Care for reactive dogs

It can be incredibly challenging to care for reactive dogs, not knowing when your doggo might feel frightened or anxious by certain stimuli. The best way to live with reactive dogs is to identify triggers for their reactive behavior and to try and avoid these stimuli in the short term. In the long term, you can work with a dog trainer or dog behaviorist to help with your puppy’s temperament.

How to help a reactive dog

There are a lot of clues as to what triggers a reactive dog into behaving a certain way. The first step towards helping a reactive dog is to identify the reasons they are exhibiting these types of behaviors. While training and behavior modification are important methods to help reactive dogs, your veterinarian may recommend medication to help ease constant underlying anxiety. We recommend consulting a dog behaviorist to help identify triggers and predict reactive or aggressive behaviors before it occurs or escalates.

Medication for reactive dogs

You should consult your veterinarian when deciding on whether or not medication is a good option for your reactive dog. There are all sorts of medications available that treat different types of anxieties in reactive dogs. Here is a list:

• Alprazolam (Xanax): This is usually prescribed for severe cases of thunderstorm anxiety and helps calm your dog in conditions where their situational anxiety spikes.
• Amitriptyline: This is usually prescribed for separation anxiety or general anxiety, increasing serotonin and norepinephrine levels in your dog for antidepressive effects.
• Buspirone: This is usually prescribed for dogs with social anxiety, dogs who feel anxious when meeting other doggos. Your dog will need to continuously take this drug for it to be effective.
• Clomipramine: This is usually prescribed for dogs with separation anxiety and is also an antidepressant. Again this a drug where your dog will need to continuously take this medication before you see lasting effects.
• Dexmedetomidine: This is usually prescribed for dogs that are sensitive to noises. This drug is usually applied into your dog’s cheek or gums to be absorbed.
• Diazepam (Valium): This is usually prescribed for dogs that are sensitive to noise or have certain phobias. This is an anti-anxiety medication.
• Fluoxetine (Prozac): This is usually prescribed for dogs with aggression issues, excessive chewing issues, or for separation anxiety. This drug is usually used alongside behavior modification techniques applied by the dog parent and their trainer or dog behaviorist.
• Lorazepam: This is usually prescribed for dogs with situational anxiety. This is an anti-anxiety medication.
• Paroxetine: This is usually prescribed for dogs with general anxiety and is combined with behavior modification.
• Sertraline (Zoloft): This is usually prescribed for dogs with general anxiety, aggression, and other obsessive-compulsive disorders.

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