Mental Health & Illness in Dogs and 6 Ways to Help Improve it | Pupford
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As a society, we’ve come a long way when it comes to mental health. While unfortunately more people are suffering from mental health issues than ever, we’re doing a great job of talking about the importance of taking care of our mental health.
It’s time we extend that conversation about mental illness and challenges to our dogs! After all, they have undergone tremendous changes in their lives alongside us over the past few years. Think of how the pandemic disrupted your daily routines and mindset – there’s a good chance your dog was impacted too.
So let’s talk about mental health in dogs. More specifically, we’ll cover:
- Common mental health issues in dogs
- Causes of mental health issues in dogs
- Signs of mental distress in dogs
- How to help a dog struggling with a mental health issue
- When to get professional help for your dog
COMMON MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES & ILLNESS IN DOGS

Did you know that dogs experience some similar mental health conditions to humans? The difference is how they process their condition and what behaviors follow.
Let’s take a closer look at the three most common mental health issues in dogs. ⤵️
1. ANXIETY IN DOGS
Just like humans, dogs can experience anxiety for different reasons. Sometimes they develop anxiety from a disruption in routine, separation, or traumatic experiences. Anxious dogs might experience:
- Excessive licking
- Timid behavior
- Excessive yawning
- Pacing
- Trembling
- Whimpering
- Trouble settling down
- Changes in eating or drinking habits
Related Reading - Dog PTSD Guide: Symptoms, Treatment & Why It Happens
2. DEPRESSION
While experts still aren’t sure if dogs’ brain chemistry reacts exactly how ours do during an episode of depression, we do know they can experience an overwhelming sadness that presents similarly to human depression.
Dogs suffering from depression (even seasonal depression) may experience:
- Appetite loss
- Energy loss/lethargy
- Change in sleep habits
- Avoiding playing, social interaction, and other activities they enjoy
3. COMPULSIVE BEHAVIORS
While dogs don’t necessarily experience Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) since they don’t have obsessive thoughts per se, they can display compulsive behaviors.
The key here is compulsive. It’s completely normal for your dog to bark, lick, chew, etc. as they’re instinctive to your dog. But it could be an issue when they do it consistently and can’t seem to stop.
Compulsive behaviors can potentially be dangerous. Licking, for example, can cause skin injuries while chewing can result in your dog swallowing something toxic.
These behaviors typically start as a way to soothe themselves during something uncomfortable (like a thunderstorm or injury) so they continue to seek comfort in the behavior.
CAUSES OF MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN DOGS

While mental health struggles – human or canine – are highly personalized, there are some general explanations when it comes to your dog’s anxiety, depression, or compulsive behavior.
Typically, mental health issues for dogs stem from abrupt significant life changes and/or traumatic events like:
- Moving to a different house
- Loss of a family member due to death, divorce, or moving out
- Addition of a new family member, human or animal (PS- learn about introducing a new baby to your dog here)
- Shifts in routine
- Fight/attack from another dog
- Accident, abuse, or disaster
- Illness and/or physical pain
So if your dog has recently experienced any of these or similar events, pay close attention to their behavior and look for signs of mental distress.
SIGNS OF MENTAL DISTRESS IN DOGS
Whether your dog has recently gone through a major life event or not, it’s important to know the signs of mental distress in dogs. Knowing the signs of anxiety, depression, and stress can help you intervene early and make things better for your dog.
Here are the common signs of distress and/or mental illness in dogs:
- Changes in appetite and eating patterns
- Attention seeking
- Withdrawal from activities and social settings
- Inability to relax
- Compulsive behaviors
- Showing the whites of their eyes during interactions
- Significant posture, body language, and behavior changes
Remember, any behavior change that interferes with daily routines or interactions warrants attention!
HOW TO HELP A DOG STRUGGLING WITH A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE

