How to tell if your dog's body language shows less fear or anxiety?

Hello, sorry to hear about Oscar. There are some things you can try at home to manage his fears. Here are some basic definitions and tips to better orient you, however, successful management of his fears may require patience and time as counterconditioning to the stimulus can sometimes take a long time. Hope this helps and best of luck. DOES YOUR DOG HAVE FEARS? Fear in a dog may present in a variety of ways. Recognizing that your dog is indeed fearful is the first step. Some signs that a fearful dog may display include: tucking its tail between its legs, lowering its head, shaking or trembling, lip licking, rolling over to expose the belly, urinating, or becoming immobilized. A scared or frightened dog may also display aggression, including barking or growling, if it feels it cannot escape what is feared. Avoidance behaviors such as running away, hiding or backing up into a corner may also be seen. WHY IS MY DOG FEARFUL? Many dogs are fearful of specific stimuli or situations. These fears may stem from a lack of exposure to the stimulus, or may develop due to an adverse experience. Both can result in the dog having a fearful, emotional reaction when confronted with the stimulus. Often dogs respond fearfully to things in their environment that in nature would be potentially dangerous, such as loud noises or strangers. This behavior can be troubling for owners to watch. Often, owners become concerned that they have done something to make their dog fearful and their natural reaction is to try to comfort the dog which may amplify these behaviors. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP YOUR DOG? 1. Identify specific triggers This is an important step in moving forward and helping your pet overcome their fear. Knowing what stimuli are a “triggers” is key in creating a treatment plan because it allows you to have more control over the behavior and avoid such stimuli when possible. 2. Avoid the stimulus Initially it is often best to avoid the things that will trigger a fearful reaction. This may provide an opportunity to work on your relationship with your pet and develop trust without distraction. 3. Define your relationship with your pet How do you and your family members react to the behavior? Often times the natural reaction to the fearful pet is to comfort them by petting or picking up small dogs. This response may enhance the dog’s reaction to the fearful stimulus because they perceive the comfort as positive reinforcement of their fearful behavior. Rather, a more appropriate reaction is to act as though nothing unusual is going on and try to redirect the dog’s attention to you through a “look” or “sit” command and then treating that behavior. Some dogs are so fearful they may not be food motivated. Perhaps there is something else that your dog considers a “treat”. You may use this in the place of food. In these cases it is essential that all family members are consistent and treat the dog in the same manor.

That’s hard to say, if only Baby Girl could talk! Those are all signs of anxiety but licking the lips and hiding can also indicate an upset stomach. Monitor her eating very closely and watch for any changes. Also watch her for any vomiting, diarrhea or changes in her water intake. If you see anything that appears to be illness, make sure to have her seen by her veterinarian. There are also medications that she can take to help with anxiety and it may be worthwhile to call her doctor. Anxious dogs often respond well to exercise and I recommend a 30 minute vigorous play session every day or a long walk. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It sounds like Spring has generalized anxiety. It may or may not have been from a previous experience. Work on training him with basic commands like sit/stay/come to help build his bond with you. It would also be beneficial to exercise him frequently to help drain some of his nervous energy. Avoid things that trigger his anxiety. In some dogs anxiety worsens overtime so this may be a long term problem unfortunately. I would also recommend talking to your vet about an anti-anxiety medication like Prozac for Spring. This can help decrease his overall anxiety level and increase his quality of life.

Dogs are incredibly good at picking up on body language and routines. Either your schedule is very consistent so Luna knows it's harness time, or there's something you unconsciously do differently when picking her up for the harness. This sounds like an anxiety based behavior. I would recommend amping up your treats (peanut butter, liverwurst, baby food, hot dog are all good choices) and working on counter conditioning her to the harness. Counter conditioning is the process of changing a dog's emotional reaction to a situation, rather than trying to start by changing the behavior (basically teaching her to LOVE the harness so she gets in easily, rather than teaching her to stay really still so you can get it on but she's still freaking out on the inside). If possible, working with a trainer who can help you with this process would be great. I can also do a consult with you to go over more details for steps. Alternatively, here is a pretty good video to work along with: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7edMjwEY1c I would also recommend getting Luna an ADAPTIL collar. This is a pheromone collar which can help with anxiety. Good luck!

Poor Mia! If she is too upset to take treats, this means that you need to be further away from the things that are scaring her. Some dogs need a lot of distance at first! When you are far enough away for her to be comfortable, you can praise and reward her for calm behavior, then gradually work on moving closer as long as she's doing well. It can be challenging to do this on your own at first, so I would recommend getting in touch with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer who can work with you in person. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (www.dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (www.ccpdt.org).

It differs depending on the animal. Some animals pant, some cower, cats hunch their backs, dogs will raise their hackles. Also, if the animal is in pain, they could be breathing fast, panting, or even have an increased heartrate. Some animals pace while others hide. I hope this helps. If you are wanting to know about something specific, please write to use again with a more specific question with more details. Thank you!

As an example, here are Common Symptoms of Separation Anxiety Urinating and Defecating Some dogs urinate or defecate when left alone or separated from their guardians. If a dog urinates or defecates in the presence of his guardian, his house soiling probably isn’t caused by separation anxiety. Barking and Howling A dog who has separation anxiety might bark or howl when left alone or when separated from his guardian. This kind of barking or howling is persistent and doesn’t seem to be triggered by anything except being left alone. Chewing, Digging and Destruction Some dogs with separation anxiety chew on objects, door frames or window sills, dig at doors and doorways, or destroy household objects when left alone or separated from their guardians. These behaviors can result in self-injury, such as broken teeth, cut and scraped paws and damaged nails. If a dog’s chewing, digging and destruction are caused by separation anxiety, they don’t usually occur in his guardian’s presence. Escaping A dog with separation anxiety might try to escape from an area where he’s confined when he’s left alone or separated from his guardian. The dog might attempt to dig and chew through doors or windows, which could result in self-injury, such as broken teeth, cut and scraped front paws and damaged nails. If the dog’s escape behavior is caused by separation anxiety, it doesn’t occur when his guardian is present. Pacing Some dogs walk or trot along a specific path in a fixed pattern when left alone or separated from their guardians. Some pacing dogs move around in circular patterns, while others walk back and forth in straight lines. If a dog’s pacing behavior is caused by separation anxiety, it usually doesn’t occur when his guardian is present. Coprophagia When left alone or separated from their guardians, some dogs defecate and then consume all or some of their excrement. If a dog eats excrement because of separation anxiety, he probably doesn’t perform that behavior in the presence of his guardian.