• Unfamiliar dogs (2 questions)
• Unfamiliar noises, objects, or situations (3 questions)
• Grooming (nail trims and baths; 2 questions)
Key findings
The most common dog fears—according to the data
Fear of unfamiliar people: 22.3% of dogs showed at least mild to moderate anxiety when approached by or in contact with strangers.
Fear of unfamiliar dogs: 47.4% showed some level of anxiety or fear, making this the most prevalent fear category. Notably, 974 dogs were rated extremely fearful of unfamiliar dogs across both relevant questions.
Fear of unfamiliar noises, objects, or situations: 25.5% showed anxiety across at least 2 of the 3 questions. Noise fear was especially common, as 42.9% of dogs showed at least mild fear of sudden or loud sounds, with nearly 10% rated at the extreme level.
Grooming fear: 33% showed at least mild to moderate fear of nail trims or baths. Of those rated across both grooming questions, 683 dogs were classified as extremely fearful of both procedures.
Across all 9 questions, 91% of dogs (39,574 of 43,517) received at least 1 rating of mild to moderate fear or higher—a striking figure that underscores how pervasive anxiety-related behaviors are in the companion dog population. Only 3 dogs received extreme fear ratings on all 9 questions.
When grooming-related questions were excluded—on the grounds that grooming fear is a learned rather than instinctive behavior—the proportion of affected dogs dropped to 84%, with 59.7% of those dogs showing fear across multiple question types.
Clinical implications
Beaver notes that although prior studies from specialty behavior practices have reported general fearfulness in anywhere from 3.8% to 30.2% of canine cases, surveys of the general dog-owning public have suggested rates considerably higher—ranging from 44% to nearly 90% in some reports. The DAP data, with its large US sample and validated instrument, help provide a more grounded picture.
One important caveat: Owner perception significantly affects these estimates. A referenced comparison study of 427 dogs found that current pet owners reported higher rates of fear than owners who had relinquished their dogs, perhaps because current owners may be more tolerant of fearful behavior. This suggests that clinically significant anxiety in dogs may be underreported, particularly by owners who do not see the behavior as a problem requiring intervention.
INTERVIEW: Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB, CABC, on a new treatment for separation anxiety and noise aversion
Noise aversion and separation anxiety are 2 canine behavior conditions with treatments that include individual drug therapies. The FDA recently approved tasipimidine oral solution (Tessie; Orion Corporation) as the first product approved by the agency for the treatment of both noise aversion and separation anxiety in dogs.1
Christopher Pachel, DVM, DACVB, CABC, owner and lead clinician at Animal Behavior Clinic in Portland, Oregon, spoke with dvm360 about the benefits of having access to a drug that can treat both conditions simultaneously, as well as potential concerns and practical considerations for administering the therapy.
The study also highlights measurement challenges inherent in the C-BARQ tool: Behaviors associated with separation anxiety and aggression, which frequently co-occur with fear, are categorized separately in the questionnaire, potentially leading to underestimation of fear-related presentations.
For veterinarians in general practice, these findings reinforce the value of routine behavioral screening. The high prevalence of noise phobia in particular, with almost 10% of dogs exhibiting extreme responses, suggests that proactive conversations about noise-related anxiety should be a standard part of wellness visits, especially ahead of peak triggering events such as the Fourth of July or thunderstorm season.
Reference
Beaver BV. Owner-reported prevalence and severity of fear and anxiety in dogs. Vet Res Commun. 2026;50(4):284. doi:10.1007/s11259-026-11227-y
