Making a Den for Your Dog

It can be very useful to build a den or safe space for your dog to retreat too if they are particularly anxious in certain situations or around firework time. Give your dog time to get used to their den and feel like it is a safe and restful space to retreat to. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Now is the time to start observing where your dog always chooses to relax or perhaps when they have been stressed or spooked in the past they always retreat to the same area? This could be under your bed, tucked behind the sofa, or on a landing that has no windows.

I had a Lab that insisted the only place he wanted to be when fireworks were going off, was in the under stairs cupboard, so it was made cosy and the door propped open a little so he could leave when he wanted. It was central in the house, had no windows and the sofa and TV were alongside it, so it does make sense.

Dogs generally like to be near their people, so it will be the case of organising things so you can be next to or near to your dog.

Use this time to create positive, calming experiences in that area and they have good memories of being there. Play the gentle music you have chosen so it's familiar, although on the night it will no doubt have to be turned up much louder.

You can offer treats and chews in the den on the days that lead up to the event, but if your dog is stressed during fireworks the last thing they'll do is eat and you want to avoid anything that may cause an upset tummy and sudden dashes into the garden.

If they are happy in a crate then cover with a heavy rug or thick blankets, but it is essential the door is kept open and not obstructed, a dog in a blind panic to flee, but is trapped, can cause themselves serious injury.

Please read the other blogs re: Anxious dogs and Firework fear which will also help.


Your Anxious Dog

If you share your life with an anxious dog, you will know that there are many challenges to overcome and situations in everyday life that can act as a trigger resulting in fearful, frantic behaviour, reactivity towards dogs and people, excessive barking and gut issues to name a few. It can seem a lonely road to travel and that you take two steps forward one day followed by three steps back the next.

So here are a few hints, tips and links for further advice that I hope will help you and your anxious dog.

It is not just our dogs stress levels we should be mindful of! Dogs can read us like a book and are extremely sensitive to our emotions, our energy and the environment they are living in. It is important for our own health to manage stress and make some time to rewind from the stresses and strains of everyday life.

Taking even 10 minutes a day to concentrate on bringing your stress level down will have a knock on effect to your dog. Simple practises such as gentle breath work and meditation, preferably with your dog by your side, really do help. There is a free 12 minute guided meditation which is particularly lovely by Holly Husler. It can be found at the top of her page on this link FREE OFFERINGS — Holly Husler Sit somewhere quiet with your dog, slow your breath and completely unwind with your best friend.

Diet. Feeding a more natural, minimally processed diet, without excess carbohydrates and sugars will help in creating a more even temperament and put them in a mindset where it is easier to learn a better way of living. Here is a blog to help get you started introducing fresh food into your dogs diet https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/news/improve-your-dogs-diet

Dogs love to sniff, lick & chew. Giving your dog something suitable to chew has huge psychological benefits as chewing releases serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin which are all calming and feel good hormones. If raw bones aren`t suitable for your dog then there are lots of healthy, natural chews available as well as providing Kongs and tracheas stuffed with tasty ingredients.

Allowing your dog to sniff when out on a walk or perhaps setting up an area in the garden where they can freely explore is incredibly beneficial to anxious dogs. Dogs are natural seekers of food so both the house and garden provides lots of opportunity to introduce scent games and hide and seek their favourite treats.

Dogs need to move and be in a safe place to unwind to process the stress they are feeling. They need to ground themselves on the earth, not carpet, laminate, concrete or synthetic lawn but actually on the earth itself. Creating a peaceful environment in your garden is a perfect place to do this and it`s somewhere to relax with your dog too. Just as pottering around the garden is very relaxing for us it is equally valuable to your dog.

Using snuffle and Lick-it mats, and interactive toys can be used in the house and handy to have when the weather limits time outside or maybe your dog is particularly stressed and needs some time away from the triggers of being outside. We have some gorgeous snuffle balls available here: https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/products/snuffle-balls

Read the Snuffle Mat Blog here: https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/news/snuffle-mats-and-balls

Calming herbs can also help, plus concentrating on easing any gut discomfort which undoubtedly goes hand in hand with a stressed, anxious mind. There is a link below with a few suggested products that could help. Both the Tranquil blend and Digest & Rest are particularly valuable in these situations.

