Traumatic Experiences and Anxiety in Dogs

The effect of trauma is more widely understood in humans, and it can be surprising to think dogs can suffer from lifelong effects of trauma too. While their brains may not function in exactly the same way as humans, traumatic experiences which involve high levels of stress and fear, can have lasting impacts.

Many dogs struggle with anxiety-related issues in various situations, including separation anxiety, anxiety in social situations, or anxiety when being handled. It’s a very common behavioural symptom!

When a dog struggles with anxiety or lacks experience in certain situations, a method of gentle exposure and desensitisation often helps them to gradually gain confidence.

However, when a dog is dealing with a more severe trauma response or when they have experienced high-stress and anxiety for long periods of time, this approach alone is unlikely to be enough.

When the anxiety is more extreme, stress levels remain high, or the dog has a very low tolerance to stress, then traditional counterconditioning methods can backfire more easily. This can lead to overexposure and re-triggering of traumatic responses. In these individuals, the nervous system is on high alert, and even small, seemingly unrelated stimuli can trigger deep-rooted fear. It could be likened to a PTSD response in humans.

In these cases, the dog may not be able to disengage or show stress relief on their own. Their ability to bounce back is impaired, and they may remain stuck in a heightened state of anxiety. This can make it much more difficult to apply behavioural modification techniques successfully.

Common Causes of Trauma in Dogs

Anxiety in dogs can be triggered by many things, and each dog can be affected differently by their experiences. Some will go through incredibly traumatic events completely unaffected, while others may experience something that appears relatively insignificant but be left with lasting anxiety. Some common causes can include:

• Sudden relocation (e.g. transport to a new country)

• Threats to life or safety, including dog attacks or abuse

• Loud or unpredictable noises, such as fireworks

• Seemingly minor incidents that feel traumatic to the dog

• Negative early experiences, especially during sensitive puppy phases

Young puppies are especially vulnerable to one-trial learning, where one bad experience can shape their future response. Mild, positive exposure to various stressors during their first 16 weeks of life can help reduce this risk.

Breed Sensitivities and Fear Stages

Some individuals are more sensitive to stress and prone to anxiety due to their genetic background. They may have lower tolerance to stress, less ability to recover from scary events, or higher sensitivity to fear-inducing stimuli.

Being aware of fear stages in puppy development is important too. These are periods of time in which fear responses are heightened, designed to teach dogs what is or isn’t safe, but during this time harmless stimuli may inadvertently trigger extreme fear. These phases typically occur around 8-16 weeks when puppies experience a fear imprint stage, and traumatic experiences in this time can increase the risk of higher sensitivity to fear and anxiety later in life. Secondary fear stages occur during adolescence, anywhere between 6 to 18 months, and are typically characterised by sudden spookiness and fear around previously innocuous stimuli or events. 

During fear stages, it’s best to limit exposure to stressful situations and focus on safety and predictability because any repeated exposure to the fear-inducing stimuli is much more likely to result in lasting trauma.

Mapping Triggers

A key part of supporting a dog with anxiety is identifying primary and secondary triggers.

• Primary triggers are usually obvious and closely connected to the cause of trauma, such as the car after a traumatic experience occurred, loud bangs like fireworks, or the vet consulting room after a stressful visit.

• Secondary triggers are subtler but equally important, they will be associated in some way to the primary triggers but may not be immediately obvious to us. It may take time to establish all secondary triggers because they may seem completely unrelated, but to the dog they will form a connection to the primary trigger.

It’s important to start with the least triggering stimuli (often the secondary ones), and be aware of all possible primary and secondary triggers in order to manage exposure throughout the training process.

Examples of common primary triggers and their possible secondary triggers

Before jumping into training, a dog with anxiety needs a stable foundation to allow for stress to reduce. This includes:

• A trigger-free environment as much as possible.

• Predictable routines for feeding, walking, and rest.

• Focus on rest and stress relieving activities.

• Reintroducing fun, safe activities to rebuild confidence.

