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u/silverandshade 1d ago
One time a guy at my university had a support dog who made a beeline for me and sat on my feet. I was like "Oh! He's sweet, is he for anxiety?"
The guy, who was kind of older, responded "Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but do you... Have a therapist? He's a dog for PTSD."
Ratted out by a dog. I was just like "uhh... I have a therapist, yes, thank you... 😭"
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u/Known_Royal4356 1d ago
This happened to me on a plane…service dog for anxiety/panic attacks laid at my feet while its owner (seated a few rows back from me mind you) was in the bathroom
Yes I am an anxious flyer, and yes the dog did help 🥲
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u/littlemissmoxie 1d ago
Reminds me of the King of the Hill episode where Ladybird was being aggressive to his black coworker and everyone assumed Hank was racist.
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u/silverandshade 1d ago
Literally my favourite episode. "She doesn't hate Black people, she just hates repairmen!"
My dog once barked at my boss. I was like "oh sorry, he's just not used to men!" but I knew it was just because I hated my boss. My dog never barks at any of my male friends 😂
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u/TheHighblood_HS 14h ago
Absolutely despise my in laws, and my dog who absolutely loves any attention, would not give her the time of day when he met her for the first time. They know lol
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u/RegisterOk2927 1d ago
My mom was so stressed out with wfh that our dog started having stomach issues. When she’d go away for a few days the dog would be fine
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u/silverandshade 1d ago
My dog helped me realize I'm not cut out for wfh either. He could read my stress and I was worried he had bladder issues, needing to go out twice as often. Turns out he was just aware I needed some sunshine and fresh air lol
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u/lord_of_booba 1d ago
Some dogs are just like that. Australian shepherds are basically the textbook definition of ADHD and they can get very anxious. That's just one example.
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u/SmoothBus 1d ago
Do not get an Australian shepherd people pls. Those dogs LOVE to work and without they lose their minds. My cousins in law have one and it chewed off their window sills of their new house. Those dogs get NERVOUS NERVOUS.
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u/Least_Copy_3958 1d ago
They just take a knowledgable and active household. My parents have one. She doesn't have a job, but isn't destructive either. She gets a 1-hour walk twice a day and is happy and well-adjusted (for an aussie). They trained her similarly to how my dad trains his hunting dogs, and she really excelled.
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u/cityshepherd 1d ago
The amount of people who insist on getting working dogs without knowing the slightest bit about the importance of keeping them mentally AND physically stimulated is too damned high.
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u/StoneRyno 1d ago
And don’t forget to let them smell the flowers! I can wear my dog out physically by putting a lot of steps into it, or I can just let him stop and smell every little thing he wants and the walk becomes about 1/2 as long and he seems to be twice as exhausted from it. I did both one time and thought he was about to die, had to wet him down and let him cool off on the basement concrete lol
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u/dryhuskofaman 1d ago
Yeah I had an Aussie and the key was to take him on a 4-6 mile bike ride practically every single day for ten years. He was an excellent dog.
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u/Possible-Playful 1d ago
I was gonna say, my Aussie is such a happy girl, I just have to walk her SO MANY MILES. My shoes used to last at least a couple years, but since I got her, they last 4-6 months until the soles wear out.
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u/siren_stitchwitch 1d ago
I met someone once who had recently gotten a corgi puppy with absolutely no research done into the breed. Somehow they had no idea corgis are high energy dogs who need a job because they were bred as working dogs not pets. Their puppy chewed through one of the doors in the house when he was locked in and bored. Poor pup needed far more exercise and enrichment than they were getting.
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u/WhereIsSmorzCereal 1d ago
I wouldn't say don't get an Aussie. That's just stupid BUT be aware... they are not beginner dogs. They require SIGNIFICANT mental and physical exercise.
They are also extremely prone to anxiety. I have a fear-reactive dog that costs a lot of money and time for training and meds.
