My dog gets anxious and barks at my parents' house. What can I do?

Without seeing Daisy in person, it's hard to say why this might be. She may be anxious in crowded spaces, or there may be certain things that she sees sometimes that cause her to bark. You could try bringing along something for her to chew on to help keep her busy when she will need to be quiet and still for a bit, such as a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter. If this doesn't help, I would recommend making an appointment with a good reward-based trainer who can evaluate her in person and help you develop some strategies to help her learn to settle quietly in these environments. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There are many behavioural things you can try to help with anxiety. The best recommendation is increased exercise and training so that when people come over Ruka has other commands to distract her. You can also try DAP (Dog appeasing pheramone) diffusers and sprays around the house. Thunder shirts are also helpful for anxiety. If these strategies fail, talk to your vet about other behavioural changes you can try, and if none of these work you can discuss anti-anxiety medications with your vet. Anti-anxiety medications typically only work well if they are used in conjunction with behavioural modification. Best of luck with Ruka!

Many dogs bark at sounds or unfamiliar objects or people, especially when they are first getting used to a new environment. If she is barking all the time, I suspect that she is somewhat anxious and "on-edge" about lots of different things - she may have been poorly socialized as a puppy, which often leads to excessive anxiety about new things and lots of barking as a result. If you think this might be the case, there are a few things you can do to help. A DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure can help to relieve some of her anxiety - these can be purchased online with out a prescription, and are helpful for many dogs with this issue. Inside the house, you can also use a white noise machine or some other type of background noise to help block out sounds from outside that may trigger the barking. Outside, I would carry treats with you when you take Mitsu for walks. Anytime she sees something and starts to bark, call her back to you and give her a treat. Over time, she will learn to look at you for her treat when she sees something that startles her, rather than barking and lunging. If you need help with this, I would suggest getting in touch with a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for a qualified trainer in your area here: www.ccpdt.org

Hi there! Betty sure sounds shaken up by her new housemate. There are some natural supplements you can try to help alleviate her anxiety. Zylkene is a natural supplement that your veterinarian can prescribe. It can be very helpful in these types of situations. Another product called, Canine Compsure, is also a natural supplement that may be helpful. I would try these products first. They should help with Betty's anxiety with her new friend. If those don't work, you may want to call a trainer in to evaluate Betty's behavior around the new cat. They may have some advice as to how you can help her work through it her issues. You may also want to keep Betty and the cat separate during the night too for a while, until Betty feels better about the whole situation. I hope you find this answer helpful! Best of luck!

Poor pup! This is an issue for many dogs in hotel rooms. You can try leaving her with a long-lasting treat such as a Kong toy stuffed with peanut butter to help keep her busy and encourage her to settle. You could also try a DAP pheromone collar along with a natural calming supplement like Zylkene or Composure to see if this helps.

Your best option is to try to wear Sunshine out every day. Making dogs physically tired typically helps to decrease anxiety and nervous behavior. The thunder jacket may help as well but it may not be comfortable to sleep in and could choke her if it shifts around too much. Make sure to try to keep her on the same routine your parents do as this can help her to feel more secure. If you have to work, you may look into having someone take her for a walk for you in the afternoon. Playing classical music in the background and giving her food puzzles, treat balls and frozen peanut butter stuffed Kong‘s may also help to occupy her. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

From your description, if Miel is showing this crying behavior when you aren't around, it can be sign of separation anxiety. She is anxious when you leave and is afraid you may not be coming back. This can be a common problem in dogs. I recommend crating her when you are gone. The crate will provide her a small space where she can feel safe in it when you are gone. You will have to slowly train her to get used to a crate. Start putting her in it when you are home and sitting nearby so she doesn't think you are abandoning her, and slowly increase the time she is in it. She can have toys in the crate, and puzzle toys with treats in it that she has to figure out how to get the treats out. You can put a tablespoon of peanut butter in a Kong toy and freeze it in the freezer overnight, then give it to her in the crate. That will keep her occupied for a while. Finally, you can get a pheromone diffuser called DAP that helps dogs with anxiety and pair that will a DAP pheromone collar that releases pheromones when in contact with his skin. If these methods do not help her, then I recommend having her seen by a vet to discuss the use of anti-anxiety medications. Good luck, I hope this helps!