Supporting Anxious Dogs: Why behaviour change takes time and where our supplements fit in

Reviewed by Nico Joiner

Written by the Omni Editorial Team

When a dog is anxious, overwhelmed or struggling to cope, it’s completely understandable to want something that helps now. Many guardians feel pressure to “fix” the problem quickly, especially when behaviour is affecting daily life.

Securing behaviour change doesn’t happen overnight. Fully supporting anxious dogs means understanding how learning works, what stress does to the brain, and what different tools are actually designed to support.

This is where behaviour plans and our Stress and Anxiety supplements can work together!

Behaviour and Emotion change is a process, not a switch

Anxiety isn’t a behaviour, it’s an emotional state. The behaviours we see (barking, pacing, reactivity, freezing, destructiveness, withdrawal) are expressions of how our dog is feeling.

From a learning perspective:

• Dogs learn how best to feel safe and regulate their emotions
• These are Coping Strategies and we know, they don’t always fit well within our daily lives (e.g. destructiveness)
• Repeated exposure to fear without support can strengthen anxious responses, not reduce them
• Remaining at levels of high stress affects their ability to process new information

Research consistently shows that chronic stress impairs learning, emotional regulation and behavioural flexibility (Sapolsky, 2004; LeDoux, 2015).

This is why good behaviour plans:

• should progress gradually
• work at a level where our dog feels content
• focus on emotional change, not just the behaviour
• require time, repetition and consistency;

There is no shortcut around this - but there are ways to make the process kinder and more effective.

What Stress Does to the Nervous System

When a dog perceives a threat or feelings of being overwhelmed, their nervous system can begin to shift into survival mode.

This involves:

• activation of the sympathetic nervous system
• release of stress hormones such as cortisol
• heightened vigilance and reduced capacity for learning

Long-term or repeated activation of this stress response can lead to:

• lower frustration tolerance
• increased reactivity
• difficulty settling
• slower progress in training and behaviour modification

Studies in both humans and animals show that elevated stress hormones negatively affect learning and memory formation, particularly for new, adaptive behaviours (McEwen & Sapolsky, 1995; Joëls et al., 2006).

In simple terms:
A dog who is constantly “on edge” finds it much harder to learn calm behaviour.

Where Supplements Can Help (and Where They Don’t)

This is where calming supplements can play a supportive role - when used appropriately.

What supplements can support

The ingredients in our Stress and Anxiety supplements are selected because they are associated with:

• supporting nervous system regulation
• helping to maintain emotional balance
• reducing baseline arousal levels
• supporting neurotransmitter pathways linked to calm behaviour

These effects are supportive, not suppressive. They do not sedate the dog or override fear responses — which is why they are best paired with training and behaviour work.

What supplements cannot do

Supplements do not:

• fix behaviour on their own
• replace training or behaviour modification
• resolve fear responses without careful exposure and learning
• remove the need for environmental or routine changes

And they shouldn’t be presented that way.

The most accurate way to think about supplements is this:

They can help lower the background “noise” of stress, making it easier for dogs to engage with learning and coping strategies.

Supplements and Behaviour Plans working together

Evidence from veterinary behavioural medicine consistently shows that multi-modal approaches are more effective for anxiety-related behaviour than single interventions alone.

This includes:

• behaviour modification
• environmental management
• enrichment
• routine predictability

When baseline arousal is lower:

• dogs recover from stress more quickly
• learning happens more efficiently
• emotional responses are easier to reshape
• welfare outcomes improve

Therefore, our supplements are most effective when they are used consistently and introduced alongside a tailored and structured behaviour plan.

It takes time… and that’s Okay!

Anxiety develops over time, often through:

• genetics
• early experiences
• repeated stressors
• lack of predictability or control

It’s unrealistic to expect it to disappear instantly. Behaviour change involves:

• creating new, positive associations
• teaching and encouraging alternative coping strategies
• strengthening resilience through practice, practice, practice

Research on behaviour modification confirms that gradual, low-stress exposure paired with positive outcomes leads to more durable emotional change than flooding or suppression (Bouton, 2007).

Change taking time isn’t a failure of the plan - it is the plan.

In Summary

• Supplements don’t change behaviour - they support the dog’s ability to cope
• Behaviour plans don’t work instantly - they work through time and learning
• The most effective support considers both the brain and the behaviour

It is time to start asking “What will help this dog cope while they learn?” and not “How do I stop this?”

References

Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. Holt Paperbacks.
McEwen, B. S., & Sapolsky, R. M. (1995). Stress and cognitive function. Current Opinion in Neurobiology.
Joëls, M., et al. (2006). Learning under stress: how does it work? Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
LeDoux, J. (2015). Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety.
Overall, K. L. (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats.
Landsberg, G., Hunthausen, W., & Ackerman, L. (2015). Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat.
Bouton, M. E. (2007). Learning and behavior: A contemporary synthesis.