Is Your Dog Anxious? Here’s How to Help

If you’ve ever seen a dog hide during a thunderstorm or bark at fireworks, you know anxiety isn’t limited to us humans. In fact, a 2026 study found that more than 84% of the dogs researchers followed showed signs of fear and anxiety.

The biggest difference between anxiety in humans versus dogs is that dogs are anxious about what is happening in the present, explains veterinarian Rachel Cocchiaro, D.V.M., of Bahama Veterinary Medical Center.

“For example, they can be anxious about sounds such as thunderstorms and fireworks, being left alone, driving in a car, or other dogs,” says Cocchiaro. “Unlike people, they don’t worry about what might happen tomorrow or what happened yesterday. However, previous negative experiences with storms or other dogs can certainly exacerbate future reactions.”

Anxiety can even be rooted in a dog’s DNA. “Some dogs are just more likely to be anxious due to their genetic makeup,” says Cocchiaro. “Certain breeds are more likely to be anxious than other breeds.”

That said, she emphasizes that how a dog is raised can also play a big role in its anxious tendencies, so both nature and nurture are involved. “Dogs that are heavily socialized as puppies often are more adaptable to new situations and experience less anxiety,” she says.

Dogs can experience generalized anxiety disorder, but this nervousness can also manifest as situational anxiety, fear aggression, resource guarding, sound phobias, car sickness, and separation anxiety, explains Cocchiaro.

Watch for signs that your dog might be struggling with anxiety; these include panting (regardless of temperature or activity level), pinned back ears, tucked tails, and shaking.

You won’t be able to protect your anxious pup from every triggering situation, so knowing how to plan for, spot, and combat your dog’s anxiety can help ease your worries and calm their nervous system, too.

There are a handful of very common triggers or environments that can bring on a dog’s anxiety. Here’s what you can do to calm their nerves.

Other Dogs

Dogs can often be anxious around other animals, which can show up in all sorts of ways—from timidness or shaking to reactivity or aggression—according to Michelle Bailey, owner and canine behaviorist with Bark Busters Home Dog Training. This isn’t always obvious. Aggression can look like a stiff, frozen body, a hard stare, a high or rigid tail, a tail tucked between the hind legs, or pinned-back ears, adds Bailey.

Before you even head outside, you want to strengthen basic obedience skills, such as sit, down, or leave it. These basics, coupled with behavioral training, will help ease pressure on the dog and you in potentially triggering situations, she says. Ideally, work on these behavioral skills in a calm home environment. That way, the dog can connect these cues with the comfort of their home, even when they’re not there.

Here’s what to do in the moment to calm your dog’s nerves: “It’s important to always properly introduce two dogs,” says Bailey. “Never allow strange dogs to approach an anxious dog—on leash or off. You will always want to know the behavior and training level of the other dog.”

Also, don’t be afraid to redirect your pup before a situation becomes problematic.

“Waiting until your dog is barking and lunging means you are now trying to talk to a dog who cannot hear you,” says Bailey. The goal “is to spot the early body language, the freeze and the stare, and act at this point.”

You ideally want your dog to be as neutral and non-reactive as possible; think a dog “who sees another dog, glances at you, and simply carries on sniffing, and walks past with a loose body and loose leash,” says Bailey.

Thunderstorms

This is where a helpful product called the “Thundershirt” can come in. The canine clothing is meant to wrap tightly around their chest to provide the same warm-hug comfort a baby might get from a swaddle, explains Cocchiaro. This can be very calming for some dogs, she adds.

“Medications like Sileo, Xanax, or Trazodone can be very helpful for thunderstorm anxiety or noise phobias,” says Cocchiaro, noting that you should always consult your veterinarian to determine if medication is right for your pet.

Again, training is an excellent investment if your dog is anxious during storms or weather events, she says.

Separation Anxiety

If you see your dog pacing and whining every time you look at them on the indoor doggy monitor or you come back to a destroyed couch or closet, your pup could be struggling with separation anxiety.

“Get your dogs used to you coming and going while you’re home,” says Cocchiaro.

One approach is to condition a dog to be left alone longer by gradually adding minutes over time.

“If you only ever leave for eight hours and come back to a distressed dog, the dog is rehearsing panic every single day,” says Bailey. Instead, go out for shorter periods and make subsequent intervals a little longer each time. This also includes weekends.

“Keep a regular routine of alone time, even on days off,” she recommends. “Dogs thrive on predictability.”

When you do leave, consider giving them a special treat, which can be a welcome distraction for your pup, suggests Cocchiaro.

Lastly, try to avoid making a huge deal about returning home, she advises. “Guide them into believing that coming and going isn’t a big deal and like any other thing.”

Car Rides

Many dogs love to hop in the back seat and stick their head out of the window to feel the breeze, but not all pets have the same warm, fuzzy feelings about car rides.

If your dog is jittery or needs a lot of coaxing to get in the car, try practicing car rides ahead of time.

“Park the car in the driveway and open all of the doors,” explains Cocchiaro. “Put a yummy treat in the car and let them eat it. Let them come and go out of the car as they please.”

Once your dog is accustomed to this habit, you can try brief intervals with the car doors closed.

“This takes the car from a nice place to be to a place where the dog can relax with the world closed off, which is the piece most nervous dogs actually struggle with,” says Bailey. “Up to that point, the dog has an easy exit. Closing the door removes it, so we do that in tiny doses while everything else stays pleasant.”

Next, you can take very short trips just around the block, and “once they are more comfortable riding, take them to fun places like hiking in the woods or a dog park,” says Cocchiaro.

If every trip ends at the vet or the groomer, your dog begins to associate the car with somewhere scary, says Bailey. However, if “most trips end somewhere genuinely enjoyable—a trail, a quiet park, a beach, a walk in the woods, a friend's yard, or a coffee shop where the dog gets fussed over—the car becomes the start of good things.”

Ultimately, helping an anxious dog takes patience, preparation, and positive associations. Whatever the trigger may be, recognizing early signs of anxiety and gradually building your dog’s confidence can make stressful situations easier to manage. With consistent training, a predictable routine, and guidance from your veterinarian when needed, you can help your dog feel safer—and make life a little calmer for both of you.