Dog Anxiety: Signs, Causes, and Treatment

by Molly Price, DVM

Puppies and dogs encounter new and exciting challenges around every corner: unfamiliar people, new animals, new places, and changes to their routine (such as changes in your work schedule, a move to a new home, or a visit to the boarding kennel).

It is normal for a pup to experience some fear and anxiety when exposed to new things, as this is a natural response for survival. But when a dog takes a long time to recover after a stressful experience or encounter, or when your pup cannot recover at all, this indicates a problem.

Around 20–25% of dogs show fearfulness of new people, dogs, and situations. This anticipation of a perceived threat or situation is called dog anxiety.

You can help your dog feel safer and cope with new or frightening situations in many ways, including through positive reinforcement, training, and over-the-counter natural supplements like Zylkene that promote calm, balanced behavior.

Key Takeaways
Dog anxiety is a heightened state of fear or nervous anticipation in response to perceived threats.
Medical conditions such as pain, inflammation, and underlying disease can also cause dog anxiety.
You can learn how to recognize dog anxiety by observing your dog’s body language and behavior.
Treatment requires behavioral training and positive reinforcement, often in combination with natural calming supplements and pheromones. Anti-anxiety medication may also be prescribed.

What Is Dog Anxiety?
Experiencing new things can be exciting for your dog, but if these new experiences are not all positive and fun, they can cause your dog to feel stressed.

Dog anxiety occurs when your pup’s negative experiences turn into fear of new people, animals, experiences, places, and separation from family members.

Many dogs show signs of anxiety only in specific situations, while other dogs seem generally anxious, showing fearful reactions in a wide range of situations.

Dog anxiety can also be caused by medical conditions including pain and underlying disease.

The best first step is to work with your vet to determine the most likely cause of your dog’s anxiety.

Symptoms of Anxiety in Dogs
Just like people, dogs communicate through body language.

According to the Canine Fear, Anxiety, and Stress (FAS) Spectrum, you can detect these subtle signs and important clues in your dog.

Signs of mild anxiety in dogs:

Licking lips
Yawning
Avoiding eye contact
Turning the head away

Signs of moderate anxiety in dogs, which include the same as those seen in mild cases plus the following:

Putting ears back
Furrowing brow
Fidgeting
Panting
Refusing treats

Signs of severe anxiety in dogs, which include the same as those seen in mild and moderate cases plus the following:

Tucking tail
Slinking or running away
Widening eyes (with the whites showing)
Dilating pupils
Trembling
Staring
Showing teeth

Dogs with anxiety may also display unwanted behaviors, including:

Losing interest in activities they used to enjoy
Regressing (appearing not as well trained as they used to be)
Engaging in destructive behavior (chewing on furniture, doors, windows, or crates, for example)
Barking and whining
Shaking
Having potty accidents
Drooling
Pacing or exhibiting restlessness
Losing appetite
Engaging in repetitive behaviors (tail-chasing, spinning)
Growling, lunging, or biting
Causes of Anxiety in Dogs

Start keeping a journal and pay close attention to your dog’s body language, including what might have triggered your dog’s abnormal behavior.

Common causes of dog anxiety include:

Medical conditions, such as pain (dental disease, neurological pain, arthritis, gastrointestinal issues), inflammation, or dog dementia or canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CCD or CDS) in senior dogs
Separation anxiety, which happens when your dog doesn’t feel confident and content when separated from family members. (It is estimated that 14–20% of dogs have separation anxiety.)
Change in your household or your dog’s daily routine
Car rides
Veterinary hospitals or grooming facilities
Unfamiliar dogs
Unfamiliar people
Loud noises, including thunder, fireworks, construction work, trucks, or vacuum cleaners
Boarding kennels
Parks (public parks and dog parks)
Unfamiliar floors or surfaces, such as grass, tile, wood floors, or stairs, especially if your pup hasn’t been exposed to them before

How Veterinarians Diagnose Dog Anxiety
Veterinarians diagnose dog anxiety by:

Performing a physical examination
Performing lab tests or X-rays to investigate medical causes of anxiety
Recognizing the signs of fear, anxiety, and stress in your dog’s body language and behavior
Reviewing video recordings of your dog displaying abnormal behavior
Dog Anxiety Treatment
Treatment for dog anxiety depends on the cause and can include:

Veterinary medical treatment. If your vet diagnoses your dog with an underlying medical condition, they will determine the best treatment plan.

Sessions with a certified professional dog trainer. The certified professional trainer will create a behavior modification plan to help transform the emotional response your dog has to certain triggers.
Anti-anxiety medication. Depending on the severity of your dog’s anxiety, your vet might prescribe medication in addition to training.
Science-backed, positive reinforcement training. Use a reward-based method to encourage behaviors you want to see.
A stress-free environment at the vet. Work with your vet to take the fear out of veterinary visits and make them fun.

Other Ways To Help Dogs With Stress
Natural Calming Supplements
Dogs experiencing stressful situations may benefit from a calming supplement like Zylkene, which contains alpha-casozepine, a milk protein that supports calm, balanced behavior.

Available in capsules that can be opened and mixed with your dog’s food or given whole with a treat, Zylkene can be used daily on a short-term or long-term basis.

For short-term use, administer Zylkene one to two days before the stress-inducing event. Some dogs might need earlier administration (five to seven days before the event).

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