Animal Wellness: How to Spot the Signs of Anxiety in Dogs

According to Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer, our pups have four natural reactions to environmental stimuli. These anxious responses are fight, flight, avoidance, and submission. It helps protect our companion from potential danger.

If these anxious responses continue unnoticed, they can be destructive or dangerous. It’s essential to be aware of this, so you can address them before they get out of hand. In this post, we’ll show you how to recognize the signs of anxiety in dogs.

Hair Loss

It’s natural for dogs to shed, but cleaning up their daily hair loss is annoying. As they mature, some dogs lose even more hair. However, excessive hair loss, particularly in puppies, indicates something is wrong.

Examine your dog’s sleeping locations for extra hair. Keep an eye out for bald spots or thinning hair, which are signs of dog anxiety.

Diarrhea

Stress may cause humans to have digestive problems, such as diarrhea. It can affect your dog as well. Canine diarrhea may occur for a variety of reasons. You should see your veterinarian if it continues for more than a few days.

Diarrhea is not your dog’s only digestive condition due to stress. Your pup may have constipation and GI pain, but diarrhea is the most common symptom.

Staying Away

Be cautious if your dog becomes more reclusive and spends less time with you or the other pets. Your tail-wagging friend may have signs of isolation caused by stress.

Dogs with anxiety and fear will avoid spending time with other animals. Thus, isolation helps them feel safer and less worried. Pay great attention to your pet and these signs since you may miss them if you don’t look carefully.

Excessive Sleep

How much sleep is excessive for your pet? You may want to investigate if your dog is sleeping more than usual. Agitated dogs will adjust to the circumstance by sleeping more.

Observe any changes in your dog’s sleep habits. If they oversleep or take frequent naps, this might be a sign of stress.

Unjustified Aggression

Always be alert for any changes in behavior. It could be stressful if your dog has become more hostile toward strangers and other animals. Stress-induced canine behavior is often protective and defensive.

They may assume that everyone is against them, so they consider aggression to be normal. This is the case if your dog combines aggressive behavior with submissive and terrified body language. Your dog may be hostile one minute and then whine and seem embarrassed by its own actions the next.

Curled lips

If your dog’s lips are curled or parted in one direction, they may harbor some anxiety. This facial expression indicates that your dog is becoming agitated and is ready to bite.

That means paying great attention to this appearance and behavior and keeping the kids away. You may be able to detect stress signs before they cause irreversible harm.

Excessive Panting

Excessive panting is a stress signal in dogs. It may also show that your dog is fatigued, but something is strange if they are panting without exertion. Examine how frequently your dog pants are and if they seem to be panting for no reason at all.

Walking While Licking

Your dog may be anxious if they pace or walk in a circular pattern. This canine behavior can occur when you try to socialize your pet with a person or another dog. Licking is another behavior often seen in nervous dogs.

This is a type of avoidance or displacement activity. It helps your dog to distract itself from the source of discomfort. It does this by concentrating on genital licking or other comparable actions.

Changes in Their Eyes and Ears

If your dog’s eyelids are pulled back and the eyeballs bulge, they might be stressed. A dog’s ears reveal a great deal about its emotional condition.

When a dog’s ears are flattened against its skull and pushed back, this is an indicator of stress. When worried, the ears of certain dogs may not be pushed down but instead seem stiffer and pricked up.

Loss of Appetite

If your dog eats very little at mealtime, this might mean they are dealing with some stress. If your pet is experiencing nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting, you should visit your vet. 

The condition might be more than just an upset stomach. The lack of enthusiasm while receiving their favorite goodies may have underlying problems.

Barking and Snarling

Your dog expresses itself and interacts with other dogs and us through vocalization. If the barking, snarling, and howling becomes extreme or occurs for no apparent reason, there might be some concerns. This is common for dogs with separation anxiety.

CBD for Signs of Anxiety in Dogs

CBD is an excellent stress reliever for both humans and animals. In recent years, it has become one of the most popular supplements among pet owners. It’s a chemical obtained from hemp plants, which are members of the cannabis genus. 

CBD oils or extract can also reduce pain, decrease anxiety, and control seizures. It’s also used for its anti-inflammatory capabilities, anti-nausea effects, and appetite stimulator.

Scientific Evidence Regarding CBD for Dogs

CBD research for dogs is still in its infancy. Some studies show it is beneficial for treating:

• Anxiety
• Pain
• Arthritis
• Cancer

CBD pet products are often marketed as a natural supplement for various ailments. Colorado State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine will be the first to study CBD for dogs. Their primary focus is to gather data on its effectiveness in anxiety and pain.

Switching off That Dog Anxiety

Dogs are masters at hiding their anxiety, so it can be tough to tell when they feel overwhelmed. However, by knowing the signs of anxiety in dogs, you can give them the help they need. If your four-legged friend is struggling with stress, you might want to look into the dogs wellness section.

CBD dog treats are an excellent option to help them relax. Combine this with some love and patience, and your pup is on its way to smiling again. You can also check out our wide selection of CBD for dogs to see how much better your furry friend can feel.