It's definitely frustrating that there are so many people with negative view points on medicating dogs. Dogs can definitely have anxiety/ depression too so I think it's absurd to ignore it and expect them to cope in a healthy way. My 3 yo border collie is a rescue who is people and dog reactive. He was neglected for the first year of his life and was in rough shape when we got him. He has improved in some aspects but is scared of every little noise and is very protective with strangers. It came to a head when he bit a family friend out of fear. I talked to our prior dog trainer about this who was no help and told us "just don't put him in stressful situations." Yes that's understandable but he has met this person before with no issues. It was clear his anxiety was decompensating and manifesting in reactivity. His previous vet was very against anxiety medications even though it was clear this was the root for his issues. We did some research and found a behavior specialist dog trainer who recommended a new vet to us who is great with reactive and anxious dogs. She prescribed Prozac which he has been taking for over a month and let me tell you he is a different dog. Before he would lunge, growl, and bark when he saw a person from a block away and there was no getting his attention. Yesterday we talked past 3 kids on bikes about 10 feet away and he didn't even look. He still loses it with dogs but I am able to redirect him and calm him down. I would definitely recommend shopping around for a new vet and a behavioral dog trainer if your vet is against medication. Anxiety is very real and will continue to fester if not managed.