Well, not always.
Dogs are incredibly good at masking pain. Just because your dog is running, jumping and playing does not mean they are comfortable. One of the earliest and most overlooked signs of pain or discomfort is a change in behaviour. And I do not mean the obvious signs you might expect.
Many people tell me they would know if their dog was in pain. Yet, time and again, this is not the case. This is not due to neglect, but because we tend to notice only the symptoms we recognise. Sometimes the idea that pain might be involved can even feel uncomfortable, as if it reflects on the quality of care given. I am not judging anyone. My point is that many dogs showing behavioural problems or changes are, in fact, experiencing some form of discomfort.
Pain in dogs generally falls into two categories. Acute pain is sudden and obvious, like a fresh injury. You might hear your dog yelp, see a limp, notice they struggle with exercise or observe them avoiding certain movements. Chronic pain however, is long-term and often much harder to detect. It can creep in slowly and may not involve any classic signs. No limping. No whining. Just subtle differences.
Sometimes there are no visible signs at all, only behaviour that feels out of character.
These behaviours can still be linked to pain, even if your dog looks happy on walks or loves to play. Physical activity often triggers adrenaline, which works as a natural painkiller. Your dog may seem fine when active, then struggle more when resting or being handled in certain ways.
Some of the signs I often see include:
🐾 Reactivity, such as growling or barking at dogs or people they previously tolerated
🐾 Sudden onset aggression, often when touched or approached at rest
🐾 Intense mouthing that may appear playful or ‘naughty’
🐾 Seeming hyperactive or constantly on the go
🐾 Increased fear or reactivity to noise
🐾 Resource guarding
🐾 Excessively licking themselves, their owners, or other things
🐾 Mounting or humping more frequently (people or items)
🐾 Restlessness at night or finding it stressful to be alone
🐾 Eating non-food objects
🐾 Becoming less tolerant of grooming, health checks, handling or wearing equipment such as a harness or coat
🐾 Changes in where they choose to rest
🐾 Changes in eating habits ,sometimes labelled as fussy, or becoming obsessed with food
🐾 Stopping on walks, often described as stubborn
🐾 Persistent pulling on the lead which seems to be resistant to training. Often harsher and harsher methods are used with these dogs
🐾 Sudden mood changes, dogs like this are often described as “Jekyll & Hide”
This list is not exhaustive and these behaviours do not always mean a dog is in pain. However, they are real examples I see in my work. Sometimes small changes creep in over time. We adjust to them without realising, until things worsen or new behaviours appear.
For example, I often see dogs who hop or skip with their back legs as they walk, something owners may see as quirky or cute. Others may sit with legs splayed, rock their weight onto one hip or avoid sitting or lying down. These are often dismissed as stubbornness or individual quirks but they can signal discomfort.
Think about your own experience of pain. When I am struggling with neck or shoulder pain, I can still stay professional while working. But once I am home, I stop masking it. My family sees the more irritable version of me.
It is the same for dogs. They cannot be polite or regulate their reactions. They do not know how to tell us they are hurting, so they behave differently. Often, the more safe and relaxed they feel, the more obvious the discomfort becomes. Just like I show my pain when resting on the sofa, a dog may show theirs most clearly when at home, not when charged with adrenaline on a walk.
You might be thinking….but dogs are not humans! No, of course not. But we are mammals, and we are physiologically similar. We experience the same kinds of pain, we just communicate differently.
This is one of the biggest challenges in behaviour work. Understandably, some owners struggle to believe their dog could be in pain when they see no physical sign, especially in young dogs. Yet in around four out of five behaviour cases I see, pain or discomfort plays a role.
There have been many studies about the links between discomfort / pain and behaviour (Particularly the 2020 study by D. Mills et al), and there is increasing awareness but there’s still a long way to go.
Many people believe a dog’s behaviour is purely the result of training and upbringing. But when we view behaviour only through that lens, we risk missing an important possibility: the dog may be physically uncomfortable. If pain is the cause, no amount of training will bring lasting change until the root issue is resolved. By addressing physical causes, we help the dog feel better and give them the best chance to learn and thrive. Imagine feeling unwell, uncomfortable or in pain and the people around you think you are misbehaving and just need more training?
Pain changes how a dog feels emotionally. A dog with neck pain might tolerate handling for a while, until one day a touch hurts. If this happens repeatedly, the dog may start avoiding contact to protect themselves. Over time, what was once a friendly dog may become wary, snappy or aggressive, simply to prevent being hurt again. This is not bad behaviour, it’s self-protection and completely normal.
So what happens if I suspect discomfort or pain is involved?
First, I recommend seeing your vet. Vets do an excellent job and are essential members of your dog’s health team. But vet consultations are often only 10 to 15 minutes long, and many dogs do not show pain in the clinic. Adrenaline, stress or a dislike of handling can mask it. Vets cannot test for everything unless something obvious is found during the appointment and it’s especially hard to detect chronic pain in a dog that has lived with it for so long.
This is where paraprofessionals such as canine physiotherapists and dynamic dog practitioners come into their own. These specialists:
🐾 Have time to observe your dog’s movement in detail
🐾 Build trust that allows hands-on assessments
🐾 Are trained to detect subtle signs and differences
🐾 Provide detailed reports that help your vet decide on next steps
A team approach involving your vet, a paraprofessional and a behaviourist often leads to the best outcomes.
Here is something you might not expect: sometimes, when pain is resolved, the behaviour that came with it fades away without extensive training. Not always, but far more often than many people realise.
If you are concerned about the time and energy needed for behaviour plans, it might be worth asking: could pain be part of this? When we address the cause, we often do not need to work as hard on the symptoms.
So if your dog’s behaviour has changed, or something simply feels off, keep an open mind. You might not see a limp but your dog could still be hurting.
If this resonates with you, or you have experienced a case where pain was the hidden cause, I would love to hear your story.
References:
Mills, D et al. (2020). Pain and Problem Behaviour in Cats and Dogs. Animals 2020, 10 (2), 318 https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020318.
Lopes Fagundes, A.L., Hewison, L., McPeake, K.J., Zulch, H., & Mills, D. (2018).Noise Sensitivities in Dogs: An Exploration of Signs in Dogs with and without Musculoskeletal Pain Using Qualitative Content Analysis. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2018.00017
RachelMalkani, Sharmini Paramasivam, Sarah Wolfensohn (2024). How does chronic pain impact the lives of dogs: an investigation of factors that are associated with pain using the animal welfare assessment grid. Frontiers in veterinary science https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1374858/full
Mills,DS, Coutts, FM & McPeake, KJ 2024, 'Behavior Problems Associated with Painand Paresthesia', Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, vol. 54, no. 1, pp. 55-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2023.08.007
Blog written by Claire Mcknespiey of Educating Paws
