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Extreme Fear and Anxiety in Dogs
Written By Darlene Stott
Published: 06/08/2016Updated: 06/06/2021
What is Extreme Fear and Anxiety?
Excessive fear and anxiety is a common problem in dogs. Anxiety related disorders can take many forms. Separation anxiety associated with the dog being left alone is the most common; some experts estimate that about 14 % of dogs suffer from this disorder to some extent. Other common triggers for anxiety behaviors are loud noises, riding in the car, or any confined space. Excessive anxiety, especially toward a specific and inexplicable trigger, is called a phobia. Dogs can develop phobias in response to unlikely triggers like people with glasses, children, or even toasters. Excessive anxiety and phobias in relation to different people and strange situation are commonly the result of poor socialization at a young age. There are several specific windows in a dog’s development when socialization is very important: between eight and fourteen weeks of age, when puppies first start to become shy of strangers, and between five and eight months, as they may develop fear and aggression toward unfamiliar groups of people. It is extremely important to expose dogs as much as possible to new situations and people in these time periods, always in a non-threatening way so that they feel comfortable and safe and don’t develop irrational fear or anxiety triggers. Occasionally dogs can acquire unusual phobias later in life especially during a stressful or traumatic time period. Genetic factors can also play a part. Many dogs are predisposed to develop anxiety disorders based on their breed or temperament. Fearful behavior can quickly turn into aggression, so dogs with anxiety disorders make less good pets and can even be dangerous, especially around small children. Dogs that develop fear or anxiety can sometimes be reconditioned to reduce the behavior to a manageable level, however this requires more work than initial socialization when a puppy’s age makes him predisposed to adjust and learn new information.
Fear is a normal response to some situations, but extreme fear or anxiety in dogs is a sign of behavior problems. Anxiety related behaviors can become aggressive quickly, so teaching your dog to avoid these responses can be a very important part of training.
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Symptoms of Extreme Fear and Anxiety in Dogs
These are some of the signs that might indicate your dog is excessively fearful or anxious.
- Pacing
- Posturing with flattened ears and tail between the legs
- Cowering and hiding
- Hair raised on the back of the neck
- Drooling
- Trembling
- Panting
- Whining or whimpering
- Yawning
- Dilated pupils
- Excessive grooming
- Chronic barking
- Chewing on objects such as furniture or shoes
- Incontinence of bowels or urine
- Growling
- Snapping
Types
These are the most common types of anxiety in dogs.
- Separation anxiety – occurs when the owner leaves or whenever the dog is left alone
- Noise anxiety – loud noises such as thunder, fireworks, or noisy trucks
- Travel anxiety – becomes anxious riding in the car
- Confinement anxiety – reacts negatively to confined spaces
- Phobia – unexplained anxiety reaction in relation to various triggers
Causes of Extreme Fear and Anxiety in Dogs
Many factors can be related to excessive fear and anxiety in dogs. These are some of the most common.
- Poor socialization in early life
- Predisposition due to breed or temperament
- A stressful or traumatic event
- A medical condition or illness
- Age related degeneration in the brain
Diagnosis of Extreme Fear and Anxiety in Dogs
Most anxiety disorders develop in the first year and a half of a dog’s life, so this is the time to watch your dog closely and discuss any abnormal reactions with the veterinarian. Anxiety disorders are first diagnosed through the careful attention of the owner, so you should watch your dog and document unusual behaviors in a log if necessary. The veterinarian will examine your dog physically to determine if there is a medical condition that could be causing or contributing to your dog’s symptoms. If you have any information about the dog’s breeding history or the temperament of the parents this will be relevant. In older dogs, past experience can also be extremely important since a history of abuse will often give the dog a lifelong predisposition toward anxiety. Some dogs may also develop more pronounced anxiety as they age.
