The Katz Nest

While there is still limited research directly comparing mental disorders in dogs to those in humans, one thing is certain: dogs can experience anxiety.

Stress and anxiety are natural responses in all living things. Studies have even suggested that plants may experience a form of stress when their environment is not ideal. In nature, stress responses related to food, shelter, safety, and survival are completely normal.

But what does stress look like in dogs?

First, it’s important to understand that there is no single cause of anxiety. Every dog is different, and what may be stressful for one dog might not bother another at all.

One study conducted on Finnish dogs explored how dogs reacted to eight different anxiety triggers, with noise-related anxiety being the most common. Overall, researchers found that 72.5% of the dogs in the survey displayed some form of anxiety-related behavior.

From my own experience, some common stressors for dogs include:

• Strangers
• Vet or grooming visits
• New environments
• Loud noises
• Separation from their person or being left alone
• Fear of certain surfaces (for example, my dog Cooper is terrified of slippery hard floors)
• Conflict in the home
• Medical issues or pain
• Sudden changes in routine

So how can you tell if a dog is stressed?

Dogs communicate heavily through body language, and stress signals are often subtle before they escalate into more obvious behaviors.

Some common signs of stress and anxiety in dogs include:

• Lip licking
• Yawning
• Avoiding eye contact or turning their head away
• Ears pinned back
• Whale eye (showing the whites of the eyes)
• Panting
• Refusing food or treats
• Tucking their tail
• Shaking or trembling
• Trying to run away or hide
• Crouching low to the ground
• Excessive drooling
• Having accidents in the house
• Destructive behavior
• Growling, lunging, snapping, or biting

Many people only recognize stress once a dog begins growling or reacting aggressively, but dogs often show multiple smaller warning signs long before reaching that point.

If you are noticing behaviors you consider “bad” or undesirable, it can help to pause and think about what the dog may be experiencing emotionally.

Bad behavior does not always mean a dog is “bad” or incapable of being trained. Sometimes behavior is communication.

A dog may be stressed, overwhelmed, under-stimulated, fearful, in pain, or simply acting on instincts they were specifically bred for.

Understanding canine anxiety is an important first step toward improving not just a dog’s behavior, but their overall wellbeing.