Your Dog and Stress...

Your Dog and Stress...
Like their human owners, dogs too feel stress when put into situations that are uncomfortable for them. But what are these situations that lead our beloved pets to feel stressed? These situations include changes in home environment or in pack hierarchy, separation, confinement, negative commands, aggressive owners or other aggressive animals, physical pain, hunger, thirst, loud noises such as thunder, fireworks or music, and the inability to relieve himself when needed. These are the most common causes of dog stress that can result to dog behavior problems.
Over time, conscientious pet owners are trying their very best to relieve their pets from experiencing stress. Remember, like us, dogs are much less prone to stress if they live happy lives, which involves good grooming, proper nourishment and plenty of exercise. Getting rid of agitating circumstances such as loud noises or disruptive lifestyle will greatly perk up your dog’s attitude.
Below are some of the signs that your dog may exhibit if he is under a stressed condition. But you should remember that these signs must be exhibited repeatedly for them to be considered as stress signals.
Shaking, yawning and scratching
Barking or whining with no obvious reason
Biting, growling or snarling
Glazed eyes
Weight loss
Refusing food and treats or refusal to open mouth or loss of appetite
Naughty behavior and disobeying orders
Licking lips, drooling and sneezing
Improper bowel movements and vomiting
Avoiding eye contact, keeping tail between legs or acting shy
Exhibiting hyperactivity or under activity
Eventually, domesticated dogs have developed in a way that they can fight stress on their own. To alleviate their own stress, dogs have developed their own calming techniques like yawning, sitting, lying down and lip licking; these can also be signs of stress relief rather than those of stress itself.

Currently, a handful of stress-reducing remedies are already available at local pet shops as well as behavior modification classes, but it is more recommended to consult a veterinarian. Pet dogs are very much like us and often require some special attention in order to lead happy lives.

But if you want to help calm your dog and ease his stress, try calming down yourself first. Sometimes an owner’s stress can be shifted to his pet. A lot of pet dogs actually suffer from the human stress surrounding them. Take deep breaths, listen to soothing music and show your dog you are relaxed. Provide comfort to your dog. Make him warm and give him cozy place to sleep. Also, take your dog for a walk every day, a number of studies showed that exercise and fresh air are among the best stress reducers and mood enhancers for both humans and animals. Most importantly, provide a lot of praises to your dog, praises generate positive energy from your dog and also help build a bond of trust and love between you and your pet.

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