Dogs may have anxiety due to several reasons, including being afraid of abandonment by their owners, or because they are put in a new environment that they have not yet familiarized themselves with. A dog can display different behaviors when it is anxious, such as chewing everything they see, barking and biting. With proper care and management, a dog’s anxiety can be treated and calmed effectively. If you have an anxious dog, read on to find out what you can do to calm your dog.

Take Your Dog Outside

Sometimes, dogs get anxious because they have separation anxiety. Since it is not practical for an owner to accompany their dog 24 hours a day, one thing owners can do is to bond with their dog by taking them outdoors to exercise, and incorporate fun toys during playtime. In turn, this can tire out the dog and make them less likely to manifest anxious behaviors. Sometimes, anxiety results in your dog having too much energy. Spending this energy outdoors on exercise can not only help to keep your pets healthy, but also lessen their anxiety by producing beneficial hormones.

Massage Your Dog

Similar to humans, massaging your dog can help them to relax and feel a lot calmer. Anxiety can cause the muscles to tense up, making the anxiety worse and uncomfortable. A good massage can help to take away the tension in your dog, helping them feel calmer. Gently massage your dog with long strokes starting from the neck. The more you massage your dog, the more likely you will be able to find out which part tenses up the most.

Be Affectionate with Your Dog

Touching your anxious dog can soothe it and calm it down. Try to be more affectionate with your dog by cuddling with them, picking them up and petting them, so that your dog feels loved and gets a sense of security from you. This can also help to reduce anxiety in your dog.

Using Music as Therapy

Music works really well on our canine friends. Music can be very relaxing and calming for the dog, especially when you are not at home. It also acts as a sound barrier from scary or sudden noises from outside your house which can scare dogs and make them more anxious. This makes them less sensitive to noise outside. Some options you can consider is classical music such as harp music.

Put a Coat or T-Shirt on Your Dog

When your dog wears a coat or a t-shirt, a mild pressure is applied on the dog’s body. Imagine a swaddling cloth babies wear. T-shirts on a dog work the same way. You can consider doing this if your dog has separation, noise, stranger or travel anxiety. No matter what size your dog is, there are retailers everywhere you can visit that produce special jackets and vest to calm your dog down.