There are no perfect ways to handle dog anxiety treatment, and there are no processes that will heal the situation in a given timeframe. There are some things that do not work very well, even though some trainers push people to do them.

Punishment crate training involves caging the dog when he misbehaves, which in the case of the anxious dog is anytime he is separated from his owner. The animal doesn’t understand why he is being punished, and he may trade one bad habit for another because he hasn’t been cured or even treated for his anxiety.

Verbal or physical abuse to a dog does not help the anxiety he feels. If anything, it makes it worse. Spanking with a newspaper is a practice for a dog that has some annoying habit, but it will not improve the anxiety. It can alienate the animal, which makes it even harder to treat the situation.

Obedience school is a little better from the standpoint of the way the animal acts based on commands and signals from the owner, but it does little as far as dog anxiety treatment. Addressing the problem has to be done in a personal and caring way for the dog to grow out of the fear he has.

Much the same as humans who have anxiety problems, dogs cannot be completely healed of the anxiety they experience. It has to be treated and the dog must be conditioned over time to be more comfortable with situations he may not like. Extremely anxious animals might need medications for dog anxiety treatment.

Prescription medications for anxiety disorders must be authorized through the veterinarian to be sure that the dosage is not too high. There are some calming pills that are sold over the counter which are mild enough not to harm the dog, but they are usually ineffective for dogs that suffer from deep rooted anxiety.