Treatment of Extreme Fear and Anxiety in Dogs
Depending on the severity of the problem, the veterinarian may give you training exercises to do at home or recommend an animal behavior specialist for more extensive reconditioning. The best way to react to signs of anxiety in your dog is not to encourage it. Petting or comforting the dog may be the most natural response for an owner, but the dog will see this as encouragement to continue. Putting a dog through his typical training routine during an anxiety attack may seem harsh, but it will help assure the dog that things are normal and can discourage the behavior in the future. To the dog, you are the leader of his pack, so if you act as if everything is fine, the dog will assume this is true.
Dogs with more developed anxiety disorders and phobias may need to be desensitized by exposing them to a mild version of the trigger first. Through repeated exposure and training the dog will become desensitized and learn there is nothing to fear. Treats and rewards for good behavior can help to reinforce the process. In extreme cases, classes or private sessions with a behavior therapist may be necessary to help your dog overcome anxiety. This is especially true if your dog is older and has a history of abuse.
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Recovery of Extreme Fear and Anxiety in Dogs
Proper socialization can usually reduce symptoms of anxiety in young dogs before the disorder becomes a serious problem. Older dogs that develop isolated phobias can often be retrained also. If the dog has a very anxious temperament, you may need to maintain a carefully regimented response to anxiety behaviors and continue long-term training exercises to manage the problem. Rescue dogs or older dogs with severe anxiety may be difficult to retrain regardless of the effort you put in. You may have to compensate for this by avoiding situations that trigger anxiety as much as possible. The veterinarian may be able to give you medication for isolated instances, especially car trips.
Extreme Fear and Anxiety Average Cost
From 60 quotes ranging from $200 - $1,500
Average Cost
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Extreme Fear and Anxiety Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Beagle mix
Aiva
2 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Shaking
Phobias
Panting
Anxiety
My 2 yr old Beagle/Blu Tic mix, Aiva, suddenly developed several phobias about 8 months ago. These include fears of hardwood/tile floors, jumping on the couch/bed, and riding in the car (specifically when the back windows are up). Aiva was literally born in my home, is loved fiercely, and has never been abused or neglected. She spent her first 16 months before the onset of the phobias immersed in hardwood floors, couches, and car rides. She was born to an older, pregnant rescue dog I found, and was an only puppy. Because she was a singleton, I was worried about her early socialization so her mom stayed with us for 4 months and I made sure to introduce her to other dogs, people and places. After her mom was adopted and she had all rounds of her vaccinations, I started seriously working on socialization her. I put her in puppy training & daycare several days a week, and took her for rides constantly to stores, dog parks, friend’s houses, hiking, etc. to expose her to as many experiences as possible. We spent most of our time at home cuddling on the couch in my hardwood floor living room, or sitting together on a loveseat in my screened in porch. But at around 16 months, Aiva suddenly developed the phobias. There were several changes in the environment at that time, including a new foster dog with potty problems (who was adopted 3 months later), a large rug being removed from the living room due to those potty problems (2 even larger rugs were later added), and a member of the household leaving (who returned 2 months later). But despite the resolutions to the changes above, at 2 years Aiva now refuses to walk in a room with most types of hard flooring, and shakes and pants if she is forced to when we go to friends’ homes. She sits at the threshold of my hardwood living room while I watch TV and sadly whines, but refuses to walk in the room (I have tried every incentive/reward imaginable). She will no longer jump on a bed/couch with me (or at all), although she will jump up with her front paws on me and whine and paw as if she wants to. Anytime I encourage her to do any of the things she is afraid of, she acts frightened of me and runs/walks away, only to come back minutes later and whine again. And while she still loves and desperately wants to go for rides and hang her head out the window, as soon as I have to put the windows up, the shaking, fear and panting begins. I’ve spent hours trying to figure out how all of these triggers are related, and I’ve tried everything I can think of to alter the environment or desensitize her from them. But nothing has worked. At this point I fear my dog and I will never cuddle together again, and that is devastating. Any advice would be appreciated :)
March 7, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your email. That is very sad that Avia has suddenly become so fearful! You may never know what caused the onset of fear, as you can't ask her, but it seems that she might benefit from some anti-anxiety medication. Whether she needs to be on it long term or not will depend on her response, but in the short term, medications may help her relax to start enjoying her life again. Your veterinarian can help you with anti-anxiety medication for her. I hope that everything goes well.
