Stress in dogs can lead to serious and expensive health problems By Jane Bowers of Dogs of Distinction dog training at dogsofdistinction/ Dogs can feel stressed by a variety of things: threats from other dogs or from people, violent or aggressive behavior, inconsistent expectations, use of punishing equipment like prong or choke collars, play periods that are too long and overwhelming, pain or illness, hunger or thirst, too much activity day after day without enough time to rest between activities, being walked on a short leash and/or wearing equipment that inhibits the dog’s ability to create distance between herself and another dogs (if she needs it) when meeting another dog. These are just a few reasons a dog can feel stressed. When the dog is stressed, stress hormones are produced and the body goes into a state of alarm. Exhaustion follows and, if the body is not allowed to recover, disease can follow. Raised levels of the hormone cortisol (one of the hormones released when a body is under stress) sustained over time can weaken the immune system and result in adaptation diseases like kidney and heart disease and diseases of the gastrointestinal system. We often recognize stress related behavior in members of our own species and stressed dogs display some of a variety of recognizable behaviors such as startling easily, compulsive behavior, biting the leash, suddenly reacting to normally familiar situations, restlessness and an apparent inability to relax, excessive barking and whining, panting, scratching, urine marking, loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting. Stress also causes muscles to tense and, if the dog is not allowed to move and loosen those muscles in a stressful situation, trembling and cramping can occur (a good reason to avoid demanding a stressed dog to “sit” or “down” – it is better, for a variety of reasons, to lead them out of the stressful situation and allow the muscles to move and relax). A stressed dog who does not show signs of stress anymore is “shut down” and frozen. To help a stressed dog, make sure she has time to relax between periods of excitement, create a schedule so the dog can anticipate what is coming next, train in a calm and reward based manner, help the dog out of situations that may be frightening or anxiety producing and be reasonable in one’s expectations of the dog. Jane Bowers, Dogs of Distinction, professional trainer dogsofdistinction/ thelocalweekly.ca/stress-in-dogs-can-lead-to-serious-and-expensive-health-problems/
Posted on: Sun, 29 Jun 2014 20:28:42 +0000
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