Your Golden Retriever May Be Anxious for the Same Reason You Are

In this article:

• What did this study find?
• Why do geneticists study dogs?
• What does this mean for my dog?
• Why did the study only look at golden retrievers?
• What can I learn about my own dog from this study? 

If you’ve ever looked at your dog shivering during a thunderstorm and thought, Buddy, I get it, science confirms that you do, in fact, get it. Maybe on a molecular level. According to recent research out of the University of Cambridge, the genes behind those anxious behaviors and others in dogs look very similar to the ones shaping human emotions.

The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined the genetics of more than 1,300 golden retrievers enrolled in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, a project run by the Morris Animal Foundation that has followed dogs from puppyhood for over a decade. Researchers compared each dog’s DNA with detailed behavioral surveys filled out by their owners, then cross-referenced those genetic findings with existing human studies. They found that 12 genes linked to behavior in golden retrievers are in the same place as genes that influence emotional traits and behavior in people, including anxiety, depression, and intelligence.

One gene in particular, called PTPN1, was associated with aggression toward other dogs. In humans, that same gene has been connected to depression and intelligence. Another variant tied to fearfulness in dogs influences whether people tend to ruminate on embarrassing memories—or achieve high academic success.

Below, more on what dog owners can take from a study like this, what we shouldn’t—and why this research is important for dogs, humans, and our relationships to one another. 

Why research on dogs helps humans, too

Researchers are racing to decode DNA—that string of genetic letters that serves as the blueprint for a living creature—and connect specific sequences to certain traits, behaviors, and health issues. Psychiatric conditions like anxiety disorders and obsessive compulsive disorder have been especially hard to crack, partly because they’re so genetically complex.

Elinor Karlsson, PhD, a geneticist who founded Darwin’s Ark and works at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, explained why dogs are so useful for this kind of research.

“What other animal do people spend as much time watching and wondering about?” she asked. Dogs come with built-in observers—their owners—who are highly motivated to report on their pets’ behavior and uniquely positioned to do so. (This writer is personally thinking about her dog 80% of the day and is happy to share those musings with anyone who will listen, including scientists.)

Dr. Karlsson also points to something deeper at work. “There’s a tendency of humans to assume that other animals have brains that somehow don’t work the same way ours do,” she said. “Studies like this remind us there’s nothing about a dog that’s less complicated than a human. A dog is just a species that has evolved to occupy a different ecological niche.”

Dogs and humans also have a shared evolutionary heritage, which is why these genetic overlaps exist. Dogs and humans share a common mammalian ancestor, and many of the same genes have persisted across both species for millions of years. When a gene shows up in both a nervous golden retriever and an anxious human, that’s not a coincidence. Go back far enough, and you’ll find the root for both. The usefulness of studying where the genetics are similar or dissimilar is clear. 

Zazie Todd, PhD—psychologist, certified dog trainer, and author of Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog—sees promise in these findings, particularly for working dogs. “It’s really interesting to see that some genes in dogs are linked to behavior and are also found in humans, even if the behaviors don’t exactly match up,” she said. “They could also help us understand what makes some dogs more trainable than others, something which is especially useful for organizations that train working dogs—because at the moment a fairly high number of dogs don’t make it through the full training program.”

What this means for your dog (and what it doesn’t)

The fact that genes overlap between species is scientifically compelling, but it doesn’t translate directly into actionable advice for the average dog owner—at least not at the moment.

Janis Bradley, the Director of Science and Behavior at the National Canine Research Council—and a former science writer who spent years translating behavioral genetics research for general audiences—cautions dog people not to overinterpret findings like these. Her concern isn’t with the research itself, but with how it tends to land in the real world.

“It does not give us actionable information about living with dogs,” Bradley said. “You don’t need a genetic test to tell you whether your dog is anxious.” For that, you can observe their behavior.

Bradley also flags a common misreading of genetics research: the leap from population-level data to individual predictions. Knowing that a gene is statistically associated with fearfulness across thousands of dogs tells you nothing about any particular dog—much the way knowing the general climate of a region tells you nothing about what to wear next Tuesday. 

“The individual dog is next Tuesday” in that scenario, she said. Studies like this are important and contribute to the greater work of understanding dogs and humans—but, on a practical level, they’re less useful.

Every dog is different, and you need to train and look after the individual dog you have.

Our goldens, ourselves 

Bradley pointed out that examining only one breed of dog is smart. It may seem to limit the usefulness of a genetic study (i.e., You might ask, “How am I supposed to use this information to understand my Doberman pinscher?”). But it’s actually a very strategic choice. 

As Dr. Karlsson, the geneticist, put it, “There are advantages to doing genetic studies within breeds, and there are advantages to having genetic studies that involve all the breeds. Dogs within a breed are very closely related to each other. It’s like doing a study of an extended family in humans. Because their genetics are very similar across all the dogs, it’s sometimes easier to pick out the signals that are related to how the dog behaves. It’s like there’s less noise in the background. There’s less stuff going on. And so you can see the things that are interesting a bit more easily.” 

A more empathetic approach

If there’s one big takeaway from research like this for dog owners, it has to do with empathy. Understanding that some dogs are genetically predisposed to experience the world as more stressful (just like some humans) can shift how owners respond to difficult behaviors. A dog that snaps at strangers or shuts down on a busy street isn’t being stubborn or “bad.” Instead, they may be overwhelmed—wired in a way that makes ordinary life harder.

“This study underlines the fact that if you’re having issues with your dog’s behavior, it’s not the dog’s fault—likely, the dog is struggling,” Todd said. But she’s equally quick to note that genes are only part of the picture. Early socialization, home environment, and physical health all play significant roles in how a dog behaves. 

“There’s a lot that we can do to help resolve behavior issues, and it helps to start a training or treatment plan sooner rather than later,” she said. “So reach out to a good dog trainer or your vet if you are having issues with your dog’s behavior.”

To figure out when your dog is uncomfortable in day-to-day life, the most important tool you have is observation. Watch your dog. Know your dog. Genetic research is interesting—but the dog in front of you gives you the data that matters most.