Occasional anxiety is natural and normal in any dog, just as it is in us. But if your dog appears excessively anxious and fearful, you need to address the problem before it escalates. Here’s how acupressure, combined with other therapies, can help.

Keep reading to learn how Animal Acupressure can help an overly anxious dog from our guest bloggers, Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis, of Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Resources.

Dog Anxiety

Anxiety is an important emotion in our dogs. This may sound counterintuitive, but anxiety is actually a healthy protective mechanism, an anticipatory response to a perceived threat to the dog’s survival. Problems only arise when the dog is overly anxious or not anxious enough. Either extreme is harmful and can be potentially destructive. Acupressure is an effective way to calm a dog who’s on the too-anxious end of the scale.

In a normal situation, a dog may react fearfully to:

• A loud noise.
• Too many dogs at the park; or
• The sudden appearance of a stranger at the door.

These reactions are to be expected, provided they are short-lived. When fear is triggered, the dog’s anxiety level elevates, and it’s reasonable for him to react defensively in that moment. Usually, the dog recognizes that the situation is not life-threatening and calms himself fairly quickly.

Dog Anxiety: Different Types

Sometimes, however, dogs experience excessive anxiety. Generally, this is because of:

• Extreme fear.
• Separation from a key person or other animal; and
• Aging, all of which can lead to chronic and often debilitating anxiety.

It’s important to understand that dogs don’t exhibit anxious behavior because they’re being willful or vengeful. These are not canine emotions. So we have to be careful not to interpret a dog’s anxiety as a punitive action aimed at us.

Fear-Based Anxiety

This type of anxiety arises from deep-seated long-term fears. Thunder-phobic dogs can detect changes in atmospheric pressure and begin salivating and hiding well before the noise begins. Being in a car can feel highly unpredictable to some dogs, and they may respond in unpleasant ways, such as:

• Shaking.
• Urinating or defecating.
• Regurgitating.
• Some dogs may become aggressive when they fear their lives are at stake.

Separation Anxiety

Separation anxiety affects about 14% of dogs. Our canine companions are evolutionarily hardwired to be part of a “pack.” Being alone can be scary because they don’t have the protection and guidance of the pack. Most domesticated dogs have learned to cope with members of their pack leaving the house, but they likely feel some anxiety while their people are away.

A dog experiencing separation anxiety can be a desperate animal. In his distress, he can:

• Destroy furniture.
• Chew through a door or wall.
• Howl for hours.
• Defecate, urinate, and even become self-destructive.

In other words, a dog with extreme separation anxiety can lose all sense of control and may be close to losing his sense of survival.

Age-Related Anxiety

Senior dogs can experience Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CDS), which causes a decline in basic faculties such as:

• Memory.
• Learning; and
• Awareness, as in humans.

When an older dog becomes confused, it can lead to anxiety.

How to Help Your Dog

As loving dog guardians, we naturally find it upsetting when our dogs are overly anxious. Fortunately, there are many ways to help a dog work through his anxiety disorder.

Your holistic veterinarian is the best place to start. They can make sure your dog is not suffering from a physical injury or disease that may account for his heightened anxiety. Once health issues are ruled out, your vet may recommend an integrative approach to help your dog. Working with a canine behaviorist or trainer, along with complementary therapies such as acupressure, can lead to positive outcomes.

Dog Anxiety and Acupressure

Whichever strategies you pursue to resolve your dog’s anxiety, regular acupressure sessions support the entire process. The acupressure points used are known to:

• Reduce anxiety.
• Clear the mind, and
• Enhance the bond between you and your dog.

When working on your dog’s trunk, gently place the soft tip of your thumb on the acupressure points. When stimulating the points on his extremities, you can use the soft tip of your pointer finger. Place your other hand comfortably on his body. Stay on each acupressure point for a slow count of 20. Repeat this procedure on the opposite side of your dog’s body.

By offering this acupressure session to your dog two times a week, you can help alleviate or prevent excessive anxiety, and improve his quality of life -and maybe yours too!

Preventing Excessive Anxiety

Dealing with potential anxiety problems before they get a chance to take root in your dog’s psyche is important, including:

• Early and proper socialization.
• Obedience training.
• Exercise.
• Healthy nutrition, and
• Consistent bodywork (including acupressure!).

These are all essential to a happy dog who can adapt to surprises and unknown situations, such as scary trips to the vet or a major change in the household.

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© Copyright Tallgrass Publishers, LLC | All Rights Reserved 1995-2009 http://www.animalacupressure.com. Previously published in the Animal Wellness Magazine.

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Guest Authors: Amy Snow & Nancy Zidonis

The founding partners and pioneers of Animal Acupressure Resources since 1990.

Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute has created animal acupressure books, manuals, meridian charts, videos, acupoint apps, and extensive Home-Study and Hands-On workshops to increase knowledge of animal acupressure for animal guardians, trainers, and healthcare practitioners.

Nancy Zidonis is a pioneer in animal acupressure. Nancy began her work in animal acupressure over 35 years ago. She has studied and worked extensively in the fields of Traditional Chinese Medicine for animals and veterinary homeopathy (she studied at the International Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Colorado). Nancy also holds a Veterinary Diploma from the British Institute of Homeopathy. Nancy is also a founding member of the National Board of Certification for Animal Acupressure and Massage, and served on its initial board.

She is the co-author of 8 acupressure books for equines, canines, and felines; four DVDs; meridian charts; and canine and equine acupressure apps, along with numerous articles in publications. In conjunction with Hocking College, Tallgrass also developed the premier online Animal Acupressure Program.

Nancy, along with Amy Snow, is the founding partner of Tallgrass Publishers and Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute.

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