German Shepherds and Anxiety

by Jackie
(Middletown, DE)

I have a two-year old female GSD who is somewhat anxious and high strung. She has a daily walk but still likes to pace in the house in a circular pattern around furniture, etc.

She also is obsessed with the television and watches every movement, sometimes charging dogs on the screen.

Any ideas of how to help her settle down? No other health issues and Sam is a great dog.

Total German Shepherd:

Easy enough - your dog needs a lot more exercise! You basically have a 21 year old young adult on your hands so a daily walk just isn't going to be enough. That dog is just dying for some exercise.

You need to get her outside (or inside too if you can do it without tearing up stuff) and play games with her - fetch, frisbee, hide-n-seek, whatever games she likes several times a day (or at least a couple of times a day) for at least an hour or so.


Training is another good thing to do - you can practice exercises in or outside - and it is a great way to break things up and a wonderful mental exercise for your dog. Don't forget those big GSD brains need exercise too.

And if you can't do it yourself, if you have kids or a local teenager you can trust to take your dog for a jog, that is also great exercise for the dog. Mix it up so you and the dog don't get bored and have fun with your dog and who knows, you may lose a few pounds in the process. Even better!