Stress in Dog: Causes, Signs and Solutions

 Do you know that dogs can experience stress? Yes, dogs are not immune to stress and can develop it just like humans do. However, a common misconception among many people is that dogs need to experience stressful situations to develop stress. This is not entirely true because that is the least common way dogs develop stress.


So, what is stress? Stress is a natural response to a perceived threat or challenge. There are three types of stress: acute stress, episodic acute stress, and chronic stress. Acute stress is a sudden and short-term response to a perceived threat, like a loud noise or a scary person. This is commonly known as their fight or flight response. Episodic acute stress is when a dog experiences acute stress on a regular basis, such as when living in a chaotic environment or being exposed to certain triggers repeatedly. This is very common when a dogs human isn’t noticing how stressful walks are for a dog and they just keep taking them there. Chronic stress, on the other hand, is a long-term response to ongoing stressors, like long term episodic stress and the development of Anxiety BUT! A stressful life is by far the biggest cause of chronic stress in dog.


So, what are these causes of chronic stress in dogs? The most common causes are under exercise, under stimulation, and lack of outlets. Lack of sleep due to the last three factors can also contribute to chronic stress. Long term physical pain is another common cause but, the only one that the website can't help with obviously.


Chronic stress can affect every aspect of a dogs life and can cause something called dishabituation. This is when the brain becomes fearful and reactive to things it used to be fine with, like dogs, sounds, environments, or anything else and this is why there are such strong links between stress in dogs and the development of fear based behaviours. It can undo so much of what you worked towards when they were younger and this is so over looked in the dog training world. It’s not all about training, training is 10% of having a dog and without focusing on giving our dogs what they need, all that training goes to waste as well.


What are the symptoms? The signs?

  • Hyperactivity, from the constant high levels of arousal and lack of needs being met
  • Difficulty training/ learning, from the attack stress has on the hippocampus 
  • Abnormally long-lasting fear response to a bad experience, because the cortex is un able to communicate properly with the amygdala (fear centre if the brain)
  • Typically High vigilance, wide eyes and impulsive.
  • Excessive licking/ chewing of themselves and furniture


Now, the big question is, what is the best cure for chronic stress in dogs? 


The answer is simple - prevention, and the methods to preventing are the same to the cure. However the other issues that could have evolved from the stress like Anxiety and fears of certain stimuli will need further help. The best prevention strategy is to ensure that your dog gets enough exercise, stimulation, and outlets. We also need to make sure we stay off top of monitoring our dogs arousal levels and most importantly… learn how to read their body Language. A bad experience is whatever your dog deems a bad experience, so if you’re regularly putting your dog in environments and situations that generate fear or stress, this is only going to get worse.


MK9Plus is a great resource that has everything you need to ensure your dog is no longer missing out. A lack of what they need in life is the root of many issues and stress is on of them. Our dogs are results of the lives they live everyday and not the training they have had.


In conclusion, dogs do not need to experience stressful situations to develop stress. Chronic stress can have serious consequences on your dog's overall health and well-being. Therefore, it is crucial to prevent chronic stress by ensuring that your furry friend is getting what they need.


With MK9Plus, you can rest assured that you will learn everything you can do to give them what they need.


MK9Plus, more than just dog training.

Comments

  1. Leena Sowambur4 April 2023 at 09:58

    Love this! Prevention is so much better than cure. I'm learning so much from this site!

    ReplyDelete

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