Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Phobias And Anxieties In Dogs

By Catherine V. Testaratti

For people and dogs the same holds true; when presented with an external threat, whether real or not, we have a common instinct. This reaction to perceived danger is to freeze, fight or flight. That's the survival instinct in all humans as well as animals.

Does you pet exhibit any of these reactions to certain situations? Responding to fearful situations is a normal, routine behavior. If your pet exhibits an abnormal behavior, this can be a unlearned through training over a period of time.

Do you have one of those excessive barking dogs? Does your dog constantly lick himself or have issues with uncontrollable bladder? Well, you pet might be suffering from anxiety.

Fireworks and thunderstorms can trigger stress in a dog. If your pet has a constant fear for sudden loud noises, it is possible that he suffers from phobias. Monitoring your pets behavior will help to determine if your pet has experienced past trauma causing this response.

As dogs get older, they may experience more separation anxiety then in the past. This can be caused by the decline in memory and thoughts. Anxieties and phobia see their onset around the beginning of social development which is about 12 to 36 months. Between 8 to 10 months they may experience a fear or withdrawal which is normal.

Now we will talk about some symptoms associated with anxiety. Obsessive licking and biting themselves can be a sign of anxiety. If your dog is trembling, withdrawn or is tucking its tail then there it's possibly exhibiting signs of mild fear.

One reason for the manifestation of these conditions is illness. An illness or physical situation can cause you pet to develop phobias or anxiety. Puppies that are less than-- weeks old and have not had social interaction might show signs of being fearful.

Many abandoned dogs who are adopted out by a new family will suffer from separation anxiety. Dogs coming from abusive situations might have fear phobias. These precious animals need a lot of love and positive reinforcement and can eventually live happy lives.

Not to worry, most of these behavioral issues can be treated with medication and behavior modification. However, some dogs may not respond to the behavioral modifications. Additionally, medications can take up to 2 weeks in some cases before you will see results.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment