Anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and specific phobias affect an estimated 70%+ of dogs with at least one anxiety-related behavior, representing the most pervasive welfare concern in companion animals.
The scale of canine anxiety - affecting a majority of dogs at some level - means that understanding and addressing anxiety is the central welfare challenge in companion animal medicine. The chronic nature of anxiety disorders means affected dogs spend their daily lives in states of elevated fear, vigilance, and physiological stress that impair both subjective wellbeing and physical health. The underdiagnosis problem compounds welfare impact: dogs managed with punishment for anxiety-driven behaviors experience both the original anxiety and the added harm of aversive handling that worsens anxiety over time. Welfare-centered canine care treats behavioral signs of anxiety as medical symptoms requiring diagnosis and treatment rather than behavioral failures requiring correction.