You Can Reduce Your Dog's Anxiety Immediately

Approximately 21.4% of the dogs I worked with in 2025 were either on anxiety medications or showed some aggressive tendencies towards a human. This does not include dogs that would lunge at other dogs when walked or that would suffer from their human's absence. Does that mean there is a dog anxiety crisis in my city? 

One report released in May 2025 by the pet insurance company Trupanion revealed that pet anxiety claims nationwide have increased by an average of 93% since 2019. According to Trupanion, these claims primarily cover medication and behavioral modification. Although it’s unclear whether anxiety is on the rise in pets or whether owners are better informed.

Regardless of the actual figures, recognizing early signs of dog anxiety and working with your veterinarian or a dog behavior consultant can reduce underreporting of cases.

This blog post outlines the stages of dog anxiety development, helping you recognize early body language signals so you can prevent behavioral escalation and get help promptly.

Scratching can be a displacement behavior that happens when dogs feel torn about a situation.

Do All Dogs Give Signals?

Short answer: Yes!

Often, concerned dog owners report that their dog bit someone without any warning signs. We promptly refer them to the three stages of anxiety-related behaviors in dogs, emphasizing that dogs always communicate their feelings.

A dog’s nonverbal communication is a highly evolved and honest reflection of their emotional state, including fear, joy, anxiety, and arousal. Dogs communicate honestly without trying to deceive.

Typically, societal beliefs and personal misconceptions prevent humans from recognizing dogs’ body language.

If—emphasizing the word IF—a dog bites without any apparent warning, it might have learned to suppress natural signals as a result of different forms of discipline like e-collars, water spray, or other forms of punishment by their immediate humans.

Three Stages of Anxiety-Associated Behaviors

Dogs are excellent communicators, expressing their feelings in various ways. They use body posture, facial expressions, and sounds to convey their needs.

To help you recognize early signs of anxiety and support your dog immediately, I’ll outline three stages of related behaviors. Preventing escalation is an effective approach to ensuring the well-being of our best friends.

Stage 1: Appeasement and displacement behavior

Appeasement behaviors are ways dogs communicate to calm others they perceive as threats. Dogs use these behaviors to avoid conflict.

Displacement behaviors happen when dogs feel torn about a situation. For example, a dog may want to approach another dog, a person, or a car, but also feel scared. To cope, they perform self-soothing actions that are not related to the situation—a dog might shake its head even if it hasn't been in water.

Examples of Stage 1 behaviors:

• Scratching

• Sniffing

• Yawning

• Lip-licking

• Low head

• Low ears

• Blinking

• Turning the head away

• Tense muzzle without showing teeth

• Furrowed brow

• Turning the body away

• Urine-marking

Recognizing subtle signals in dogs can be challenging, and it’s easy to mistakenly assume that a dog is simply calm. If we fail to identify these early warning signs, a dog may escalate its behavior, displaying more obvious body language.

It’s crucial to take a step back and evaluate the dog’s behavior in new situations. For example, if a dog is licking its lips after a meal, that response is expected. Likewise, a tense muzzle while the dog is holding a toy is understandable. However, if a dog has pointed or pinned-back ears, it may indicate fear, discomfort, or anxiety.

Stage 2: Heightened discomfort behavior

Ignoring signals can lead to this stage, especially when the triggering situation continues. It's easy to push a dog into this state when we assume we understand their behavior and pretend to have all the answers.

Examples of Stage 2 behaviors:

• Pacing or restlessness

• Shaking

• Cowering

• Lying down, showing the belly

• Raised front paw

• Moving away in a rush

• Tense muscles

• Mouth closed

• Tail between legs

• Ears pinned pack (flat against their heads)

• Eyes show the white (whale eyes)

• Avoiding eye contact

• Excessive lip-licking 

• Excessive yawning

• House soiling

• Loss of appetite

• Decreased interest in play

• Clinginess or seeking constant attention

• Urine-marking

• Whining 

• Chewing or scratching furniture or walls

• Cringing

• Running

• Trembling

If you're unsure what triggers these behaviors and your dog frequently displays these signals, it’s essential to consult a veterinarian behaviorist, or a certified dog behavior consultant.

