What makes dogs jumpy

Sudden anxiety in dogs has many reasons, ranging from fear to illness to aging. Some symptoms, like yawning or barking, may be normal under some circumstances. But you know your dog best, so be sure to pay attention when you notice any unexpected changes in behavior or appearance. If your dog is very anxious suddenly, what do you do?

Get our newsletter for the best of ABC Everyday each week. Separation anxiety, when your dog doesn't like to be separated from you, is the most common form of anxiety. And if they haven't learnt to be cool with their own company, that's when they can experience separation anxiety. Dr Mornement says dogs need to learn to cope with being away from their humans, and the best time for that to happen is when they are young. Less common forms of anxiety can involve changes in environment, such as going to the vet, in the car or moving house, says Dr Nguyen.

Resource guarding — displays of aggressive behaviour designed to scare other dogs or people off — can also be an issue if a dog is anxious about a valued item being taken away. It's important not to dismiss behaviours that we sometimes consider normal, warns Dr Nguyen. For example, "not eating can be a sign that we would potentially put down to [an] upset stomach, but it could be anxiety", she says. For separation anxiety, Dr Mornement recommends working to change your dog's negative association with being alone to positive by giving the animal something it loves.

And you can gradually increase the time you leave the animal on its own, "but only if it's coping at the previous level", Dr Mornement says. In more extreme cases of anxiety, Dr Mornement says you can give the dog medication to "take the edge off". I'm deliberately not using the term sedative, because some vets do use [sedatives] and that makes [dogs] more noise-phobic. Dr Mornement agrees, saying sedatives may make the dog appear "relaxed", but rather it's just masking the problem.

Older methods around treating anxiety in dogs advised not patting or comforting the animal to avoid "reinforcing" the behaviour. Veterinarians recommend a health check-up for dogs experiencing a noticeable change in behavior.

There are several medical conditions that could aggravate a dog's anxious and panicky behavior that need to be ruled out first. If not, contact a board certified veterinary behaviorist in your area see resources for finding a veterinary specialist.

Although there is no cure for noise phobia, treatment approaches include behavior modification, environmental controls and drug therapy, almost always included in the treatment where moderate to severe fears are present. Medication can include several different classes of drugs that include anti-anxiety, antidepressants and tranquilizers to alleviate a dog's fear response. Effective treatment for dogs prone to flee from fearful sounds can be as simple as offering them refuge in a pet crate covered with a heavy blanket as a partial sound barrier.

If the dog is afraid of thunderstorms, bring the dog inside and turn on an appliance or television, or play music to override the noise. Dogs are pack animals and look to you, the pack leader, for guidance and reassurance.

Adopt an easy-going manner and remain calm in the face of your dog's fear and anxiety. For example, sounds that range from mild to severe can include loud, angry words, breaking glass, thunderstorms, firecrackers and gunshots.