Dog Anxiety
Profile

A structured, research-informed assessment tool to understand your dog's anxiety patterns

C-BARQ · UPenn Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale Salonen et al. 2020 · Helsinki

How to Complete This Assessment

This tool uses a 0–4 scoring scale throughout. Please read each question carefully and select the number that best reflects your dog's typical behaviour.

  • Think about typical behaviour over the past 4 weeks, not a one-off episode.
  • Answer every question. A score of 0 (Never) is a valid and important response.
  • Use the scale beneath each question and tap or click the number that best applies.
0Never /
Not at all
1Rarely /
Mildly
2Sometimes /
Moderately
3Often /
Strongly
4Always /
Extremely
0 of 25 questions answered
A

Social & Environmental Awareness

Rate how frequently the described response occurs in typical everyday situations outside the home and in unfamiliar circumstances.

Frequency scale for this section: 0 = Never  |  1 = Rarely (1–2×/month)  |  2 = Sometimes (weekly)  |  3 = Often (most days)  |  4 = Always (daily)

Q1
When your dog encounters an unfamiliar object on a walk — a parked bicycle, traffic cone, bin bag, large rock — how often do they freeze, back away, bark, or refuse to approach it?
Q2
How often does your dog startle at sounds that are part of normal daily life — a car door, a dropped object, someone coughing or sneezing nearby? Not fireworks or thunder, but everyday, low-level sounds that would not alarm most dogs.
Q3
When an unfamiliar person approaches your dog in an outdoor setting, how often does your dog retreat, hide behind you, or show clear reluctance to be greeted? Consider both on-lead and off-lead encounters. A dog who merely pauses before greeting scores lower than one who consistently backs away.
Q4
How often does your dog scan the environment constantly while out on a walk — ears forward, body taut, alert to everything — rather than moving loosely and calmly? Persistent vigilance lasting most of the walk is more significant than occasional alertness to something genuinely interesting.
Q5
When at home and exposed to sounds from outside — traffic, neighbours, other dogs, delivery vehicles — how often does your dog react with sustained alertness, pacing, or repeated barking? Brief reactions are normal and expected. Sustained responses lasting several minutes, or reactions to sounds that repeat daily, are more significant.
B

Separation & Attachment Behaviour

These questions explore how your dog manages being separated from people, or the anticipation of being left. Rate how frequently the described behaviour occurs.

Frequency scale: 0 = Never  |  1 = Rarely (1–2×/month)  |  2 = Sometimes (weekly)  |  3 = Often (most days)  |  4 = Always (daily)

Q6
How often does your dog follow you from room to room throughout the day, staying very close even when you are seated or stationary? Occasional following is normal dog behaviour. This question is about persistent, almost constant shadowing throughout the day.
Q7
How often does your dog show signs of distress as you prepare to leave the house — pacing, whining, watching your movements intently, or becoming unsettled as you pick up keys or put on a coat? Pre-departure anxiety often appears before the owner has left. Even subtle tension or clingy behaviour at this point is significant.
Q8
Based on what you observe when you return home, how often does your dog appear to have been unsettled during your absence — evidence of vocalisation, destruction, elimination, or reports from neighbours? Destruction near exits or soiling in an otherwise house-trained dog are particularly significant.
Q9
How often does your dog find it genuinely difficult to settle independently — needing to be in physical contact with a person, or becoming restless and repeatedly seeking attention? A dog who enjoys company but can also rest independently scores lower than one who cannot self-settle without physical proximity.
Q10
How often does your dog show an unusually intense or prolonged greeting when you return home — jumping, circling, vocalising, or mouthing — that takes several minutes to settle down from? An overly intense greeting can indicate that accumulated anxiety during absence has been released. Compare to greetings after very short absences.
C

Sensory Sensitivity & Reactivity

These questions look at how your dog's nervous system responds to sensory input — sounds, new environments, touch, and unfamiliar surfaces. For this section, rate the intensity of the reaction rather than the frequency.

Intensity scale: 0 = Not at all  |  1 = Mildly  |  2 = Moderately  |  3 = Strongly  |  4 = Extremely

Q11
When exposed to loud or sudden noises — fireworks, thunder, a car backfiring, a smoke alarm — how intensely does your dog react? Mild startle or brief pause = low score. Trembling, hiding, panting, bolting, or being unable to settle for hours = high score.
Q12
How intensely does your dog react when introduced to an entirely unfamiliar environment for the first time — a new house, a new park, a waiting room? Rate how long they take to relax and begin exploring normally. A dog that investigates within minutes scores lower than one that remains tense for the entire visit.
Q13
How intensely does your dog react to being touched or handled in sensitive areas — feet, ears, mouth, or belly — during grooming or veterinary examination? Some mild resistance is normal. Significant struggling, flinching, snapping, or shutting down indicates higher sensitivity.
Q14
How intensely does your dog react to unfamiliar surfaces — slippery floors, metal grates, gravel, sand, water, or uneven terrain — with hesitation, refusal, or visible distress? Surface sensitivity is a recognised anxiety indicator in canine behavioural research and is particularly common in certain breeds.
Q15
How intensely does your dog react to unfamiliar dogs approaching them in public, including dogs that are behaving in a friendly, appropriate manner? Rate the intensity of their response: freezing, cowering, excessive appeasement, lunging, or barking when the approaching dog is not threatening.
D

Physical Stress Signals

These questions focus on physical and behavioural signals that are commonly missed — the early indicators of internal stress that appear well before more obvious anxiety. Rate how frequently the described behaviour occurs.