March 8, 2018
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Yorkie mix
Buster
7 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Shaking
Seperation Anxiety
Self Injures
My dog is very relaxed, great with kids, likes to sleep a lot and is otherwise a good dog. But, when he's alone in the kennel he'll poop, and pee, and injure himself trying to break free. This last time he ate his poop as well. He is an older dog who was given to us by his previous owner. I'm trying not to have to give him up but according to the humane society he is unadoptable.
March 5, 2018
0 Recommendations
There is no quick fix to prevent a dog from injuring themselves or displaying unusual behaviour when stressed, it is likely that the crate is making Buster stressed leading to the behaviour. The quick answer would be to not crate him and instead leave him in a small room where he has more space and may be comfortable; for this level of extreme anxiety I would recommend visiting a Behaviourist. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
March 5, 2018
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pitbull
Gronk
8 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Growling
Growling, Biting
Rescue dog suddenly attacked me. He doesn't have enough teeth to cause any real damage. It startled me, but I wasn't really frightened. I don't want to give up on this dog. He doesn't show any of the symptoms of anxiety that are listed, other than he wants to be in my lap when he is inside, smiling the entire time. He is not an all weather dog and doesn't like to be outside when the weather is bad, but the second attack occurred when it was raining and he was the one who initiated going inside. I have owned dogs all my life and have never run into this problem. I cannot stress enough, I WANT TO HELP THIS DOG.
March 2, 2018
0 Recommendations
If Gronk is attacking you, you need to really seek some professional help from a Behaviourist since the size and weight of a Pitbull can make traditional methods of training difficult; it isn’t that he is growling or anything else it is the physical attacking which is concerning me. You should first visit your Veterinarian to ensure that Gronk is otherwise healthy before looking into behavioural training, I don’t want to give any advice over email as I cannot guide you in person and don’t want you to get hurt. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
March 2, 2018
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Labrador Retriever
benelli
6 Months
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Fear, Anxiety
Is it possible for a dog to have separation anxiety after not seeing a specific child, to lead to her being scared of kids? I have a 6 month old lab who was fine with kids, happy and playful including to my nephew, until about 2 months ago. Nothing has happened to traumatize her that I know of, other than her not seeing my nephew in about 2 months. When kids are around she will run and try to stay away from them, showing signs of being scared. Until my nephew came around again and she was ok, he would play and she would just randomly go lick him and walk near him showing no signs of fear.
Feb. 22, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
1 Recommendations
Thank you for your email. WIthout seeing Beneli's behavior or assessing her, I can't comment on what might be going on with her, as behavior can be a very complicated process to figure out. May dogs are fearful of children, as they tend to be loud and unpredictable. Because she is showing these signs as a young puppy, now would be a good time to get the help of a trainer to help her become better adjusted and less fearful.
Feb. 22, 2018
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Dorkie
Macy
7 Months
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Anxiety
I rescued a dorkie when she was 5 months old. She is so anxious, she won’t come to anyone except my one daughter. She barks at everyone when they move, talk, etc. She barely eats. She growls at anyone who goes near her, she has been like this since we got her, she is now 7 months old. She also rolls over and pees on herself. I tried the thunder shirt and it did not work. Please help, we love her and want her to feel better.
Feb. 22, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your email. Without knowing what kind of socialization Macy received as a baby, you are dealing with unknown variables. She has been nervous since you adopted her, so to expect her to miraculously change is unreasonable. She needs some behavioral training. She is young, so should be very adaptable to positive training. It would be best to get the help of a trainer to determine what her underlying issues are and teach your family how to positively interact with her. Your veterinarian will be able to guide you to a good trainer so that Macy can become a well adapted adult dog. I hope that all goes well with her.
Feb. 22, 2018
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Extreme Fear and Anxiety Average Cost
From 60 quotes ranging from $200 - $1,500
Average Cost
$300
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