Time to chill. Having time out or chill out days can be very beneficial to anxious, reactive or even very active dogs, to bring them back into some sort of balance and down from their constantly stimulated state of mind.

A dog that is in a heightened state of fear, stress, panic and self preservation will not physically be able to process and learn what is being asked of them. So by bringing down their stress levels they will be in a better frame of mind to learn new skills, cope with their stress and grow in confidence to make better decisions that are not fuelled by fear.

When dogs are over excited, anxious or constantly alert to potential dangers their autonomic nervous system releases the fight or flight chemical adrenaline into the bloodstream, over time this becomes very damaging to the whole body and the gut in particular. The other subdivision of the autonomic nervous system is the parasympathetic which is sometimes called the “rest and digest system” and creates calm, relaxation and a happy gut and this is what we are hoping to nurture on these quiet, restful days.

Finding a trainer or behaviourist that has experience with nervous dogs is invaluable. They will help you and your dog to learn skills at home which will help them cope with stressful situations when they arise in the future.

The old advice of just keep talking your dog out and they will get used to it” just doesn`t work and you will find that each outing will just top up the stress levels, adding fuel to the situation. Having as many chillout days as the dog needs, where there are no triggers or unnecessary demands made on the dog, is often a necessary step forward.

If you are looking for a private enclosed field to exercise or train in then there is a website where you can search for one in your area. https://www.dogwalkingfields.co.uk

There is a particularly good Facebook group that offers support, set up by Niki French called Pup Talk and she has recently released a book called Stop Walking Your Dog which has invaluable advice to help with anxious dogs. https://www.puptalk.co.uk

Sleep: Adult dogs require 16-18 hours of sleep a day, so it is important that your anxious dog gets enough rest and has a quiet space where they feel safe. This could be a crate with the door left open, a comfortable bed in an area where they are not disturbed by other dogs or people passing or observing where they always choose to sleep and make a cosy bed there.

 Anxiety can present itself in many ways, here are a few to look out for:

• Digestion problems - IBS, Diarrhoea

• Over excitability

• Reactive behaviour (aggression)

• Excessive barking

• Noise sensitivities

• Humping

• Resource guarding

• Chewing or scratching the body

• Inappropriate toileting in the house

• Excessive licking

• Ball obsession

• Pacing

There are a number of products on the shop to help relax and support nervous, anxious and reactive dogs

Tranquil is a herbal blend created specifically with the nervous, anxious, reactive & stressed dog in mind https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/products/tranquil-relax-calm

Digest & Rest https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/products/digest-and-rest

Gentle massage and body work such as Tellington Touch can be really helpful but do be mindful that for some dogs, touch is not a positive experience. If they are fearful of hands they may be happy with a soft brush or cloth initially.

Body wraps and pressure vests such as the Thundershirt can be very useful for comforting an anxious and stressed dog, read the following blog which covers the topic in detail https://www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk/news/body-wraps-pressure-vests

Walking anxious & reactive dogs: Walking anxious, fearful and reactive dogs can be incredibly difficult and stressful for both dog and owner. I can clearly remember a daily walk at 5am for many months on the arrival of a particularly reactive rescue dog and having to drive to areas that were very quiet in order to keep their stress levels down.

Rehabilitating an anxious dog can be a long process, so as well as getting support from a compassionate trainer I would suggest joining a group on Facebook that supports anxious dogs and their owners and also looking up Sarah who started her business My Anxious Dog after her Spaniel became very stressed and reactive around other dogs and discovered just how difficult it was to inform others that her dog wasn`t nasty but just frightened and it would help if they just gave her space.