Frequency scale: 0 = Never  |  1 = Rarely (1–2×/month)  |  2 = Sometimes (weekly)  |  3 = Often (most days)  |  4 = Always (daily)

Q16
How often does your dog lick their lips, yawn repeatedly, or shake off when not wet or warm — particularly in situations involving mild pressure, meeting new people, or any change in routine? These are calming signals: displacement behaviours used to manage internal stress. They are not signs of fatigue or thirst in this context.
Q17
How often does your dog pant, drool, or appear physically tense in situations that do not involve exercise, heat, or illness? Panting at rest in the car, in the vet waiting room, before visitors arrive, or during any low-pressure social interaction is particularly significant.
Q18
How often does your dog engage in repetitive behaviours that appear driven or compulsive — for example licking the same patch of skin, pacing a fixed route, spinning, or staring fixedly at lights, reflections, or shadows? Occasional sniffing or circling before lying down is normal. Persistent, hard-to-interrupt repetition is more significant.
Q19
How often does your dog have accidents indoors (urination or defecation) in situations not related to age, illness, incomplete training, or simply being left too long? This is stress-related elimination, particularly significant in dogs who are otherwise reliable, especially during owner absence or following an anxiety-provoking event.
Q20
How often does your dog carry physical tension in their body — a furrowed brow, tight jaw, whale eye (whites of the eyes visible), raised hackles, or a posture that is stiff rather than loose and relaxed? Compare your dog's body at their most relaxed to their posture in situations involving any mild pressure or change.
E

Subtle Indicators

The following statements describe subtle indicators that frequently go unrecognised as anxiety. For this section, use the agreement scale to rate how well each statement describes your dog.

Agreement scale: 0 = Never/Strongly disagree  |  1 = Rarely/Disagree  |  2 = Sometimes/Neutral  |  3 = Often/Agree  |  4 = Always/Strongly agree

Q21
My dog frequently turns their head away but keeps watching from the corner of their eye when approached by a new person or an unfamiliar dog. Whale eye, where the whites of the eyes become visible, is an appeasement signal commonly dismissed as a cute or comical expression.
Q22
My dog raises one front paw slightly when uncertain, when being handled, or when placed in any mildly uncomfortable situation. Paw lifting is a freeze or appeasement signal. It is frequently mistaken for a learned trick or a sign of excitement.
Q23
My dog rarely appears fully, loosely relaxed — there is almost always a low level of alertness or vigilance present, even when at home in a familiar environment. A chronically vigilant dog who cannot truly rest is one whose nervous system is working harder than it should need to.
Q24
My dog appears to absorb the emotional atmosphere of the household, becoming visibly unsettled when people around them are stressed, rushing, arguing, or in conflict. Emotional contagion is particularly pronounced in breeds that have been selectively bred for close human attachment over many generations.
Q25
Looking back at photos or videos of my dog in various situations, I can see tension in their facial expression or body posture that I did not consciously notice at the time. Many dog owners report this retrospective awareness after learning to read canine calming signals and body language — it is a meaningful observation.
Please answer all 25 questions before viewing your results.

All 25 questions must be answered. Scores are calculated automatically.

Canine Anxiety Profile

Your Dog's Results

Completed assessment ·

Overall Anxiety Score
Sum of all 5 sections (max 100)
—
—

How to Interpret Your Scores

Each section is scored out of 20 (5 questions × 4 maximum). The bands below apply both to individual section scores and to the overall total (scaled per section below).

0–4
MINIMAL 		Your dog shows few current anxiety indicators in this area. Keep doing what you're doing — enrichment, routine, and positive experiences all contribute to long-term resilience. Revisit this assessment in six months.
5–9
MILD 		There are early indicators present and this is the ideal time to begin gentle, structured support before patterns become established. Explore the relevant guide for this section and consider the full Dog Anxiety Guide as a comprehensive starting point.
10–14
MODERATE 		There is noticeable anxiety in this area. Your dog would benefit from a structured support approach. The full Dog Anxiety Guide and the specific section guide below are both recommended.
15–20
SIGNIFICANT 		Significant anxiety is present. Please seek professional support alongside self-help measures. A certified clinical animal behaviourist or veterinary behaviourist can create a tailored treatment plan. Your dog's welfare is the priority.
This assessment tool draws on principles from validated canine behavioural research including the C-BARQ (Hsu & Serpell, 2003, University of Pennsylvania, used in 70+ published studies), the Lincoln Canine Anxiety Scale (Mills et al., 2020, University of Lincoln), and the landmark breed anxiety study Salonen et al. (2020, University of Helsinki). It is an educational tool for dog owners and does not constitute veterinary or clinical behavioural advice. Always consult a qualified professional for diagnosis and treatment.