How to Relieve Your Dog’s Anxiety at Night

Dogs are like humans in that they can feel anxious too. Nighttime can be a particularly anxious time for them. They feel alone when their owners have gone to bed. It is dark and sounds heard can seem more frightening when they cannot be seen or reacted to. A dog cannot at nighttime, for instance, react to noises outside only be frightened by them because there is nobody to let them out to explore them. Most dogs will eventually settle down, even in unfamiliar surroundings, but life can be hard as a puppy hearing strange sounds for the first time. They have, after all, been used to being protected 24/7 by their mother. A dog suddenly anxious at night is, however, entirely preventable, whatever age the dog is.

So, how can we prepare our dogs better for nighttime so that they do not suddenly become anxious about a sound that they hear or their environment around them? Well, this article will provide the dog owner with a few tips.

Gentle Rubbing

First of all, you can prepare your dog for bed just as you would tuck a human sibling into bed. We are not talking about tucking your dog into bed, though, but instead gently rubbing them in a way that relaxes them. They are a part of the family and you would not want them to feel upset or scared. Relax them and get them off to sleep by knowing a simple technique.

A good comforting technique is to try some slow caresses down the side of your dog’s face. This will help them to feel relaxed. It will also allow the two of you to bond before bedtime. You will be surprised at how effective this is for helping your dog settle down at night.

Is Your Dog Tired Enough for Bed?

You might want to consider this if your dog is howling at night. Elderly dogs can have a condition known as CDS (Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome). This is a neurobehavioural disorder that will affect geriatric dogs, as well as cats. It is characterized by an age-related decline when it comes to their cognitive abilities. This affects the way they function and will result in changes in them.

So, the solution is to take your dog for a gentle walk in the evening to reduce their restlessness at night. Also, consider sufficiently stimulating your dog during the daytime so that all their energy is not still there at night. It can be helpful to take arthritic dogs swimming.

Comforters

As babies will have comforters, they have the same effect on dogs. Establishing what your dogs’ preferred toy is will mean that you can ensure they have access to it all night. You may want to tidy up but the toy that comforts your dog should remain in the basket where they sleep. If not inside the basket, close by, where your dog can find it.

A range of comforters can be purchased for dogs. Fleece is soft and calming and provides warmth, which is ideal for a dog blanket that will help a dog to feel less anxious. In addition to comforters, having a comfortable boutique dog bed can make all the difference in ensuring that your dog has a secure and cozy place to rest. Much like how people love their beds, the same can be said for dogs, and so providing them with their own space is essential.

Nighttime might not be the only reason for a dog’s anxiety, it could be them feeling lonely after the dog has been separated from its mother. So, it might be worth finding out about ways you can help a puppy with this as well as how to help them at night.

In summary, we can prevent a dog’s anxieties at night by knowing how best to relax our dog. It can be about them being ready for bed. Comforters can be a useful aid, too.