Anxious or Just Excited? Reading the Difference in Dog Behaviour

In this episode, Carla and Kim unpack one of the most common — and most misunderstood — questions in dog training: how do you tell the difference between anxiety and excitement when the behaviours look the same?

Using real-world scenarios such as lead walking, social greetings, eating, and everyday outings, they explore the subtle body language cues and contextual clues that help distinguish an anxious dog from an over-excited one. From pulling on the lead to jumping, mouthing, avoidance, and hyper-alertness, they explain why what a dog is doing isn’t enough — context is everything.

The conversation also dives into practical management strategies for anxious and reactive dogs, including creating space, adjusting walking routes, using home management tools like gates, and knowing when to keep walks short rather than trying to “train everything at once.” Carla and Kim highlight why anxiety-based behaviours often take longer to resolve than excitement-based reactions and why early recognition and intervention, especially in puppies, is so important.