So, Sarah from My Anxious Dog has created a national #dogsinyellow day on the 20th March 2022 to raise awareness and to really educate others to understand the meaning of dogs wearing yellow. So please spread the word!

Sara says “Yellow warning or yellow space awareness products are used when walking an anxious, nervous or reactive dog.

Walking reactive or anxious dogs in public is challenging, especially when strangers and dogs walk over to say “Hi” to your fearful dog. Sometimes avoiding scary triggers is impossible, so we use yellow dog warning products or yellow space awareness products to let people know that our dogs need space or to be ignored”.

You can download your free awareness pack, shop for the fantastic products and make contact with Sarah via the website http://www.myanxiousdog.co.uk

www.hedgerowhounds.co.uk

Caroline Hearn MICHT. Dip.ICAT. MIAAT

Do You Have An Anxious Dog?

Signs your dog may be stressed and anxious

'Stress signals' as they are called, are just body language signs that show us that a puppy or dog is not feeling 100% comfortable in that moment. The ones they display before they get to growling and snapping. These two are last ditch attempts to communicate and they will be telling you they are uncomfortable well before they get to the growling, snapping and biting stage. You just need to listen and watch out for them, i.e., learn to speak dog!

It is really important to recognise the subtle gestures a dog exhibits if he feels uneasy, stressed or concerned at any time so that you can then be guided by these and respond accordingly, i.e., give the dog more space, remove them from the upsetting situation, or merely look or turn away from him (being face to face and giving eye contact between dogs is considered rude and threatening but we expect our dogs to be comfortable when we do it to them).  

You may see any of the following signals:

  • Tension in the face or body/stillness (they can frown too)

  • Pushing away or avoiding you, a member of your family, or a visitor (this can include rolling over for an apparent tummy rub - it isn't always tickle me, it could be please leave me alone too)

  • Fidgeting and rolling about when touched or groomed/handled

  • Mouthing at hands during handling

  • Yawning

  • Lip licking, nose licking

  • Looking away or turning the head away

  • Leaning their body weight away from you when you are close

  • Walking away

  • Sitting or lying down (other than when you expect it)

  • Sniffing the ground

  • Walking in a curve (towards us)

  • Body shake – as if shaking off when wet

The list is not exhaustive, but the signals listed are ones that often go unnoticed. 

A dog (or puppy) might exhibit these signals for many reasons, and it may take a keen eye at first to notice them, however, with practise and an empathic approach you will quickly start to notice the slightest of 'tells'.  

It might be due to a distant or loud sound, another dog watching him, your demeanour, body posture or facial expressions. This may include him getting eye contact from someone he doesn't know (we have to be trustworthy and earn the right to do this), or you may just be a little too close, leaning over or touching him in a way your dog considers overwhelming at the moment. It takes time to earn their trust in order to touch him all over so please don't presume you have been given permission without checking each time. 

You should also encourage your family and friends to notice the smaller details during interactions with your dog should you notice any signs of concern, so they know how to react if the dog is feeling under pressure. 

It is important that you take your time and maintain an emotional connection with your dog. If you are in doubt at any time, or should you notice your dog struggling while with someone else, simply suggest your dog needs a break from what they are doing. Allow them the time and space they need to recover their equilibrium.  We all need a bit of time and space away from what stresses us out. 

Seek professional advice if you notice these stress signals regularly as a professional will be able to delve into why this is happening and help you make changes to help your dog become more comfortable in general. 

The stress bucket?

Imagine that we all carry around a little bucket with us. Into the bucket each day goes all the excitement we have felt, all the shocks we have experienced, all the exercise we have taken, all the things we have been fearful of and even all the fun we have had! It may surprise you to know that the chemicals and hormones associated with each of these emotions and feelings are the same and an excess of these chemicals affect us in the same way. Well, you may when you realise that the behaviour of an over-excited and over-tired toddler having a tantrum resembles the state our dogs can get into when they are barking and lunging at other dogs and people or are nipping and biting at our heels because we aren't walking quick enough or aren't entertaining them enough.  Of course, fear is fear, whether it is a human, or a dog, but did you know that they can suffer from PTSD too. 

