Do you have an anxious dog? It’s not unusual for a dog to be anxious, perhaps because of past experiences, something unfamiliar, or big life changes, but people don’t always know how to behave around one – or even know that dogs can be anxious!
One dog parent, however, has been raising awareness and advocating for our anxious dogs over the last decade, making products from canine jumpers to dog leashes. After her cocker spaniel, Bella, struggled with anxiety and reactivity following some difficult early experiences, she founded My Anxious Dog and the UK national awareness day, #dogsinyellow, which is celebrated on March 20 each year.
"I got Bella back in 2012, when I’d never heard of anxious and reactive dogs at all,” Sarah Jones tells PetsRadar. “Her mother had to have an emergency cesarean and one of the litter mates died. Then she got bitten by another litter mate when she was about six weeks old, possibly play fighting, but it obviously hurt, so she came into trauma from the start.
“She was a quiet, shy puppy, and she got attacked by a dog in the park when she was about six months old. Then she got attacked again at about a year old – we were learning flyball and this dog came charging across the other side of the park and completely took her out in the side.”
Jones didn’t realize that the other dog left a bruise that was painful to the touch. So, when passersby would pet Bella, it would hurt, leading her to associate strangers touching her with pain. Being cute, people naturally wanted to pet her – and Bella had to resort to growling at them to communicate that she didn’t want to be touched.
Jones learned about the color yellow representing anxiety from a dog trainer, and found through her research that it began in Canada with a yellow ribbon. She then began to design her own products for Bella, and developed her brand. She explains that she puts yellow hearts on her products to show that we aren’t negatively labeling anxiety in dogs – it’s out of love.
“It’s all about advocating for your dog more than worrying about what other people think of your dog,” she says. She began the awareness day because a lot of people didn’t know what the color yellow represented: “I noticed these national days on social media and I thought one would be a really good way of getting this message out there. It's anxiety month next month, and I pitched to the people that do the national awareness days, because it's the first day of spring. Daffodils and sunshine, it’s all yellow – that's why I chose the first day of spring.”
In terms of advice Jones would give to fellow parents of anxious pups, she urges us not to worry about what other people think.
“So many people at dog shows and festivals, will say to me, ‘My dog's really lovely.’ It's like they've got to tell me their dog is good and loving at home, because people presume they're an aggressive dog, and they're not. They're just a fearful dog.
“I would definitely recommend using a piece of yellow because it's like it's your dog's voice. It also helps those awkward interactions as well. Just because you've got your dog on the leash, people don't realize that your dog needs space. You’re telling people visually that your dog needs space.
“It makes you feel calmer and more confident when out for walks, I've used it on Bella every single walk for the last 10 years.”
For more advice, our canine behaviorist shares eight reasons why your dog is anxious (and how you can help them)