This may require lifestyle changes to reduce unpredictability and avoid further triggers. With any anxiety-related issues, simply working on the specific trigger points won’t be enough. To overcome anxiety, it requires a whole combination of factors to bring the dog into a more stable mental state, allowing new associations and skills to be learnt and developed.

Veterinary Support

Chronic pain often plays a role in anxiety, especially if trauma has affected a dog’s posture or movement. The dog may have experienced physical injury during a traumatic experience which leaves a lasting pain association, additionally, long-term stress and anxiety can cause increased tension in the body which can lead to pain and discomfort.

Investigating and treating underlying pain is essential, otherwise each moment of anxiety and stress is likely to trigger a pain response which adds further to the negative emotions and associations.

Some anxiety cases may benefit from behavioural medication, especially during exposure training and to aid stress reduction. Not every dog will need it, but for complex cases, medication can help reduce the intensity of fear responses and create space for learning. Behavioural medication is never a replacement for training and management, but used in combination it can be beneficial to aid progress.

Training with Anxiety

When a dog is in a lower stress state, start with extremely low-level triggers and things they can comfortably handle. The goal is to build positive associations, not to push them to face their fears. When working with anxiety, the risk of triggering fear is high and responses can be complex so each individual is likely to need a specific plan of training and close monitoring to ensure stress levels remain low and fear responses aren’t occurring.

Less is more with anxiety. Always prioritise the dog’s emotional state over training goals and avoid pushing them too far. Keeping sessions short is important and following all sessions with time to decompress and engage in stress-relieving activities can help to avoid anxiety responses from being triggered.

With this type of behavioural work, doing too much can cause more harm than good. There’s a temptation to do as much as possible and dedicate time every day to training around triggers, however this often isn’t the best approach. Balance is key:

• Short sessions are best. Avoid overexposure and high-stress.

• Vary exposure even during progression, sometimes return to low exposure and don’t always progress linearly with increased exposure in each session.

• Take plenty of breaks to prioritise low stress activities which your dog enjoys. This includes having days or weeks with no exposure training!

• Be consistent in your approach and build as much predictability as possible in all areas of your dog’s life.

Tracking Progress

Progress with anxiety is rarely linear and setbacks are often part of the journey. Don’t hesitate to take a step back, take a break and stop the training for a while if needed. The journey can be emotionally and mentally draining so if you need a break, that’s okay too!

Monitor and record any observations to help see where your dog is progressing or struggling:

• Frequency of fear-based behaviours.

• Intensity of reactions.

• How quickly the dog recovers.

Behaviour doesn’t change in the moment of reactivity, it changes through consistent work at lower thresholds, when the dog is calm and able to learn. While reactions may still happen, always remember to reflect on this and think about the frequency, intensity, and recovery. This will tell you a lot about how your dog is doing with the training.

Recovery Takes Time

One of the hardest truths is accepting that a dog may never return to who they were before the trauma, and it may always influence your life together. That loss can feel like grief if you’ve witnessed your dog change following a traumatic experience, or if you’re learning to accept that your dog will never be able to do all the things you imagined when you got them. The goal becomes helping the dog remain calmer and less stressed, rather than expecting a complete change of behaviour.

Final Thoughts

Working with dogs with anxiety is as much about patience as it is about skill. Some may never fully recover from their trauma, but with the right support, they can still live happy, low-stress lives.

As someone who lives with a dog with anxiety following a traumatic car journey at a young age, I have been on a journey of ups and downs trying to understand her behaviour and working out how to help her. I look back with many regrets but I also know it has taught me so much. Nothing will erase those regrets, and I’ll always have to make compromises to accommodate her anxiety triggers.

However, I’ve seen how careful training and management, and my own acceptance of her ‘limitations’ can lead to positive improvements. She lives a happy, low-stress life and she’s generally a confident, well-rounded dog, but I know her limits and I avoid situations which trigger her extreme anxiety. I used to be weighed down by the constant goal of ‘fixing’ her, but learning to let that goal go turned out to be an important step in helping her to progress.

At The Hound Spot, we specialise in helping anxious and fearful dogs. Whether your dog struggles in specific situations or shows more generalised anxiety, we are here to help and support you. Get in touch with us today to find out more.