Stage 3: Escalated fear and frustration

At this stage, dogs exhibit behaviors aimed at increasing distance from a person, another dog, or an object. Because humans have ignored the signals from previous stages, behaviors at this stage are clear, direct, and unmistakable.

Some behaviors that fall in this stage are:

• Ears forward

• Tense body with weight leaning forward

• Lunging

• Tail still or wagging rapidly

• Fixed stare

• Lifting of the lips to show teeth

• Growling

• Excessive barking

• Snapping

• Biting

• Barking

• Jumping at guests

• Excessive barking or whining

To be a better observer of dog signals, first avoid labeling what you see, slow down, and use all your senses to notice details in the surroundings and in their body language—asking yourself curious "why" and "how" questions, and logging to spot patterns.

A note on resource guarders

Resource guarders may skip stages one and two, depending on the individual dog and the specific objects they value. These dogs are afraid of losing a particular resource, but that topic will be covered in another blog post.

Stop labeling your dog’s behavior

Labeling a dog's behavior oversimplifies the complex mechanisms behind it. This significantly reduces the accuracy needed to understand the root cause and the appropriate modification plan.

Some labels to stay away from are:

1. “Good”/”Bad” behavior: Dogs can’t philosophize about right and wrong. They are opportunistic creatures and will do what they do best with the education you have provided.

2. Alpha dog: The myth of the pack mentality has been debunked by its original proponent, yet many people continue to perpetuate it. Domestic dogs do not live in natural packs, and unlike humans, they are not interested in controlling household dynamics.

3. “Stubborn” or “disobedient”: Instead of labeling your dog as “stubborn,” consider whether he truly understands the cue you are giving him in that specific context.

4. “Trying to rule”: Growling, snapping, guarding, etc., is often a dog’s way of communicating their insecurity or discomfort, not a sign of confidence.

5. “Aggressive”: Dogs that are seeking to play may exhibit behaviors similar to those of dogs trying to distance themselves through aggressive actions. Ignoring a dog’s emotional state can lead to the mislabeling of a dog as aggressive. Such labels can be problematic.

 “When observing your dog’s behaviors and personality traits, think about what your dog is actually doing, thinking, and feeling—what they're trying to tell you—and what they want and need before you use a label.” - Marc Bekoff, Ph.D.

Is Your Emotional State Contributing to Your Dog’s Anxiety?

Our dog, Godric, isn't anxious, but he often reacts to my husband's cheering during football games or to my frustrated outbursts in Spanish. Sometimes, even a lively conversation can prompt him to stand up, walk toward us, and display appeasement signals (Stage 1). This behavior illustrates a concept known as emotional contagion, the unconscious tendency for a person or animal to mimic the emotions of others.

A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Animal Behavior played recordings of human crying sounds, and the dogs began to scratch, shake, lift a paw, lick their mouths, and even whine. This behavior suggests that the animals were stressed or agitated.

Since your emotional state affects your dog’s environment, here are some strategies to help reduce anxiety-inducing events:

1. Pay attention to your dog's behavior and see if it correlates with your current emotions.

2. Practice slow, deep breathing to increase oxygen intake, activate the vagus nerve, and lower stress hormones.

3. Establish a routine for daily tasks. Consistent patterns help the brain manage uncertainty, allowing for better emotional regulation and increased mental energy.

Conclusion

Our sensitive dogs can lead better daily lives if we pay attention to their signals and consider whether subtle body language is normal or a sign of aging.

Dogs communicate through a diverse range of body language, a remarkable adaptation for living with humans. However, how quickly can their communication evolve in response to our changing world? People who care about their dogs' well-being can certainly make a positive impact.

Since every dog is unique, having a framework for understanding their anxiety history can help bring important issues to the behavioral team, ensuring they receive the best care possible.