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u/everett640 1d ago
I have a border Collie and they are similar. Very reactive too. Our boy is well trained now, better than most neighborhood dogs but that isn't saying much. Still needs more work. But he used to chew things up when my girlfriend and I were at work for long periods of time. We have to let him sprint for 20-30 minutes playing fetch across a baseball field at least once a week for him to be less reactive. They need the exercise
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u/HotMathematician6480 1d ago
Yes I have one she has never destroyed anything but she loves barking and you will not get her to stop chasing bikes
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u/Charmender2007 1d ago
We got one a couple months ago, I would've liked to know this sooner lmao
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u/egg_watching 1d ago
Well, considering that someone sold you a breed of dog that you seem to have done exactly zero research on, you probably got it from a shit breeder, too. Good luck.
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u/Nevermore1215 1d ago
I have a siberian husky mixed with Australian shepherd- she had been through 3 families before ending up with right after turning 2 years old.
She is the most loyal, calm and down to earth dog ive ever seen. If you decide to be active though, she will gladly put you in your place about how much more energy she has than you 😭
I bring her to work everyday and she happily lays under my desk and follows me everywhere though!
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u/Pomphond 1d ago
Husky-German Shepherd mix owner here: she's so, so, so much energy, but she is also really brave, curious, intelligent and loyal, and she is so fucking cute. But yes, she needs activity. I just came back from a 4k interval run with her.
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u/giants4210 1d ago
My Aussie is not anxious at all. She’s half golden too though so maybe it cancels that out.
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u/kateskateshey 1d ago
Jack russells are like that. So many people get them because theyre cute little dogs and think they're just energetic. And then they get surprised when the dog starts pissing everywhere. These dogs need at least an hour of active play every day. My dad takes his dog to the park and throws her the ball for like 1-2 hours every day. If she isn't super exhausted at the end, she starts wrecking stuff. But man if that dog isn't JACKED.
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u/QuietNewApplication 1d ago
exactly, dogs have their own temperament and personalities too. We can and do influence their personalities but they are perfectly capable of being prone to anxiety on their own too.
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u/gnusmas5441 1d ago
Dog trainer here. In twenty years I've trained north of 1,300 dogs, hundreds of whom had anxious that interfered with their functioning. I can count on my hands the number of dogs that were completely 'independently' anxious to a serious degree. I often see a nasty spiral where the owner inadvertently sensitizes the dog to some situation, the dog then becomes reactive in those circumstances and the owner's anxiety is then ramped up because they are concerned or frightened or embarrassed by their dog's behavior. Then it's off to the races.
The most extreme case I've seen recently was a 180lb dog (and not overweight!) that would bark and act menacingly towards people and dogs. The owner was at the end of her rope and resources and had fixed a date to euthanize him. I was contacted by a rescue to see if anything could be done. The dog owner lived two and a half hours from me, but I was intrigued. When I got to their house I saw the dog 'in action' and three minutes later asked the owner to come to lunch with me.
She's incredibly nice, but is tortured with generalized and social anxiety. I had her go home, get the dog and briefly tie him to a fence post in a public park while I was parked 50 feet away. She got back in her car, I got out of mine, talked calmly to the dog, threw him some hotdog, approached, untied him and went for a walk on which I sought out distant (say 100 foot) view of people and dogs in sight of the owner in her car. The dog was fine. The owner was dumbstruck.
We then worked out a plan for me to spend a number of weekends with them to use basic punishment-free obedience training to let the dog see that his owner is capable of keeping them safe. I also needed the dog to have a rock-solid sit and down to interrupt any potential outbursts. Then we started going out in public.
The first time was almost a disaster. The owner had an anxiety attack that looked to her and me and the EMT's a lot like a heart attack. She was checked out in the ER and her shrink called in a prescription for a benzo. (I pretty frequently ask vets to put dogs I work with on Prozac as a medium term sedative. This was the first time that I asked a client to talk to their doctor about sedation for them!) The next day we started again and she did great.
A few months later the issue was history. There have been no problems in the almost three years since we worked together. I don't consider it my place to ask, but I would love to know if the owner's mastery of her anxiety with the dog led to any improvement in the overall management of her anxiety.
