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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong>Read more<\/p>\n In this age of heightened anxiety, many of us turn to our pets for emotional support. But is our behavior increasing our furry friends\u2019 fears?<\/p>\n The answer isn\u2019t simple, says Frankie Jackson, a veterinary nurse and animal behavior consultant, and the owner of Canine Counseling in Smyrna, Georgia<\/a>. She said she’s seen an increase in anxiety among her animal and human clients, but that it\u2019s hard to unwind the cause and effect.<\/p>\n \u201cDogs<\/a> are incredibly responsive to our expressions, our body language and our scent,\u201d she says. \u201cThere is a feedback loop \u2014 the owners are nervous; the dog gets nervous. Our cortisol levels rise and fall in tandem.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Becky Peters, a veterinarian and owner of Bath<\/a> Veterinary Hospital in Bath, New York, has also noticed a link between the anxiety of pets and their owners, particularly in the exam room.<\/p>\n \u201cIf owners try to over comfort them \u2014 lots of \u2018you\u2019re OK!\u2019” in anxious voices, the animals do get more anxious. If we stay calm and quiet, they do too,\u201d Peters says.<\/p>\n Peters attributes much of the rise in pet anxiety to the social upheaval of the COVID years. Many animals who were acquired during the pandemic had limited opportunities to socialize with other people and pets during their peak developmental stages. After COVID, pets who were used to having their family at home experienced separation anxiety as their owners returned to work and school.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of pet anxiety comes from changes to their households,\u201d Peters says. \u201cIt can also occur from a lack of routine and structure and not enough physical activity.\u201d<\/p>\n Other components that could contribute to our pets\u2019 anxiety include unmet needs, past trauma and insufficient open spaces.<\/p>\n “We are asking our dogs to live in a world that isn\u2019t made for them,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Try to get at the cause of your pet\u2019s anxiety <\/p>\n Low-level stress responses in dogs, such as eating less and excessive self-grooming, are forms of communication that precede lunging and barking, Jackson says. Trying to solve reactive behaviors through obedience training without addressing the root cause can make dogs\u2019 anxiety worse.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s important to understand what the dogs are saying and why they\u2019re behaving the way they are. Manners<\/a> and life skills are important, but it won\u2019t create happy dogs,\u201d Jackson says.<\/p>\n