Anxious dogs! I just realized my oldest dog has become anxious in crowds. This is a definite change.
South Orange County, California dogs got a special treat today, when Amanda Ree of Sama Dog, an ayurvedic animal practice and doggie daycare, came to do a brief workshop and doggie meditation at Hala’s Paws in Mission Viejo, California. I have loved Amanda and her work for years, so I was anxious to meet her in the flesh, versus via Zoom!
As an Orange County, California animal communicator, I enjoy helping others with their anxious dogs quite regularly and successfully, using many different tools, from animal communication, to EFT for animals, essential oils for dogs, and more.
Today, God gave my ego a nudge! HAHAHA.
I didn’t realize my eldest dog, Finn, would be anxious in a pet shop with 20 other dogs, because he has always done pretty well in dog parks and meeting new dogs. I mentally asked him to be a gentleman, and thought talking him to meet Amanda would be a special treat for this dog, who demands little attention at home. According to Sama Dog’s Dosha quiz, which I highly encourage you to take, Finn is primarily a Vata dog . Per Amanda, “when a dog’s Vata is in balance, they are active, energetic and very social. Vata that is out of balance may express itself as anxiety, fear or hyperactivity.” Well, today, Finn needed some balancing!
Amanda gave a very informative talk about connecting more deeply with our animals, and then led those of us in the room in a brief meditation. One of the things Amanda discussed, which I often have to tell my animal communication clients, is to accept the dog we have. Well, I had some surprising accepting to do today. Contrary to my expectation, old, happy Finn communicated mentally and visibly right away that he was scared in this room, and he would quietly growl at any of the dogs who tried to approach him. Finn has never bitten anyone, and he is a very sweet soul. I felt so badly for his little beating heart, and, yes, for my EGO! Then I reflected that I was very ill two years ago, and since then, our social outings as a dog pack have decreased. In addition, Finn is ALWAYS with his dog pack. So, I kept massaging his hind end, in order to keep his root chakra grounded, mentally told him I was his energy leader and no dog would hurt us, and kept on meditating!
Finn relaxed after about 40 minutes of Amanda’s talk. He was calm dueing the meditation. As soon as dogs started moving about freely again, I felt him tense a bit, which made me sad for him. I did get to speak to lovely Amanda afterward, and she said that the light, airy Vata dogs can feel very unsettled in brand new environments, especially if they are used to living in a pack.
Why am I admitting that I, an animal communicator, have an anxious dog? For a few reasons.
- Your dogs can change over time–Finn is older–he is now a spritely 12, but clearly is more nervous about his ability to hold his own in a room full of younger dogs. This surprised me. You, too, can experience changes in your dog.
- Your life affects their feelings: We have been through some health journeys that have changed his routine and his exposure to regular socialization.
- You can forget to pay attention to changes in your dog, especially if he isn’t generally a pushy personality.
- Acceptance is important. I did not allow Finn to get crazy in the dog store. He knew I was in charge. I appreciate that he told me and showed me he was fearful, because now I realize the quiet dude needs more time alone, and perhaps we need to revisit formal training just to give him a boost of confidence again.
Do you have an anxious dog? Here are a few things you can try to help her feel more confident.
- Massage her hind end pretty regularly. This sounds weird, but the hind is the seat of our root chakra–energetically, this is where our sense of safety and security comes from. Finn is getting a massage tonight.
- Energetically “sweep” nervous energy off your dog from tip of the nose to tip of the tail a few times a day, and visualize that energy being flicked into the ground.
- Give your dog a lot of gentle praise every day and a job that makes them feel confident. Every pet needs a job. See my ebook (download right from this blog) for more on the best jobs for your pet. Gentle, anxious dogs need easy jobs–like “Best dog bed warmer” and 20 instances of praise a day for that job.
- Practically, invest in dog training. Anxious dogs who do not see you as a leader can become dangerous. You may think they are aggressive, but really, they are just so concerned about their own bodies and yours, that they react out of fear.
- Call an animal communicator and get to the root of what the fear, and find out what triggers the fear response. You can then do EFT for animals–(emotional freedom technique for animals is a combination of the Chinese acupressure points for fear, grief, and anger, and cognitive behavior talking points about what makes an anxious dog fearful.) For Finn, I discovered it was being away from his friends, rarely being alone in public, and the close confines of more than 20 small and large dogs in a very small space. We tapped on his energy last nighht.
- Call Sama Dog today, and get ayurvedic advice on your dog’s Doshas and other supplements and remedies that you can use to supplement his well-being.
- CBD chews can be effective calmers for mahy dogs. My friend and mentor, Joan Ranquet has an excellent brand you can try for your anxious dog.
- Some, but not all dogs, do well with essential oils. Similar to the idea of rubbing his behind, you can use well-diluted essential oils to massage the back pads of the back feet–another grounding technique. Please do not use essential oils, even in a diffuser if you have a cat. Cats do not have the liver enzymes to process essential oils, and you can slowly but surely kill a cat!
As a side note to our adventure at Hala’s Paws, when we got home, my husband let me know that Gemma, our darling white maltese/poodle mix, was worried about Finn. She was certainly glad to see him when we arrived home. Next up? More solo outings for each of my pack! They won’t always have each other, sadly, and need to be confident when we take them anywhere. Any questions about animal communication, please write me at kara@petseyeview.com, or go here to book a session: https://petseyeview.com/effective-animal-communication/pricing/
.png)
