Traveling with a stressed or anxious dog
Before getting to the heart of the matter, I would like to introduce you to Laetitia with whom I co-wrote this article. Creator of OuafMag blog, she writes numerous articles on canine education and dog behavior. In 2010, she adopted Lila, rescued from a Spanish pound. Their story didn't start simply, Lila hadn't learned much since she was little and above all, she was fearful, aggressive towards other dogs, unclean…. Lila has made tremendous progress since then. She has become a brave and kind dog. Laetitia tested many things with her until she developed the Bon Chien Method..
It is a method ofeducation based on the understanding of the dog. Constraining, punishing and abusing your dog does not give any result except to break the beautiful bond that you could have together: your dog listens to you because he is submissive and scared of you. Thanks to positive reinforcement training, your dog listens to you because he loves you, respects you and understands what you expect of him to be a good dog.
Musher and I share a very strong and close relationship because we know each other and we respect each other. She understands what I'm asking her to do or not to do and also knows how to say “no” when she finds that I'm abusing my authority when it's not justified… the rascal!
Presentations are made, place on the subject of the day. Do you have an anxious dog who does not take well to car journeys or changing houses for the holidays? Here are some of our tips for going on vacation more peacefully together at the campsite with your dog or at the hotel with your dog. I asked a series of questions to Laetitia, author specialized and trained in canine education because Musher does not suffer from any anxiety so I have little experience to share with you on this side…
Anxious dog, so what?
An anxious dog is a dog who is not well in his paws and develops behaviors that can be very disabling for him and for his master. Holidays are a time of relaxation where the whole family has fun and enjoys time together. If for your dog, it's rather a nightmare: it's time to help him so that he too benefits.
Anxious Dog – Symptoms
What signals in his behavior should alert you? First of all, know that there are several levels of anxiety. What we will call “anxiety” is rather something that lasts. The anxiety can be moderate and we can not see it or see it when it is already well established. An anxious dog can be more “calm” and, for example, avoid getting up from his basket. There are signals of anxiety that are more passive than others, which can go unnoticed by our eyes.
An anxious dog may pant excessively, bark, howl, squeal, tremble, freeze or on the contrary try to flee, but also have diarrhea, vomit or lose its appetite. We must therefore observe what he expresses with his body and sometimes other things. Once again, the earlier you spot him, the better you can help your dog.
If your dog doesn't like moving houses, pay attention to his behavior. Do not leave him alone on the spot otherwise beware of the ravages! His anxiety can be manifested by barking or howling which your holiday neighbors will very quickly get tired of (it's understandable!) or worse, to calm his stress he can destroy and ransack his environment. I have seen some dogs self-mutilate for fear that their master will not return and that he will be abandoned to his sad fate in this new environment… Some of our doggies are very sensitive, be careful of them.
Why are some dogs anxious on vacation or in the car?
If you're not used to air travel abroad, it's a safe bet that a few days before departure, you'll be somewhat stressed with a thousand and one organizational questions in your head: my passport still good? where do I have to check-in my ticket? is my suitcase too heavy?… For a dog that is not used to traveling, his stress is similar to yours. Going on vacation means: changing places and losing your bearings. For a dog who loves routine and habits, it can be very disturbing, especially if he has not been used to doing it from a very young age...
To best help your dog, keep your habits on vacation: same meal times, same walk times, same bedtime rituals if you have any… Don't change everything! Anything that can be reproduced on vacation “like at home”, can help the dog. He will appreciate finding his bearings, especially for the most stressed among them. Musher follows us everywhere since childhood. She has no problem adapting but I do everything for it. I take with us her basket in the shape of donuts which therefore carries her scent and her favorite toys so that she has landmarks.
During the holidays, there are very often new people interacting with the family, especially at the campsite: friends who come to have an aperitif at the bungalow, new children who come to play in front of the bungalow with yours... your dog may be disturbed if in everyday life he is not used to seeing so many people. Pay attention to his reactions.