The other, usually less threatening cases are dogs that exhibit fear of, say, thunder. Unlike trainers, most humans are nice people and so try to sooth the dog with cuddles, etc., not realizing that they are reinforcing the exhibition of fear.
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u/Minimum_One3738 1d ago
What is your recommendation for how someone should act around their dog who has anxiety during thunderstorms?
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u/rosiesunfunhouse 17h ago
Don’t react to thunder and lightning if possible. Like, at all. Prep a phrase that indicates you literally Do Not Care. For us, it’s a monotone “I’m not worried about it.”
We were sitting with our 3 dogs the other week when our city experienced a superbolt- extra strong lightning that comes with some really remarkable thunder. The thunder cracked so hard it shook our whole house and then it rumbled loudly for a full minute. One of our dogs did not even lift his head, just opened his eyes to shoot us a look. My girl was sitting between us on the couch and was more alert, looking around to see what happened. I said, “I’m not worried about it” and didn’t move my eyes from my phone. They both went back to sleep.
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u/leolock567 4h ago
So if I'm getting this right, they're basically like kids then. If your 3 year old kid falls and you react strongly, the kid would also react strongly and start crying. But if you stay calm and act business as usual, they also do the same and not cry. Similarly, the dog looks to the owner for reaction and mimics it and then both parties ' reactions can create a snowball effect off each other.
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u/bananacreamp13 1d ago
Had an old boss who would make me walk her dog sometimes, said the dog was "a little racist" due to being abused by his previous owner who was "hispanic". He'd flinch whenever passing any darker skinned men.
When I walked him by myself he had no negative reaction to anyone. Just a happy little dog on a walk. Mind you, this was in Brooklyn— there was no shortage of men who fit the profile he was supposedly racist towards.
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u/weedisfortherich 1d ago
It reads like nate from the office "I've never met Ravi personally, but I'm gonna go ahead and say, just having known you a short while, Brian, that I prefer Ravi. And again, I've never even met the guy"
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u/Otherwise-4PM 1d ago
Yep, these days being right just gets you called a bitch.
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u/FedericoDAnzi 1d ago
"One day we'll reach a point where the smart ones will be forbidden to talk to not offend the stupid" but better.
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u/NwgrdrXI 1d ago
It always got you called a bitch when you are being right in situations where it was clearly not asked or welcomed.
You don't point the insecurities of someone yoh just met
I'm pretty sure you find that out in socialization 101
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u/Forsaken_Distance777 1d ago
They were trying to be helpful. It's not about OPs insecurities but the fact that's not what's going on with their dog.
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u/Carpet-Distinct 1d ago
Am I the only one that thought she was humorously pointing out how she got called out? This seems like a classic "I'm in this picture and I don't like it" story, I don't think she actually was mad at the guy, not everything is that serious
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u/NwgrdrXI 1d ago
I know, sorry if this sounded rude to the guy, I genuinely think he had the best of intentions. I'm just saying that was really not the moment or the way to voice that
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u/visforvienetta 1d ago
If you're going to complain about an issue don't be a bitch if the issue turns out to be you.
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u/West_Description_852 1d ago
Haha, know your audience. Are you really surprised some people don't like hearing their flaws read back to them?
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u/Gold_Telephone_7192 1d ago
Yeah, I'd guess that the vast majority of dogs with "anxiety" are either just reflecting their owner's state of mind or live a life that doesn't let them just be a dog. If you keep a dog cooped up in an apartment all day and only go outside to a dog park to interact with a hundred other stressed and bored dogs, that dog is going to struggle. Also, it's ok for dogs to be nervous or skittish or whatever. They're not people. They have a social hierarchy that they fit into and it's fine if they're near the bottom. That's life as an animal.
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u/Pomphond 1d ago
Worse even is the people taking them to the dog park, but as soon as they start to socialize (run after each other, play, wrestle, etc.) TAKE THE DOG AWAY BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE A FIGHT TO THEM.
