With the Florida summertime weather pattern, a common complaint I hear from pet owners is that their pets are disruptive or destructive when they hear loud noises like thunder. There are many different classifications of anxiety in pets including thunderstorm, separation, traveling in cars, veterinary clinics, meeting new people, etc. … Dogs with anxiety may exhibit signs such as urinating, defecating, barking/howling, drooling, panting, pacing, chewing, and/or digging to try to escape. Escape attempts by dogs with anxiety are often extreme and can result in self-injury. Most dogs with anxiety try to remain close to their owners and become increasingly anxious if separation occurs. Some of these dogs crave a great deal of physical contact and demand attention from their owners.

The goal of treatment in an anxious pet is to reduce the level of anxiety by training the pet to feel comfortable and safe in the situation they are in. This can be a long intensive process especially when most owners need to deal with the damage or vocalization immediately.