Dealing With An Anxious Dog in the Big City and Inner Suburbs

Anxiety can affect all creatures, and dogs are no exception. Unfortunately, unlike humans, dogs cannot always tell us that they are feeling anxious in certain situations. It is up to the dog owner to deduce signs of stress and discontent in their dog from their behaviour and try to figure out what is causing this stress.

City life is filled with loud colours, sounds, fast-moving traffic and generally a lot of hustle-bustle. While some dogs thrive on this liveliness, others do not fare so well and may get agitated, uncomfortable and even lash out at their humans. The same may be true for inner-city suburbs like Fitzroy, Richmond and South Yarra.

Fortunately, dog owners can try some tricks and behavioural training to help their dog live more comfortably in the big city. But first, take your dog to a vet in Richmond, Fitzroy, Melbourne or any other suburb to ensure it is not acting out due to some medical reasons.

Some common symptoms that pets with anxiety usually display are:

- Separation anxiety: they may whine and bark profusely when you try to leave them alone, stop eating or drinking until you get back home or may damage furniture in the house while you’re away.

- Panting

- Pacing

- Urinating or defecating in the house

- Shivering and shaking at loud sounds

- Excessive barking and whining

- Aggression

- Tail between the legs and ears pulled back

- Destructive behaviour, like chewing on shoes or the sofa or even towards the self

- Lethargy, listlessness and depression

To figure out if the loud sounds of trains and trams or the hustle-bustle of the city are causing these symptoms, try to closely monitor your dog and detect when they occur most. Does your dog start shaking and shivering and bury his head under a cushion when a train passes by? Does your dog have his ears pulled back and is dragging on its leash when you try to take it out to a walk in a place that is populated with little children? Knowing the reason behind your dog’s anxiety can help you take the necessary steps to help your furry friend cope with all these external triggers.

Once you’ve figured out what’s causing your dog’s anxious behaviour, it’s time to make some changes to help your dog cope. Here are a few tips to help:

- Build confidence in your dog. If you have recently acquired a new dog and have just started bonding with it, it is very important that the canine see you as a friend and trusted companion. This way, if it experiences something scary in the outside world while with you, it will know you are there to protect it. 

- If your dog seems to be reluctant to step out of the house just yet, don’t force them to. Instead, try playing indoor games with them and use training cues. Then, when you use the same cues outside, they will recognise it as something familiar in the unfamiliar world and will be more receptive towards going outside.

- Use treats and positive affirmation to desensitise the dog to its surroundings. If your dog is scared of children, give it a treat every time it successfully passes by a group of children without barking or trying to get away from them. Treat every step the dog takes out into the outside world as if it just won a dog competition. This will help the dog associate the outside world with good things and help relieve its anxiety a bit.

- Keep walks short. There’s no need to rush the process and stress out your dog. Take your time and gradually increase the time of the walks when it seems like your furry friend is getting used to his new surroundings.

- If you have recently moved into an apartment from a house with a yard, not being able to go outside to do its business could also cause your dog some anxiety. They may also get scared looking out the windows when you’re so high up, or be afraid of being left alone. It is important to get your dog used to its new way of living. Gradually leave him alone for longer times and pull the curtains down when leaving the house. Removing as much of the triggers as possible from his surroundings and slowly reintroducing them one by one will help your dog get used to them easier.

But if nothing seems to be working, get in touch with a mobile vet to figure out the specific causes for his behaviour, and hatch up a plan to help improve your dog’s anxiety. Your vet may even recommend some anti-anxiety medication for when things get really bad.

Moving from a suburban lifestyle to an innercity lifestyle like that in Richmond, Fitzroy or Carlton is a difficult change to come to terms with, and not just for you! Put yourself in your dog’s shoes and try to take the assimilation slow and steady. Your dog will get used to his new lifestyle in time. Both you and your dog have got this!

Report this Page