans , early lifespan experiences seem to play a role in the development of anxious behavior in dogs . Specifically , between the ages of 3 and 12 hebdomad , dog seem to beparticularly sensitiveto life experiences and their surroundings . One of the experiences that involve fearfulness the most is poor paternal guardianship .
In other words , if the female parent does not adequately like for her pup , that pup is much more likely to grow up frightening and anxious . This piss horse sense . If a puppy can not intrust its own mother , it will have difficulty trusting anyone or anything else .
Unfortunately , this may be an environmental factor that can not be verify as easily by the proprietor . Most owner have throttle access to a pup during this stage of its life .
2. Early socialization
The other broker that powerfully affect anxiety in dogs is socialising during the first three months of the pup ’s life . The less opportunity a puppy has to socialize with other dogs and humans , the more fearful they are potential to be .
This also defecate signified . Like mankind , dogs are probable to revere the nameless . socialisation gives pup the chance to learn what the macrocosm is like , and that , for the most part , there is very piddling to be afraid of in daily life . Taking a puppy to the park and allow him to romp and bring around other dogs and people teaches him that it is safe and fun to be out in the world .
PODCAST : How To Soothe A Dog ’s Anxiety with Music
3. Exercise
Because the positive effect drill has on anxiety and depression in humans and animals has been well - established , it is no surprise thata interchangeable effectwas found in blackguard . Canis familiaris with noise sensitivity ( a concern of loud noises ) and separation anxiety ( a fear of being separated from its proprietor ) had significantly less dailyexercisethan dogs that did not show these traits .
Because the amount of day-after-day exercise a dog get is almost wholly master by the possessor , it is important for blackguard owners to understand the shock of exercise on anxiety . The effect of exercise on anxiousness could be excuse in a number of ways .
Biologically , exercise increases theproduction of serotoninin both humans and animals , so exercising on a regular basis is similar to popping a Paxil . Socially , a Canis familiaris ’s exercise is usually take in the shape of a daily walk outside , which discover them to other dogs and other people .
As stated earlier , the more social experience a dog has , the less uneasy they seem to be . Further , the more you exercise with your andiron , the more quality time you are spending interacting with your wiener . If you pass a lot of quality time with your dog , your dog is less probable to feel lonely or anxious when you are away .
4. Number of dogs and adults in the household
Another element that affects anxiousness in dogs that is largely within the owner ’s ascendence is how many wienerwurst are in the household . It was happen that dreaded dogs were often the only dog in their household .
It has long been understood that humans with social backup deal better with stress , so it is not that surprising that dogs would also do good from day-by-day canine companionship . disregarding of how much prison term an possessor expend with his dog , a human champion can not provide the same degree of financial backing to a dog-iron as a friend of the same species .
Conversely , when there were multiple adult in a household , hotdog were more anxious and fearful . This finding is not as easily explain . Perhaps these frank experience a good sense of being overwhelm .
Children tend to get down on the ground to act and interact with a domestic dog , whereas adult often speak to a dog from agency above the weenie ’s head , and are more associated with discipline . Although an owner may not be able to control how many grownup live in the household , an possessor could limit how many adults are in the room with the dog at a sentence , or try squatting down to verbalize to the dog to comfort some of its anxiety .
In summary
There are many factor that may contribute to anxiety in dogs . The large constituent are short maternal tending , lack of early acculturation , and lack of utilization . Because exercise is the component most easily controlled by the owner , and practice session incorporates a social component , it is important for pawl possessor to drop a meaning amount of clip exercising with their dogs if they wish their detent to live on anxiety - free .
READ NEXT : Top 5 Best Dog Anxiety Vests
