Dog Stress & Anxiety
Understanding Dog Anxiety and Behavioural Problems
Dogs make great pets! No matter the reason for having one, they are always good company. Their swift ability to learn commands and tricks is one of the reasons they're known as man's best friend. Unfortunately, it is always possible for a dog to start developing behavioural problems. There are numerous reasons for this, such as, insufficient socialisation, trauma, multiple negative experiences or a poor relationship between the dog and owner. Sometimes medical issues can play a part in behavioural problems as well. To help your dog with its anxiety and behavioural problems, Vetsend offers a complete range of calming products such as calming collars and diffusers from Adaptil and CBD oil from Beaphar.
Discover your dog's inherent behaviour
If you have a pedigree dog, you can find out many of your dog's behavioural aspects from the breeder or online. For example, a pedigree dog that was meant to hunt has a natural instinct that focuses on finding wildlife. For these types of dogs, obedience is very important and will require training. Ensuring that your dog gets plenty of exercise will also go a long way in helping reduce stress and behavioural problems, as well as reducing the risk of developing an aggressive personality. If you do not take the breed of your dog into consideration and treat it accordingly, your dog may start to develop behavioural issues.
Training or Therapy?
First of all, it is important to make sure that your dog's behavioural problems are not caused by a medical issue. If the problems are not medical, it is important to look at the dog's (and the owner's) behaviour. Once a dog has learned undesirable behaviour, it is possible to (re)teach them 'good' or desirable behaviour. This often involves the use of supplements, or in some cases even medication. If the behaviour is particularly undesirable, it is important to act as soon as possible because the longer the behavioural problems persist, the harder they will be to change. We recommend consulting a certified behavioural therapist or a behavioural veterinarian. During the first session you will be asked many questions to be able to create a detailed overview of the situation. Following this, a treatment plan is created. Do not underestimate the power of training or therapy. It may take some time but the end result will definitely be worth it!