When we think of anxiety, pictures of Woody Allen or that common photo of a person holding their head in frustration with the word stress in big bold letters comes to mind. Perhaps it is that presentation we have to give at work tomorrow, or even the flight we have to take to get there. After all, anxiety is just the over-anticipation of future events in one’s life. For some, these may be big. For others small. But regardless of its scope, the brain (both human and canine) handles the phenomenon of anxiety in numerous and interesting ways.
For the most part, we as human beings can handle the ebbs and flows of life if we stick to our routines and familiar environments. But every now and then when things get too overwhelming, we can sometimes be put on sensory overload. Especially if we are in a situation we do not know how to handle or are not familiar with. To cope with the literal physical and mental sensations associated with this over-processing in our minds, the brain has numerous ways of reacting to, and coping with this stress. For some it may be a brisk walk or run, for others it may be some form of addictive substance or distracting behavior, some may even internalize it and express it at a later date. Anxiety also can be triggered by an event(s) or imposing event(s), or can be in a more generalized form. This is more of your neurotic, worry-wart type of personality who can never relax and is always worrying about when the next shoe of life is going to fall. Even when nothing is wrong! (Can you begin to see how this can tie into dogs with certain agendas and personality types )
Whatever the form of coping happens to be, it all has its basis in slowing down the rate at which the brain is processing its information. This enables the individual (or dog) to get back to a baseline or “normal” feeling and mental state. Which, due to the uncomfortable feelings and worries associated with anxiety, is a quickly learned “go to” place for relief because it actually relieves the individual or dog from the symptoms of their anxiety. So you are probably asking yourself, “what does my dog have to be anxious about”
To better understand how your dog is viewing the world, and how some dogs can take on responsibilities of universal proportions, (in their minds), let’s examine how our dogs see things so we can get in tune with what motivates them and inspires their actions. When examined at face value, and not by our misinterpretations of their behaviors or our preconceived perceptions of what they mean to us, it makes complete sense once we see things from their perspective and operate by their unspoken set of rules and regulations in the laws of the dog world.
As I have written about extensively in the past, the flow of life’s energy is of utmost importance to any pack animal. Because dogs coexist with humans, and share the same natural habitat, (no other animal species does this with us, not even cats!) everything I write about will apply exclusively to dogs, with the occasional wolf analogy thrown in for good measure. So if these transitions which come about throughout a dog’s coexistence with us, that when having to navigate on their own, become the root cause of the anxiety which ultimately leads to the problem behaviors we experience in our pets. Let me give an example of what I mean by this; Let’s say you are nervous about flying in an airplane and you are scheduled to take a trip in two weeks. Although you’ve flown before and have read all the literature, your rational thinking gives way to anxiety as the imminent day grows near. This anxiety increases until it comes to head when you are face to face with the day of the trip and even worse” the airplane itself. At this anxiety peak, we are most likely to panic or show some symptom(s) or form of reaction to everything coming to a head right then and there! Many people act in ways that are atypical to their usual personality during these times and in some cases would be considered out of the norm for typical human behavior in general. This can range from sweaty palms to full blown panic attacks!
Let’s now look into our dog’s lives and how anxiety contributes to the problems we may be experiencing with our pets”
Now, of course a dog has no comprehension of flying, bills, or even having a deadline, so let’s talk about what is actually important to our dogs and what may create an overwhelming feeling of anticipation in situations they may encounter throughout their day. Also keep in mind that although our jobs are important to us, we ultimately realize that it is not a life or death proposition and we can take vacations, holidays, sick days, etc. For dogs, it is all about survival. It is hardwired in their genetics to do what they do without much conscious thought. For dogs that live the more hyper-sensitive, in-tune existence with this flow of life I speak of, and feel an undying need to anticipate future events, this way of being is more of a reality to them. They have no choice, it is in their DNA, it is a means to preserve and continue their species by following this instinct-based pack structure and the rules that apply to this way of being. There is no time off the clock! This usually means them (the leader) at the head and everyone falling within their respective roles within the pack structure to keep things running smoothly. In nature and at the dog park this usually works itself out into a peaceful co-existence amongst all dogs. Actually, only the unbalanced dogs, who in the majority of instances have ill-defined roles within their human-dog packs to begin with, are the ones who get themselves into trouble because of their unregulated energy that triggers other dogs to “re-align” them into their already established pack that works much better and efficiently than what they are trying to do on their own. Although their owners do, the real dogs in charge aren’t going to tolerate this unbalanced approach to life. This works so well because a dog sees another dog true to how they are and understands the rules” instantly! There are no misinterpretations or perceptions made about their behaviors by one another. Survival is at stake, it cannot happen. We as humans frequently do this with our dogs. By not playing the game at their level, our dogs, who may have this higher requirement for us to understand how to be a leader to them, may begin to question what their responsibilities are in life and begin to make their own decisions in situations they never could handle in the first place. This happens because of their questions about the roles the humans play in their lives within the structure of the pack, both in those moments of transition, and in life in general. This is because everything from going on walks to going to the kitchen to get a snack can take on more meaning than necessary if our dog doesn’t feel that it has meaning to us as well and we navigate life around them accordingly.
This is the flow of life that dogs pay attention to. I find us humans really don’t put much thought into this. This makes dogs with a more assertive approach to life feel like it is their duty to pick up the slack because we just aren’t thinking about it. Who besides me in their right mind would. This is what is most difficult for many of my clients, especially those that have many other non-dog things to tend to in their human pack’s lives. They may run their human pack quite well, but if our dogs don’t see us taking over when Aunt Mildred comes to visit, which in most cases can be as simple as putting our dog on a solid “Sit” command, they are going to try and take matters into their own hands” or paws, because we didn’t step up to the plate and assert ourselves at a time of need according to them. Considering dogs don’t visit relatives for the holidays this is more than the dog can handle and they soon become overwhelmed with all the “What to do’s” ” during these high stress moments which manifest themselves into the problem behaviors commonly known as jumping, barking, aggression, etc. These are just symptoms of the already existing anxiety being spiked by the instant stimulus of a new person arriving at a major transition point in their lives. What is meant by already existing anxiety is exactly like the person who’s anxiety builds as the anticipated event gets closer until it peaks upon its start. Its like being on 7 or 8 all the time and going to 10 isn’t that far a jump! For dogs this is even worse for two reasons: First, a dog doesn’t ever know when these changes in the environment will happen so there is always a “When will it happen ” feeling within them which can create unwanted “light” or “generalized” problem behaviors rooted in anxiety like; chewing, panting, agitation, pacing, fixating, and overall general discontentment/anxiety. The second problem is that dogs tend to take everything to the life or death place in their mind so the anxiety associated will be more severe and feel more serious to a dog than even the most neurotic human would experience. This can make a dog downright fearful of life if it gets so extreme. I usually see most cases when it gets to this level because the dog has put the weight of the world on their shoulders and forgot how to let go and let someone more qualified take over. I have to teach their owners how to become “qualified” ”
“How can a so-called dominant or alpha dog be so insecure?” I always answer that question simply with the analogy that the Mayor of a city is not necessarily equipped to be President of the United States no matter how much they try. Even though they are a kick-butt mayor.
When seen through this perspective, it is easier to make sense of some of the behaviors our dogs display at these times in their lives. They are just getting in over their heads because we need to intervene and show them the alternate fork in the road of life. When it is presented and mapped out correctly, it takes little effort for them to take the correct path. They will thank you for it by being happy and content pets because of the security in the understanding you have provided for them.