The Root of Urban Dog Anxiety
- alysha carusi
- Jan 16
- 3 min read
If your dog is walked regularly, socialized, fed well, and loved deeply — yet still struggles to settle — you’re not alone.
Many of the dogs I work with aren’t lacking exercise or enrichment. They’re experiencing something far more subtle and far more common in urban environments: overstimulation.
Overstimulation doesn’t always look chaotic. In fact, it often shows up in dogs who appear “fine” on the surface.
What overstimulation actually is
Overstimulation happens when a dog’s nervous system receives more input than it can process or regulate over time.
This input can come from:
• busy group environments
• rotating caregivers
• frequent transitions
• unpredictable routines
• constant social pressure
• noisy or visually dense spaces
Even when each individual experience seems positive, the cumulative effect matters.
Dogs, like humans, need recovery time. Without it, their baseline stress level slowly rises — and behaviour shifts follow.
Common signs dog parents miss
Overstimulated dogs aren’t always hyperactive. Many are deeply well-behaved.
Signs often include:
• difficulty settling at home
• leash reactivity or frustration
• pacing or restlessness
• excessive scanning on walks
• shutdown or disengagement
• “always on” energy
These behaviours are often misinterpreted as a need for more stimulation — when what the dog actually needs is less.
Why urban life amplifies the issue
Urban dogs live in a constant stream of sensory input:
• traffic noise
• dense foot traffic
• frequent dog encounters
• elevators, hallways, parks
• rotating environments and handlers
Without intentional decompression, their nervous systems rarely return to baseline.
This is why simply adding longer walks, busier daycare, or more social exposure can unintentionally worsen behaviour.
Why more exercise isn’t always the answer
Movement is important — but how movement is delivered matters.
Fast-paced, high-arousal activity without structure or recovery can:
• reinforce hyper-vigilance
• increase reactivity
• prevent true relaxation
Regulating movement — calm transitions, structured walks, predictable environments — supports the nervous system far more effectively than constant stimulation.
What actually helps dogs regulate
In my experience, dogs thrive when care includes:
• consistent caregivers
• predictable routines (same day, same times)
• smaller, intentional group sizes
• rest built into the day
• clear communication and body language
Understanding canine body language plays a huge role here. Many stress signals are subtle — and often missed.
This is one reason I created The Body Language Playbook: to help dog parents recognize early signs of overwhelm before they escalate into behaviour challenges.
When you understand what your dog is communicating, you can intervene before stress compounds.
How this informs our care model
Every service we offer is designed to reduce overstimulation — not add to it.
That means:
• small-scale daycare
• structured group treks
• limited in-home pet sitting
• familiar routines and environments
Care is relationship-based, not transactional.
Dogs aren’t expected to “push through” discomfort. They’re supported in finding calm.
The long-term impact
When overstimulation is reduced:
• dogs settle faster
• reactivity softens
• separation feels easier
• trust deepens
• daily life becomes smoother
For both dogs and their humans.
If this resonates, it’s often a sign your dog doesn’t need more — they need better quality support. And that shift begins with understanding what their nervous system is telling us.
If you’re curious about learning to read your dog’s signals more clearly, The Body Language Playbook is a gentle, practical place to start.
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