ANXIETY - THE SILENT EPIDEMIC

MORE AND MORE IN MY CONSULTATIONS I AM BEING PRESENTED WITH DOGS THAT HAVE HIGH LEVELS OF ANXIETY, AKIN TO WHAT WE WOULD CALL GAD (GENERAL ANXIETY DISORDER) IN HUMANS. THIS DOES CORRELATE WITH ‘LOCKDOWN PUPPIES’ BUT ALSO MANY DOGS BORN OUTSIDE LOCKDOWN ARE PRESENTING HIGH LEVELS OF ANXIETY.

The anxiety itself is a symptom of other underlying issues. Common causes of anxiety are poor gut health, early neutering, genetics, learned behaviour, and lifestyle factors. The dogs with high levels of anxiety tend to show unwanted behaviours such as being anxious when left, reactivity and aggression, being unable to settle, restlessness, excessive energy levels, and fear.

It is important to help dogs suffering from anxiety because, if left untreated, it can have damaging long-term effects on the dog’s mental and physical wellbeing. Too many stress hormones in the body can lead to diabetes, adrenal fatigue, and a shorter lifespan. When I am working with a dog that presents the unwanted behaviours that I believe are linked to anxiety, I like to do a complete overhaul of the dog’s life and lifestyle, looking at everything from diet, exercise, daily routine, toxin intake and owner attitude.

It has been proven that the gut is directly linked to the brain via the vagus nerve, and supporting good gut health will promote healthy brain function. You only have to think how you might feel after eating a tonne of junk food, compared to eating a healthy meal. I firmly believe in a raw diet for dogs. Raw food has not been processed and has more ‘good’ bacteria than processed food, which support the microbiome - the microbiome is often called the second brain. 90% of serotonin (the happy hormone) is produced in the gut. We must feed the gut well. Raw meat contains essential amino acids such as tryptophan. Tryptophan produces serotonin and melatonin (the sleepy hormone).

Many dogs nowadays are not getting enough sleep. This is partly due to lifestyle but partly due to energy levels from the diet. I see it all the time during my consultations, high-energy dogs that can’t settle. This is why one of the first things I will recommend for anxious dogs is a change to a raw diet.

Another area I will look at under a behaviour modification programme is lifestyle, exercise, and stimulation, and trying to achieve appropriate mental and physical exercise. Letting your dog continuously retrieve a ball to ‘tire it out’ is not recommended, this will only serve to produce excessively high levels of adrenaline and cortisol, which can take days to leave the system and can stop the dog from being able to settle. A much more beneficial walk would be one involving sniffing, and exploring, with different natural terrains and surfaces. Working the dog’s olfactory system will be mentally tiring without making the dog wired. Twenty minutes of sniffing is the equivalent to a long walk, so you don’t need to walk for hours to provide your dog with a workout. I encourage lots of ‘nose’ work for anxious dogs, scent games, exploring and processing. This releases endorphins which will really help anxious dogs become calm and settled.

We can also help anxious dogs by teaching them to self-regulate via training and games involving self-control, waiting, pausing, down-stays, and so on and increasing the length of time as the dog becomes more proficient. Start with a few seconds, or as long as your dog can do, and with low level distractions, for example within the home, before increasing duration and distractions.

A lot of the dogs that I see with anxiety are lacking in sleep, either due to the anxiety itself preventing the dog from relaxing, or environmental factors such as noise, children disturbing the dog, phobias and over stimulation. Create an environment for your dog where it can truly relax and where it knows it will be undisturbed. Feeling on edge will prevent the mind from switching off because the dog will be existing in fight or flight. Sleep does not come easy in this state of mind. So, dogs that get pestered and startled by young children can really struggle to relax after time as they are expecting to be disturbed. Create a safe area for the dog where it will not be disturbed by people or noises.

Natural supplements may help, and prescription medication will certainly help reduce the anxiety but I would only recommend this if the dog has extreme anxiety and alongside the behaviour modification programme.

If your dog is suffering from anxiety, seek the help of an experienced behaviourist who will take a holistic approach.

Further reading https://www.science.org/content/article/do-gut-bacteria-make-secondhome-our-brains https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12091259/ https://bemoredog.co.uk/blog/diet-the-gut-and-behaviour-raw-vs-kibble/

Patricia McGrady is owner and founder of Be More Dog Essex. She is certified with the CIDBT, a Kids Around Dogs professional, and a certified full member of the Canine and Feline Behaviour Association www.bemoredog.co.uk www.facebook.com/bemoredog.co.uk info@bemoredog.co.uk