The chemicals involved are mainly Adrenaline and the stress hormone, Cortisol and these will flood our systems. Unless we provide a 'tap' to empty that stress bucket, it will overflow and the dog will be 'over-threshold', which is just a way of saying, they can no longer cope with what is happening to them.  They don't have the higher brain capacity to rationalise that they need to calm down and take their mind off the thing stressing them so we must do this for them. They just don't know how to deal with these big emotions. Even adult dogs are only the equivalent in terms of brain development as a 2–3-year-old child so please don't expect your dog to cope with being over-threshold without your help.

Punishment won't help either, in fact, it just makes it worse. They are already suffering so there is no reason in the world to make them suffer even more. 

It is far better to recognise that your dog is approaching the 'over-threshold' stage and take action immediately rather than allow them to become completely overwhelmed. As an approved trainer of service dogs for Veterans With Dogs, I know that we teach the dogs to interrupt the veteran who is starting to get anxious and that's what we should do for our dogs too. Interrupt and take action before it gets worse.  

We need to bring our dogs out of their 'emotional brain’ and back into their 'thinking brain’ as I like to call them but it may also be moving them from 'flight and fight' to 'rest and digest' status but that isn't as easy as just throwing a switch, think of it more as a period of 'cooling down' after a run.  So, think about taking them somewhere quieter and allowing them to chill out with some sniffing, chewing or licking as each of the things help counteract the effect of Adrenaline and Cortisol.   

Emotional contagion

The one thing that most people forget is that dogs have over many years as our companions learned to detect our emotional states. This would have been a valuable evolutionary development for them; knowing if a human was calm and relaxed (and therefore more trustworthy) or stressed and upset (and therefore unpredictable) would have put them at an advantage. This ability, I call it their superpower, would have kept them safer 2,000 years ago just as it does, today.

A distressed guardian is almost certainly going to have a dog that is on edge too, often choosing to get as far away from us as possible when we are over-aroused ourselves although some dogs naturally know to come to you and try to help you. They don't know why we are stressed, but the fact that we are in that highly aroused 'flight and fight' mode ourselves will mean many dogs will put themselves into that state too. They don't know if we are getting ready to run away from something dangerous or to defend ourselves, so they will match our energy just in case they need to do the same.  Being in this sort of state all the time, or chronically stressed as it is known, is harmful to humans and dogs alike. It can bring on or exacerbate existing serious health issues and can cause early death. 

So, if you are a hyper-active fidgety person with lots of nervous energy or are feeling distressed remember that you may be flooded with adrenaline and cortisol, and that it is highly likely your dog will have the same chemicals in their system too. Think about bringing your own stress levels down with yoga, mindfulness, breathing exercises and other calming activities, and you are likely to see your dog's stress bucket empty and behavioural 'issues' reduce too.

You might also be surprised to see your dog joining you in your calming sessions and this will be because he wants to 'catch' your calmer energy and enjoy being around this calmer version of you. 

De-stressing and environmental enrichment activities

There are lots of things that can effectively be a tap in a stress bucket or help slow down the build-up of stress in the first place:

  • Certain scents and pheromones can calm fearful or over-anxious dogs. I like the Pet Remedy Diffuser to be on in the room where your dog rests mist of the time (probably the sitting room or kitchen). Pet Remedy is available online (use my discount code JUNE25 at the checkout for a 25% discount) or at Pets at Home. Use the spray version on your trousers when out walking http://www.petremedy.co.uk/. Adaptil is the pheromone version.

  • Start introducing some enrichment activities to help dissipate some of the stress hormones that have built up. Have some stuffed and frozen Kong in the freezer, marrow bones and natural chews, like the Yakers chews, readily available for when visitors arrive or something stressful has occurred. 

  • Kong dry food wobble dispensers can be used as an alternative for a bowl on occasions (I like the routine of a bowl and lots of dogs like to know when their food is coming so I donlt do this all the time). It is useful for when you are expecting visitors, especially strangers. Foraging for food like this will encourage him to use his primary sense of smell and it is fun.

