Dogs Aren’t Broken. We’re Dysregulated.

What the “Anxious Dog” Conversation Misses, and How Clarity Responds

In October 2023, The Atlantic published an article with a provocative premise: “Too Many People Own Dogs.”
The piece explored a growing cultural concern—rising anxiety in dogs, increased use of behavioral medication, and a growing sense that modern life may simply be incompatible with dog ownership.

The article raises important and uncomfortable questions. Are dogs today more anxious than ever before? Are we projecting our own stress onto them? Are we medicating dogs to fit into lives that no longer meet their needs? And if so, is widespread dog ownership ethically questionable?

At Clarity Dog Training, we believe these questions matter.
But we also believe the conversation stops just short of the most useful insight.

The issue isn’t that too many people own dogs.

The issue is that modern life trains humans out of the very skills dogs need to feel safe.

The Rise of the “Anxious Dog”

The Atlantic article outlines a clear trend: more dogs are being labeled anxious, more dogs are prescribed psychoactive medication, and more owners feel overwhelmed and distressed by their dog’s behavior. Veterinary behaviorists report long waitlists. Surveys suggest the majority of dogs are now described as having “behavioral problems.”

But the article also acknowledges something important: many of these “problems” are normal dog behaviors—barking, digging, reactivity, fixation—behaviors that only become problematic when they collide with modern expectations.

Dogs today live lives that are:

• highly controlled

• largely indoors

• socially limited

• overstimulated but under-directed

At the same time, humans are living faster, more distracted, more emotionally dysregulated lives than ever before.

This is not a coincidence.

A False Choice: Medication or Opting Out

The Atlantic frames the issue as a kind of moral dilemma. If dogs are anxious, the options appear to be:

• medicate them

• or question whether people should own dogs at all

But this framing misses a crucial third option.

What if the problem isn’t the dog—or dog ownership—but how we show up in the relationship?

What if dogs aren’t broken, but responding normally to environments that lack clarity, structure, and calm leadership?

Dogs as Honest Feedback Systems

Dogs don’t respond to our intentions.
They respond to what we practice.

They read:

• tone

• timing

• consistency

• posture

• emotional energy

They don’t understand our explanations or justifications. They understand patterns.

When life feels chaotic, unpredictable, or emotionally charged, dogs don’t conceptualize that as “anxiety.” They respond with behaviors that reflect uncertainty and lack of safety.

Many so-called behavior problems are not pathologies. They are communication breakdowns.

Why Medication Became the Default

Medication can be appropriate and helpful in some cases. Clarity is not anti-medication. But medication has become a default solution in part because it reassures the human:

“It’s not your fault.”

That reassurance is compassionate—but it can also quietly remove agency.

Dogs don’t need perfect owners.
They need present, consistent ones.

And most people were never taught how to regulate themselves, communicate clearly, or lead calmly—especially in an overstimulated, always-on world.

Clarity’s Perspective: Training the Relationship, Not Fixing the Dog

At Clarity Dog Training, we approach behavior differently.

We believe most dogs are not broken. They are responding to:

• unclear communication

• inconsistent boundaries

• emotional volatility

• lack of structure

• modern environments that don’t support nervous system regulation

Clarity Dog Training exists to strengthen the relationship between people and their dogs through education, compassion, and clear communication. We value reward-based training and gladly support owners who wish to train positively—while also recognizing that real-life frustration, confusion, and inconsistency can quietly damage both behavior and the bond.

Rather than shaming or judging, we help people develop calm boundaries, emotional neutrality, and leadership skills they can use confidently in daily life.

Dog Training as a Path to Human Growth

This is where Clarity diverges most clearly from the mainstream conversation.

Dog training is not just about dogs.

Training a dog requires skills modern life rarely demands:

• presence

• patience

• consistency

• emotional regulation

• follow-through

Dogs do not reward intensity, urgency, or constant stimulation.
They settle when leadership becomes predictable.

As people practice clarity with their dogs, something else often happens: their homes become calmer, their routines more intentional, and their own nervous systems more regulated.

This is not self-help.
It’s cause and effect.

You Don’t Get the Dog You Want — You Get the Dog You Need

There’s a phrase often repeated in dog training: “You don’t get the dog you want. You get the dog you need.”

At Clarity, we interpret this carefully—not as destiny or judgment, but as opportunity.

Dogs highlight gaps in our skills, not flaws in our character.
They invite us to slow down, simplify, and lead more clearly.

When we’re willing to listen, training becomes less about control and more about growth—at both ends of the leash.

Why Fewer Dogs Isn’t the Answer

The Atlantic article suggests that perhaps fewer people should own dogs.

We disagree.

The world doesn’t need fewer dogs.
It needs more regulated humans.

Dogs are not the problem.
They are revealing a problem that already existed.

When people learn to communicate clearly, set calm boundaries, and lead with consistency, dogs relax. And often, life does too.

What Clarity Offers

Clarity Dog Training is not about quick fixes, rigid rules, or perfection.

It’s about learning how to live well together.

By helping people develop steadier leadership and clearer communication, we aim to prevent frustration before it grows—allowing dogs to integrate naturally into daily life and deepen the relationship they were meant to share with us.

Dogs don’t ask us to be perfect.

They ask us to be clear.

Looking Ahead

This blog is the beginning of an ongoing conversation about dogs, modern life, leadership, and what it means to grow alongside another species.

In future posts, we’ll explore:

• why structure creates calm

• how boundaries build trust

• what resilience actually looks like

• and how clarity becomes a practice—not a destination

If you’re here because your dog feels like a problem, you’re not alone.
And if you’re here because you sense something deeper is happening at the end of the leash—you’re exactly where you belong.