Understanding Anxiety in Dogs with Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Karen Sueda

Boop our inbox! 🐾What if your dog isn’t “difficult” or “stubborn” — but anxious, overwhelmed, and trying their best?In this episode of Shy Dog Diaries, I sit down with board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Sueda to talk about what’s really going on behind fear-based behaviors in dogs — and how we can truly help them thrive.Dr. Sueda explains what a veterinary behaviorist does, how anxiety can show up as fear, reactivity, or shutdown, and techniques for helping fearful dogs improve. Together, we explore desensitization and counter-conditioning, trigger stacking, rest days, latent learning, and the often-misunderstood role of behavior medications.Using my dog Nessie as a real-life example, this conversation offers hope for guardians of fearful and anxious dogs — especially rescue dogs who missed early socialization windows. We talk about why guilt is common but misplaced, why medication is not a failure, and how helping an anxious dog can change both ends of the leash.If you’ve ever felt alone, judged, or overwhelmed while loving an anxious dog, this episode is for you.Connect with our guest, Dr Karen SuedaWebsite: https://ksvetbehavior.comConnect with Shy Dog DiariesInstagram: @shydogdiariesEmail: [email protected]