Anxiety Isn't Always From Trauma

I was reading an article in "Medical News Today" talking about a study published in "Scientific Reports" and found that the information reported wasn't that surprising. The study found that up to 70% of dogs suffered from some form of anxiety. The type and severity of the anxiety offer differing greatly between the age, sex, and breed of the dog.

I think that this is very important information to put out there, because as a behaviorist, I frequently hear people erroneously blame anxiety on "the dog was abused before I got it!" I am not saying that dogs are not abused, or not properly socialized, or weren't "rescued", but I am suggesting that it is not always the causation of anxiety in dogs. The Humane Society of America had provided a statistic of Pet Abuse accounting for about 2% of pets owned and well over half of those being dogs. That is a lot of dogs, but it is not every dog adopted.

Often the cause is genetic. The dog is predisposed to anxiety, and like humans, the environment exacerbates the anxiety. It is Nature AND Nurture that creates the personality and reality of human and animals. Females in both species tend to present with more anxiety and depression, while males tend to move more towards aggression.

Owners need to move away from the victim mentality of their dog's behavior. It does nothing for the dog, it means nothing to the dog, and is often untrue. It seems more to be a badge of pride to the owner, "Look the poor dog I have." Dogs are resilient, they can move past their past, if we don't hold them back. If you really want to rescue a dog, rescue it from itself and your misunderstandings of what it really needs.

Seeking a trainer, talking to a vet, understanding canine psychology and behavior will go far to helping your anxious canine. Coddling, avoidance of situations and things, and accepting the behavior will only increase your dog's unhappiness. No one wants to be the cause of their dogs unhappiness, right?