  • There are other puzzle toys you can buy or make, the simplest is three paper cups and hide food underneath and your dog has to sniff out and indicate which one it is under.

  • Licki mats used with Xylitol free peanut butter, liver paste or soaked and mashed up kibble is great for dogs.  Chewing and licking releases endorphins or ‘feel good’ chemicals which we all have in our brains. Anything that makes him feel good in stressful circumstances will help. 

  • Use ‘Sprinkles’ in the garden and on a snuffle mat inside. Any environmental enrichment is wonderful for dogs left for short periods alone, when trying to keep them calm while something exciting is happening or just as a de-stressing exercise. It also tires dogs mentally rather than being just physically tired.

  • Do some fun trick training with your dog where he must use his brain. Training helps a dog understand what’s expected of him, and what you are communicating to him. His world will make more sense and be less stressful for him. Teach him how to sit, stay, come, sit in front of you and some of the 'heelwork' positions. The ‘finish position’ where he has to go around and sit next to your left leg. Using positive training methods with high value treats as rewards, he could learn how to shake paws, fetch, rollover and spin in quite a short amount of time. Any of these cues can then be used as distraction activities when you encounter strangers, or someone comes to the door.  Touch is another useful cue for distractions and on walks.

  • Google ‘brain games for dogs’ and you will find the book Brain Games by Claire Arrowsmith which is full of great ideas. Anything that engages the parasympathetic nervous system (thinking brain) and stop them using their sympathetic nervous system (emotional brain) is good. 

  • Teach the ‘Let’s Go’ command as an interrupter - let’s go into the kitchen for a treat (have a bowl of treats readily available, but out of reach, on the counter).

  • Learn a little more about dog body language as this helps you predict when your dog may be about to react to something or is generally uncomfortable and you need to get him out of the situation. I highly recommend Turid Rugaas’ book ‘On Talking Terms with Dogs – Calming Signals’.  

  • You may want to investigate Bach Flower Remedies which can be added to food and water – 2 drops twice a day. The Rescue Remedy is for general distress and Mimulus, for known fears, would be a good starting point. This link will provide you with more information http://www.bachcentre.com.

  • Hedgerow Hounds have a Tranquil Blend of herbs that can be added to a dog’s food.

  • TTouch massage and ACE Freework can help promote relaxation and lower stress levels.

  • Develop part of the garden as a sensory garden (or a single plant pot indoors). It can be stimulating to their brains to experience different smells, surfaces and touches. It doesn’t have to be expensive, it’s just thinking ‘outside the box’ a little.   My dogs love sniffing lavender, rosemary to name but a few.

  • There is some evidence to suggest that specially designed bio-acoustic music has a calming effect on dogs that are exposed to it. It calms fearful dogs in any situation, as well as dogs that have phobias to certain noises. Music has a positive effect when played in environments or situations that a dog might find overwhelming such as in a car, boarding facility, shelter, day-care or at the veterinarian. Music can also help promote relaxation when played at home or calm a dog that suffers from anxiety when left alone. You can purchase Through a Dogs Ear CDs but I tend to just play Classic FM or reggae if my dogs are alone. 

  • If a dog is too overwhelmed to learn, calming supplements or medication might be needed. This will 'take the edge off' the fear or anxiety, so your dog is able to learn again. Fear causes shut down and when a dog is shut down no learning can take place. Medication can help him get to a better place but must only be used on the advice of your veterinarian. 

Copyright Dog Only Knows Behaviour and Training with June Pennell

 June Pennell ISCP L5 Dip.Canine.Prac, ISCP L5 Dip.Canine.Nutrition

INTODogs Certified Canine Behaviourist & Trainer,  ICAN CCB & CDT), Chartered Member of the UK Dog Charter, Approved Trainer with Veterans with Dogs, Professional Member of Pet Professional Guild