We have dog anxiety issues in our house. Our two-year old miniature schnauzer has struggled with dog anxiety issues since we adopted her as an eight week old puppy. She’s a small dog for her breed only ten pounds.
She is calm when it’s just us in the house, and when there isn’t someone coming to the door or walking past the house.
But she always seemed to have a problem with taking car rides and meeting new people. Our dog’s anxiety would kick up with a lot of barking, trembling, and panting.
Most people recognize these common symptoms of dog anxiety, but there are other ones that are less well known. I’ll share them in case you are wondering if your dog has an anxiety issue.
Common Symptoms of Dog Anxiety:
- incessant scratching
- chewing on paws
- barking and retreating
- hiding behind a person or object
- when the tail is low and only the end is wagging
- dog licks it’s chops even though it is not eating
- when a house broken dog goes into another room and urinates or deficates
- when a dog cocks its ears back
She started to behave the same way when we had thunderstorms. We saw our dog struggle with restlessness, panting, and trembling. We knew we had to do something to help her calm down.
Dog Anxiety Issues Solved with Thundershirt
I had seen a demonstration for the Thundershirt for dogs and thought it looked too good to be true. The idea that a simple shirt could calm our dog down seemed too easy to be effective. But after our last thunderstorm, I decided to give it a try.
The next test will be the fourth of July. This year we will have her Thundershirt on and ready for the all day fireworks displays. I feel confident that she will make it through the day without any problems and we won’t have to resort to drugs to calm her down.
If you are having the same difficulty with your dog, I recommend you give Thundershirt a try. Be sure to measure the dog’s chest diameter when ordering so that it is a good fit and you have picked the right size. There is a video on Youtube showing how to measure for fit. Not tight, but reassuring to the dog like a gentle hug.