When Worry Takes Over: Understanding Canine Anxiety and When to Get Help

Anxiety in dogs is more common than many guardians realise and more complex too. It’s not just nervousness around fireworks or hesitation at the vet. Anxiety can impact every part of a dog’s life, from how they eat and sleep to how they connect with the people around them.

Recognising when anxiety becomes more than ‘just a quirk’ is one of the most important things we can do to support their wellbeing.

What Is Anxiety in Dogs?

Anxiety is the anticipation of a threat that may or may not happen. It’s different from fear, which is a direct response to something frightening in the moment. A dog with anxiety is often waiting for something bad to happen, even when nothing’s happening at all.

Research shows that anxiety can be caused by previous experiences, genetics, epigenetics, physical discomfort, or unpredictability in a dog’s environment. It’s not about ‘nervous breeds’ or ‘spoiling’ your dog. It’s about their nervous system’s ability to regulate itself and feel safe.

What Are the Signs of Anxiety in Dogs?

Some signs of anxiety are obvious, such as shaking, which may reflect physical tension or an overwhelmed nervous system, along with hiding or barking in distress. But many are subtle and easy to miss:

Pacing, panting, or trembling when there’s no clear cause
Lip licking, yawning, or looking away in quiet moments
Avoidance or clinginess around people
Reluctance to eat, play, or rest, even in calm settings
Overreaction to sounds, objects, or touch
Withdrawal from familiar activities or people

These aren’t behaviours to correct or suppress, they are outward expressions of how your dog is responding to their environment. While we can’t access their private emotional experience directly, observable behaviour gives us meaningful insight into what they may be feeling, and what support they might need.

When Anxiety Becomes a Welfare Concern

Most dogs will experience anxiety at some point, especially in unfamiliar or unpredictable situations. It’s a natural emotional response that helps them navigate the world. But when anxiety becomes persistent, intense, or starts to interfere with a dog’s ability to rest, eat, play, or learn, it becomes a welfare concern that needs thoughtful, well-informed support.

Key signs anxiety needs professional support:

Daily signs of distress (even in safe environments)
Reactions that seem extreme or unpredictable
Difficulty sleeping, eating, or settling
Self-harming behaviours (licking, chewing, tail chasing)
Heightened sensitivity to handling, grooming, or movement
No improvement despite kind, consistent support

This isn’t about dogs being ‘too sensitive’ or guardians ‘doing something wrong.’ It’s about recognising when a dog’s internal world has become too overwhelming to navigate without support.

What Helps (and What Doesn’t)

Many common approaches to anxiety, like flooding, punishment, or ignoring distress can make things worse. Dogs don’t grow out of anxiety; they learn how to cope (or not) based on the safety, support, and predictability of their environment.

What actually helps:

Predictability and routines that reduce uncertainty
Low-pressure, dog-led activities like ACE Free Work
Providing a consistent safe space where your dog can retreat and decompress
Opportunities to sniff, forage, lick, or chew, these natural behaviours support emotional regulation and help reduce stress
Adequate, undisturbed sleep. Rest is essential for nervous system recovery and helps dogs process emotional experiences
Environmental adjustments that help your dog feel safer, such as comfy resting spots, calm areas with less sensory input, and the ability to move freely or retreat when needed
Walks that are led by the dog’s pace, preferences, and sensory interests, rather than focused on distance or exposure
Social interactions that feel safe and predictable, choosing connection over pressure, and allowing dogs to opt in or out
Empathy from guardians, responding to the dog in front of you and offering the support they need right now

Recognising and supporting your dog’s emotional needs can make a meaningful difference to their wellbeing. When dogs feel emotionally safe and understood, they’re more able to rest, connect, and navigate the world with greater confidence.

When to Get Help for an Anxious Dog

If anxiety persists, worsens, or starts to affect your dog’s ability to rest, eat, play, or feel safe, it's important to speak to your vet. A health check can help explore whether pain or an underlying medical condition might be contributing, factors that are often overlooked in anxious behaviour. A behaviour professional can then help you make a tailored plan to support your dog’s emotional needs alongside veterinary guidance if further support is needed.

Support might include:

Behaviour consultations focused on emotional processing and coping strategies
Veterinary investigations to identify or rule out physical discomfort
Monitoring change with tools like the Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale
Medication, if considered appropriate by your vet, to ease distress and open space for learning

Getting the right support isn’t a last resort, it’s a proactive and compassionate way to help your dog feel safer, more settled, and better able to navigate their world. When internal distress eases, dogs have more capacity to rest, learn, and engage with life.

What This Means Going Forward

Living with an anxious dog can feel overwhelming at times. But you don’t have to stay stuck there. Support is available, and the earlier we step in to understand what’s going on, the more we can change the experience for both of you.

Anxiety isn’t a training issue, it’s a reflection of how your dog is coping with their internal and external world. When we shift our focus from managing behaviour to supporting emotional wellbeing, we start creating the conditions that allow meaningful change to happen.

If you're supporting an anxious or sensitive dog and looking for practical help, the Confident Canine Hub is there to support you. You will find ACE Free Work, scent games, wellbeing focused strategies, and behaviour tracking tools, all designed to help you and your dog navigate things with more confidence and less overwhelm.