As for the car, if your dog gets in the car only to go to the vet, he probably associated the car with having a bad time: no wonder he hates riding in it. It's up to you to change the situation as we explained to you above! It's simple but it will take time. A tip, to avoid increasing anxiety, do not take out the transport cage 4 days before departure. Your dog will quickly understand what is happening and anticipate an unpleasant moment for him.
We always come back to the same thing: for a dog who feels good in his shoes, the key is socialization!
Reassuring your dog in the car
Taking your things (basket, cushion, toy…) is a good idea, but with a really stressed or sick dog, this will have no effect in the car. Better to visit your veterinarian before departure. The latter may prescribe him a tranquilizer to help him travel more serenely.
Is it a good idea to cuddle or stroke it to reassure it? If I have a dog that calms down when petted, petting it does not reinforce crying or restlessness. The dog expresses discomfort and if you have the technique to put an end to it: go! It's true that petting the dog that jumps on you may encourage him to jump on you even more, but in the case of the car, the situation is different.
If you are making the trip with several people, distracting your dog can be a good idea by offering him his favorite toys or little tricks so that he no longer focuses on his fear.
Want to fix the problem? It is necessary to do it in advance to have time to proceed little by little. You must first be able to identify when your dog shows the first signs of stress. For example, if your dog starts panting and fussing the moment he sees you take out the car keys, that moment will be your starting point for helping him. Indeed, if you try to reassure him when you open the car door, it's much too late in this case, his stress is already very great. Many people have the idea of giving their dog their favorite treat or having them play to make a stressful time more playful. It can work, but only if you start at the first signs of stress, not when the stress is at its peak.
The second condition for success, hence the need to plan ahead, is to wait until your dog has clearly progressed in order to “advance” to the next step. Let's go back to the previous example: if when you take your keys, your dog no longer shows any signs of stress: you've won! You can go to the next step such as approaching the car.
For this method to work, it must be systematic! If you match the keys to the treat only once in a while, when you think about it: it won't work. You have to do this consistently until your dog is assimilated.
Food is most effective in general, but it may take trying a few things before you find what works for your dog. However, near the car, it is not uncommon for playing with your dog to also have a very positive effect. It may take several play sessions, but sometimes if you leave the trunk open, in the heat of the moment and with a dog that can jump, he may jump into the trunk to catch the toy you are throwing. He forgot his fear, he's having so much fun.
This is called “desensitization”: repeat, associate a stressful act with something positive, validate a step and move on to the next and so on until your dog enthusiastically jumps in the car!
It may seem impossible, but taking it easy, with a lot of patience and time is something that works very well with many dogs. A method that allows you to tackle the problem at the source and head on for your dog to be zen in the car. Need more tips for traveling by car with your dog? Find all our tips in the special article “traveling by car with your dog”
Reassure your dog on vacation
When you arrive: let your dog explore the area freely. Get someone to follow him, but from a distance and without telling him anything! This person's mission is to remove everything that can be broken or stolen, depending on the problems that are feared.
When the dog has done its little exploration, give it a great chew bone. Chewing is a great activity for a dog and can help him feel better if he's worried about an unfamiliar place.
If your dog seems uncomfortable in your holiday accommodation, he can also enjoy it better by playing fetch for treats that you hide everywhere.
Once again, to help an anxious doggie, the best thing is to change his habits as little as possible: take his basket and his cuddly toys to recreate his own universe in your vacation rental. Musher always travels with his collapsible kennel. In 2 seconds, she is unfolded and she therefore has her own space where she can take refuge if necessary. It can be a good tip if you have to go away for 1 hour without your dog. This will prevent him from hurting himself by doing something stupid or wreaking havoc in the accommodation. This trick only works if your dog is used to it and likes it. No way to impose this on him during the holidays: you would only increase his stress…
We hope these tips and tricks will help you have a great vacation together!! No magic remedies to apply in 3 seconds, helping your dog is first of all making the effort to understand and decipher it to offer him appropriate solutions as he progresses. If you want more advice, I advise you to browse the blog and / or the book of Laetitia with whom I co-wrote this article.
READ ALSO : Ago to a restaurant with your dog, The basic education of a dog for furry holidays