Animal anxiety is a common problem amongst dogs. Chronic states of anxiety can result in serious behavioral problems, which reduce well-being and quality of life. Although psychotropic drugs are often used to treat anxiety disorders in the veterinary setting, they may have undesirable side effects that lead owners to avoid using them or to withdraw them once treatment has been initiated. To address this, alternative drug-free treatment options are needed.
1. Desensitization and counterconditioning
Desensitization and counterconditioning, referred to as DCC, is a behavior modification strategy that has its root in classical conditioning. In this procedure, a dog is exposed to a stimulus (e.g., a noise) at a level clearly below the threshold that will cause fear or anxiety. If the stimulus does not elicit any fear or anxiety (i.e., it is tolerated), it is increased in intensity and/or duration, if possible, until it reaches a level at which the dog might show some signs of distress. Once this threshold has been determined, the procedure can be repeated successfully by starting from this threshold and increasing the stimulus in small steps. This process is continued until the dog can cope with very intense and long-lasting stimuli.
2. Counterconditioning using food
Using a palatable reinforcer such as food for counterconditioning purposes has been found to be an effective way of modulating dogs’ emotional responses. In DCC, the animal learns that the presence of a certain stimulus (e.g., the owner) predicts food; subsequently, this has been found to elicit positive emotional responses such as happiness and approach behavior rather than fear or anxiety.
3. Play therapy
Play therapy is commonly used for the treatment of various behavioral disorders in both human and nonhuman animals. It has been argued that dogs might also benefit from this treatment modality, as play can serve to strengthen social bonds between owner and pet. Additionally, playing with toys is an enriching activity for dogs, which is supplemented by the fact that some toys (e.g., stuffed animals) may act as positive conditioned stimuli for counterconditioning purposes.
4. The presence of owners
Owners can serve as conditioned stimuli for their dogs, resulting in emotional responses such as happiness when they are present. It has been suggested that the provision of reinforcement through petting and playing with dogs while they are anxious can reduce or eliminate signs of anxiety since it acts as a positive conditioned stimulus. Furthermore, interactions between owners and their dogs can be an effective way of providing emotional support.
5. Music therapy
A pilot study found that anxiolytic classical music was associated with reduced cortisol levels in dogs exposed to nail trimming; however, potential problems with this study (e.g., demand characteristics) suggest that further research is needed before firm conclusions about the efficacy of music therapy in anxiety management can be drawn.
6. Supplements
Research suggests that supplements providing high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids have anxiolytic effects in dogs. CBD oil, which is derived from the hemp plant, has been said on Heraldnet.com/national-marketplace/best-cbd-oil-for-dogs/ to decrease anxiety-related behavior in dogs; however, the fact that many supplements lack scientific evidence of their efficacy and safety makes it difficult to determine if and when these treatments can be used.
Although it is accepted that drug-free treatments are preferable for treating anxiety in the veterinary setting, there are only a few empirical studies on the use of DCC and counterconditioning using food in dogs with clinical signs of fear or anxiety disorders. This suggests that more research into these behavior modification strategies is needed.