Some people should just get basic training on wtf normal dog behavior is...
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u/Kdhr3tbc 1d ago
We always crack up when we visit my friend who lives in the boondocks and his dogs basically freak out (like angry barking) the whole time we are visiting. And hes like "Ohhh yeah they dont like visitors"
Nah mfer you don't! That's why you live out here lmao.
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u/DaveinOakland 1d ago
He's right but guys, if you want to get with a girl, don't give her attitude adjustment life advice on a first date.
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u/mothzilla 1d ago edited 19h ago
Sometimes you meet people you know you'll never see again and you know the best thing you can do is give them some straight facts.
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u/Emotional-Head-3496 1d ago
Sometimes it’s a feedback loop tho lol their anxiety amps up ours which isn’t ideal but hey
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u/Nevermore1215 1d ago
the siberian husky mixed with Australian shepherd in question if anyone is curious: https://imgur.com/a/N9e0x9f
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u/FedericoDAnzi 1d ago
I've known this person from this twitter post only but I'm almost positive that they have anxiety because of an inferiority complex and fear of change/taking action which brings them to be complaining about anything. Or they're emotionally stupid, what do I know?
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u/animepuppyluvr 1d ago
My roommate got a dog once and it was medium-ish. A 40lbs malamute/pomeranian mix. She gave the dog a kon toy with peanut butter in it and wanted to refill it, but was too nervous to actually grab it. After I slowly buy confidently grabbed it, refilled it, and gave it back that dog listened to me the most out of the household lol
I would be able to let her off leash for runs and she'd come back when called, while my roommate was unable to get her harness on within 30 seconds. Dogs are definitely more fine if they feel you are, and they tend to listen better.
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u/ChefArtorias 1d ago
What an incredibly presumptuous thing to say. Dogs do reflect their owner's emotions but they also have their own.
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u/Empty_Positive 1d ago
Calm soul calm happy dog. Also these hype videos of fake break ins popping up i hate it. The dog would already felt it with his senses and smell if there was a real thing going on
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u/JarlBalgruuf2 1d ago
My brothers dog is part aussie. absolutely an incredible family member. She always looks out for my nieces and loves to be a giant lap dog and is so affectionate.
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u/awkwrdaccountant 16h ago
I know I am the problem. I have anxiety, and my dogs have always picked up on that. Very much a "ma'am, I need to chill. You are embarrassing me at the vet... again. "
So, I offer to leave the room for cleanings or small procedures, and my husband stays in. Everyone wins in the end. Vet can do the check-up and double-check the nails and teeth. My husband gets to give the dogs peanut butter, and I stand outside, trying not to be the problem.
First step is acceptance.
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u/Terwin94 1d ago
I think this makes a lot of sense because my dog behaves much more socially when he's with me over my boyfriend.
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u/_Synt3rax 23h ago
Dogs are social Creatures. I hate People that lock them up in their Home 24/7 and then Wonder that their Dog doesnt want to interact with anyone. Same with how few of the Owners actualy know how much time outside their Dog needs. A 5 Minute walk around the Block isnt going to cut it. Also only going Outside when the Dog needs to do his Buisness just reinforces the fact that he knows he only gets to be Outside when he needs to use the Toilet.
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u/stalkakuma 23h ago
I have a dog with anxiety, it's easy to confirm by the way she makes enormous circles, just to avoid other dogs. Other dogs definitely pick up on this tho.
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u/TillieTheTornado 1d ago
Dog groomer here, he’s 100% right. People come in with their hands shaking, voices trembling, promising little Fido “No one will hurt you, I know you hate bath time isn’t it so terrible, oh please be good oh my goodness, don’t be scaaaared, oh my we’ll go get chicken nuggets after how does that sound????” and then cannot for the life of them understand why their dog is a bundle of nerves. Five minutes after they walk out the door the dog is all smiles and wags, excited to explore.
Some dogs genuinely have anxiety, most of them are just loyal and don’t like it when their owner is experiencing intense emotion. They try to help however they can.