If your husky is always anxious, you might be wondering why and what you can do about it.
In this post, I will show you a number of reasons why your husky is anxious and what you can do about it.
So, why is my husky anxious? Possible reasons are that it has separation anxiety, it’s in a new home, someone mistreated it, it is fearful of something, it is still young or that you have been inadvertently reinforcing it.
There are actually a number of reasons why your husky might be anxious and there are many things that you can consider when trying to figure out why it does it. When you have a good idea of the cause, it will become a lot easier for you to deal with it.
Why your husky is so anxious
Each of the different reasons why it does it will likely come with a number of clues.
Below, I will show you a number of reasons why it might be doing it and what would make them more likely.
Separation anxiety
It could be the case that your husky has separation anxiety. This is where it does not like being left alone and the prospect of being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely if it tends to become anxious when you are about to leave.
If your husky does seem to have some separation anxiety then it would help to try and avoid leaving it alone for long time periods by periodically coming back when you normally wouldn’t.
You can also watch the video below on some more tips on what you can do about your husky’s separation anxiety.
Related: Why is my husky so annoying?
A new home
The reason why it has been being anxious could be that it has recently moved homes. This would be more likely if you recently adopted it from a shelter. However, it could also be the case that you have recently moved homes and it is unsure of its new surroundings.
In this case, it would be likely that it will improve over the course of weeks. However, you could help by giving it lots of positive attention in the form of exercise, training and by playing with it.
Someone left or another dog passed away
The reason could be that someone recently left home or that another dog passed away. This would be more likely if it started being anxious shortly after the person or dog left.
It would be likely that it will improve over time. However, you could help by giving it exercise, training and toys to play with.
You are emotional around it
Huskies and most other dog breeds will be highly responsive to their owner’s emotions. The reason why your husky gets anxious could be that you get highly emotional around it.
Instead of interacting with it in an emotional way, it would help to be calm with it and to give it lots of positive reinforcement training.
Related: Why does my husky puppy bite at me?
Fear
It might be the case that something is causing it to be fearful. This would be more likely if it gets anxious when there is something that it might be afraid of such as fireworks, construction works or thunder and lightning.
If it is possible to remove the thing that is scaring it then that would help. Otherwise, you could get your husky to go to a different room or you could try desensitization training.
A change in its schedule
Huskies tend to like having a regular routine. If your husky’s schedule has changed then it could be what is causing it to become anxious. This is because it will be unsure of what is going on.
Ways that its schedule might have changed could include a change in the time that you take it for a walk, when you feed it or when you tend to go to sleep and wake up.
Someone has been mistreating it
It might be the case that it is being anxious because someone mistreated it. This would be more likely if it started being anxious suddenly and if it becomes more anxious when a certain person is around. It could also be the case if you recently adopted it from a shelter.
A lack of exercise
Huskies are a breed that are meant to get a lot of exercise on a daily basis. When they do not get a lot of exercise it can cause them to become anxious.
Generally, it is recommended for then to get an hour of exercise daily. If your husky is not getting that much exercise then it would help to make sure that it does.
It is still young
If your husky is still young then it could be going through a more anxious phase.
In this case, it would be likely that it will become less anxious as it gets older.
However, it would help to give it positive reinforcement training, attention and exercise now to reduce how anxious it is when it is older.
You have inadvertently reinforced it
It might be the case that you have been inadvertently training it to be anxious. This would be more likely if you tend to give it things that it wants when it becomes anxious.
Instead of rewarding it when it gets anxious, try to redirect its behavior when you notice that it is likely to start being anxious and to use positive reinforcement training to get it to stop.
Things to consider
Before trying to get your husky to stop being anxious it would help a lot to know exactly what is causing it. There are a number of different things that you can consider but here are a couple of particularly useful things to think about.
If it has become anxious suddenly
It would help to consider whether or not your husky started being anxious suddenly since it could be the case that something triggered it to start being anxious.
If it has started being anxious suddenly then it would be more likely to be due to things such as being mistreated, frightened of something, a change in its schedule or moving homes. It would help to consider what changed when it started being anxious.
Whereas, if it has always been anxious then it would be more likely to be due to things such as you inadvertently training it to be anxious, separation anxiety, being emotional with it, being young or not enough exercise.
When it becomes anxious
It would also help to consider the timing of when it becomes anxious.
If you notice that it becomes anxious at certain times then it would help to consider what is different at that time. For example, if you notice that it becomes anxious when you are about to leave then it would be more likely that it is due to separation anxiety.
Whereas, if it becomes anxious at random times then it would be more likely that it is due to things such as being in a new home, an owner leaving or a lack of exercise.
When you should be concerned
Below, are some situations where your husky being anxious would be a cause for concern and a reason to take it to a vet.
- It has been showing signs of being ill
- It becomes extremely anxious regularly
- It has started acting unusually such as by being fatigued all the time
- It has been being anxious for months
What you can do about it
Below, are a number of things that you can do about your husky being anxious.
Reward it when it shows signs of not being anxious
The first thing that you can do to get it to stop is to positively reinforce the behavior when it does not become anxious. You can do this by rewarding it when it is not anxious and then not rewarding it when it starts being anxious again.
Redirect its attention
It would also help to learn to notice when it is about to become anxious and then to redirect its attention onto something else so that it doesn’t get into a habit of being anxious. You can redirect its focus by giving it things to play with or by training it to do things such as to come to you on command.
Avoid rewarding its anxiety
As mentioned above, it could be the case that you have inadvertently been reinforcing the behavior.
Instead of giving it things that it wants when it is anxious, try to stop rewarding it, to redirect its attention and to use positive reinforcement training.
See a dog behaviorist
If you are unable to figure out why your husky has been being anxious it would help to get the help of a dog behaviorist. By doing so you will be able to get expert guidance on how to stop your particular husky from being anxious.
Avoid being highly reactive yourself
As mentioned above, your husky will respond to your own emotions. If you are highly reactive around it then it will cause it to react itself. When dealing with your husky it would help to be calm and to use training to get it to behave the way that you want.
Avoid leaving it alone for long time periods
Since your husky might become anxious due to separation anxiety, it would help to avoid leaving it alone for long periods possibly by coming back quickly on your lunch break.