These are the signs of fear and anxiety in dogs — often missed, or misinterpreted!
- Avoiding eye contact
- Barking
- Biting
- Blinking, squinting
- Clinging to owner
- Cowering
- Defecation
- Dilated pupils
- Dribbling urine/submissive urination
- Ears lowered or flattened
- Freezing or walking slowly
- Furrowed brows
- Growling
- Hardened eyes (direct stare with pupils dilated)
- Hiding
- Hypersalivation
- Hypervigilance
- Jumping and startling easy at slight changes. Hyper-alert state.
- Jumping up, hugging
- Licking lips
- Lifting one paw
- Lip curling
- Mouth closed tightly or pulled back
- Mouth pursued forward
- Mouthing
- Nails extended
- Nipping
- Pacing
- Panting
- Piloerection
- Rigid forward stance
- Running off
- Screaming
- Self grooming (scratching, licking self)
- Shaking off
- Shedding
- Slow motion moving
- Snapping
- Sniffing/appearing distracted
- Staring
- Sweaty paws
- Tail tucked
- Taking treats harder than usual, being more picky with treats or not take treats at all even if hungry.
- Trembling
- Turning away (C-shape)
- Turning head
- Whining
- Whiskers erected.
- Wide-eyed/Sclera showing
- Will not settle down and rest, or will for a moment, but back up and moving again.
- Won’t accept treats
- Yawning