Nobody wants to see their dog suffer. The good news is there are things you can do as a dog parent to help your dog when they’re struggling with these issues.
- Observe your dog often - The best way to know when something’s wrong with your dog is to know their normal behavior inside and out. Learn their body language and routines so you can easily spot any of the signs of distress we discussed before. We have a Basics of Dog Body Language guide that can help you.
- Provide enough exercise - Exercise gives your dog a positive outlet and can help reduce the “problem” behaviors that come along with mental health issues. Try to include a mix of walks, nature hikes, indoor games, and outdoor adventures to get the most benefit.
- Provide mental enrichment - Anxiety and compulsive behaviors thrive when your dog is bored. Providing sufficient mental enrichment through nose work, puzzle games, and enrichment toys can tap into your dog’s natural instincts in a productive way – leaving them satisfied and tired. Check out this video on mental enrichment activities to do with your dog.
- Give your dog space when they need it - It’s tempting to smother your dog with attention and physical touch when you see them suffering. But that can make an anxious dog more anxious. A great strategy here is to have a crate or other dedicated area where your dog knows they can go to “switch off” and relax undisturbed when they need to unwind.
- Give your dog their idea of comfort - If you want your dog to be happy, do what makes them happy! If your dog loves trail walks, find a new (safe and dog-friendly) trail for some exciting sites and smells. If your dog loves to chew, consider getting them a new dog chew variety or chew toy. If your dog loves to chase, make sure to schedule regular fetch appointments – you get the idea here.
- Know when you need more help - Just like humans, sometimes dogs need the help of a professional. And. That. Is. Okay. It does not make you a bad dog parent if you need to reach out to a dog trainer/behaviorist or veterinarian. If your dog’s mental health issue is causing them to be very destructive, put themselves in harm’s way, or causing injury (like excessive licking/biting), reach out to a professional sooner rather than later. That way you can address the immediate issues while creating a plan to tackle the bigger picture.
It may seem scary or discouraging to have your dog go through a mental health issue, but educating yourself on the causes, signs, and ways to help is so important!
While we can do things to help our dogs with their mental health, they also help us so much!
RECAP OF MENTAL HEALTH & DOGS
As we've laid out, dogs can experience mental health issues and illnesses similar to humans. While there is still much to learn about our dog's mental health, dogs can experience things like depression, anxiety, and compulsive behaviors.
Some of the best ways to improve our dog's mental health are to establish good routines, provide adequate mental enrichment, and ensure your dog has enough physical exercise.
Have you ever had an experience with anxiety, depression, or compulsive behavior in your dog? If so, let us know what helped them in the comments!
And on a similar note, if you're feeling guilt about your dog's mental health, be sure to check out our dog mom (and dad) guilt article here.
20 comments
Leave a CommentI certainly am no expert and have been working for 6 months with my reactive rescue boy about 21/2 years old. I did not take him anywhere for the first 3 months. When he was totally trusting of me, we ventured for rides even though he barked and we overcame that hurdle in time.. Then we sat in busy parking lots with the hatch open and me sitting with him. When people went by I distracted him with treats and later rewarded him for being calm. Same with sitting on a bench when people walked by. We still haven’t figured out other dogs yet. All I can say is baby steps, treats and LOTS of patience.
We love this comment, thank you, Pam!
Sheri, when you adopted Willie were you aware of these behaviors? I have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Gucci, who just turned two years and she shows some of the behaviors Willie does. During the past year I’ve gone through several life changes. I believe in clicker training or a marker word and reward. I’ve followed Zak’s training sessions, read several other books on positive reinforcement, following Mary Ray’s training advise in trick training and freestyle, agility, Treibball, and Flyball. Gucci doesn’t eat from a bowl, she loves snufflemats, Kongs, puzzle feeders, ‘hunting’ for her meals. She brings her ball to us to play fetch, knows ‘give it’ and ‘find it’. I’m constantly requiring an ‘automatic focus’. She loves to learn, but she still pulls on the leash during walks and I reward her when she doesn’t pull. She’s prey driven and reactive by everything, insects, birds, squirrels, passing vehicles, when my cellphone rings, etc. So I start to regain her focus by sitting on the ground, food in my hand, taking it from her eyes to mine and it’s a struggle. She excels when I’m consistent with her training. I’ve taken her once to a training class, but there were just too many distractions. Gucci will bark at passing vehicles and people when she rides in the car. I’ve tried putting her in a cage covered up except for the front, I have a Pupford freedom harness and have attached her to the seat using an extender clipped into the seatbelt, but she just gets all tangled up. I’m looking a restraints to use in the car. My advice would be to ‘seatbelt’ Willie while he’s traveling in your car. As George Zak would say train Willie in an environment with absolutely no distractions. Just you and Willie to build up trust. I live in a remote and secluded area surrounded by trees. Our walks are down a gravel road. I’ve decided that I’ve enough knowledge to train Gucci myself. Sometimes during our training sessions, I think that Gucci can read my mind and anticipates what I want her to do. I believe that Pupford has a Facebook site. I hope that I’ve given you hope and encouragement. Do you have the Pupford app?
Thank you for the idea, Beth!
I have a French Bulldog rescue named Willie. He is 19 months old. When I got him he had been through some trauma (I am his third home). He expresses anger when anyone gets near me. He barks at people and acts like he wants to attack them when we go for walks. He will attack other dogs so dog parks are out. If I have him in the car with me and if I go to get fast food, I have to hold him back from climbing on my so he can bark at the person giving me my food.
If I am in a parking lot, he barks excessively at passerby’s. If absolutely awful what I go through with this little boy. I love him so much and it’s not his fault he’s this way. I can’t even take him to a vet because he’s just so out of control! To get him any sort of help is going to be so expensive and I just can’t afford it. This is not a life for him and I wish so much that he can get help. His ver said that sometimes dogs like Willie don’t get better even with help and they eventually have to be put to sleep. It’s broken my heart to see him like this.