What is stress?
Stress is described as a psychological and physiological response to
events that upset our personal balance in some way. It is a state in
which an organism reacts to an endogenous (interior) or exogenous
(exterior) threat and focuses its energy on coping with the situation.
When faced with
a threat to our personal safety or to our emotional state of mind the
body's defence system kicks into a process that is known as the 'fight
or flight' response. This in turn leads to increased heart rate,
muscles tensing up and accelerated breathing and this puts our system
on red alert.
Do dogs feel the
effects of stress? Yes they do and it is also important to note that
just like humans, stress can show itself differently from dog to dog as
multiple dogs experiencing the same situation will deal and cope with
it differently. Some will be able to cope well with the situation while
others will show that they are clearly distressed showing completely
different symptoms and coping strategies.
There are both
positive and negative consequences of stress. A certain amount of
stress is absolutely necessary and every dog's system can compensate
for it without suffering any real harm. This kind of positive coping is
called Eustress but this all depends on the amount of stress suffered
by the individual dog. If a dog becomes accustomed to a certain level
of stress then this is what we mean by the dog being able to cope with
the situation. If however the dog cannot cope then it will suffer what
we know as Distress and this can ultimately cause real harm and danger
to the dog. Some researchers claim that dogs who are frequently exposed
to long durations of stress or frequent dozes of it can have raised sex
hormones in the blood and hence a lower threshold of aggressive
behaviour. This is not to say that every dog when stressed out will
behave in an aggressive manner but the dog may react more strongly than
usual when encountering certain things.
Various symptoms
or behaviours are directly linked to the effects of stress. Just as
with us, when dogs are exposed to sudden fright or a very fearful
situation the release of adrenalin and the activation of the brain's
sympathetic nervous system gives the rush of blood effect that gives us
the feel of needing to defecate. This is an involuntary reaction and
something that the dog has no control over. This can often be seen at
dog shows and training classes if the dog is over stressed by crowds of
people and many strange and unfamiliar dogs. The bladder and the
kidneys are also affected meaning that there is an increased need to
urinate. Prolonged exposure to stressful situations can make the dog
ill and cause the immune system to function poorly, this causes
allergies and makes the dog more prone to infections, in the same way
we can get a cold caused initially by long periods of stress.
What
Are The Symptoms of Stress?
There are many
symptoms a dog may show indicating that it may be suffering from stress
and many of them can occur at the same time but it is important to try
and see the whole picture. Is the dog really suffering from stress or
is it exhibiting the behaviour for another reason? You also need to
look at how often the behaviour happens and whether it is stress
induced or not.
Symptoms
Nervousness- If a dog is jumpy or
irritable and acting nervously in a particular way towards something or
in a certain environment it would be wise to take a look around and try
to see what is triggering the behaviour. Dogs may become very restless
and have difficulty in settling down even where they normally sleep,
they may over-react to people, things or situations that the dog may
normally be calm and confident in. Closely related to nervousness is
constant restlessness. Dogs in this state will not be able to settle
down and relax, they may walk around in circles or pace up and down
regardless of how tired they are. This can commonly be seen in dogs
that find themselves in rescue shelters or kennel environments.
Defecation & Urination- As we
said previously these can be examples of stress symptoms, something the
dog has absolutely no control over at all as has the overwhelming need
to empty itself.
Mounting- This kind of behaviour is
not necessarily sexually motivated but can be stress induced. This does
not have to be directed at other dogs but can be directed at people or
objects like cushions or cuddly toys. It can also be stress created by
overexcitement.
HyperHsexuality / Disrupted Sexual Cycle-
Dogs can have a massive push in sexual drive or on the other hand a
complete loss of sexual drive. In bitches it can disrupt the sexual
cycle so that the times between the seasons they have can be too short
or too long. Sometimes a bitch in heat can bleed for much longer than
is usual, this may also be linked to stress.
Excessive Grooming- This can be
excessive licking which is normally directed at the tail or genital
area and can lead to open wounds or loss of hair. As painful as it may
be this behaviour can be self gratifying and compensate for the level
of stress that the dog feels.
Destructive Behaviour- This can be a
common symptom of separation anxiety that is so often misunderstood
that the owner punishes the dog for the behaviour thus intensifying the
stress which leads to even more destructive traits.
Digestive Disorders- Vomiting and
diarrhoea are both common symptoms of stress as are loss of appetite
and allergic reactions. Gradually over time long periods of stress will
weaken the immune system leaving the dog prone to illness. This can
show up as skin rashes and heavy dandruff.
Body Odours- Bad breath is common
because dogs pant more and the stress intensifies the secretion of
gastrointestinal acids which become more noticeable through unpleasant
odours.
Tense Muscles- This can be seen in
training sessions where after a while the dog starts to feel stressed.
Repeated commands of Sit, Down or Stay prove very difficult as the dog
needs to move around so that it can free some of the tension from the
muscles. If the dog is denied this it may resort to what we might call
aggressive displays, biting on the leash or heavy panting. Short
training sessions are best so that their bodies and minds are not too
heavily taxed. Over crowded classes are also triggers of stress for
dogs who find themselves helpless, agitated and unable to settle down
or focus on anything.
These are only
some of the most commonly seen symptoms of stress in dogs. Some of the
factors responsible for releasing stress can be attributed to age,
naturally as the dog gets older and the senses deteriorate a little
they may become agitated or moody or less tolerant of things they may
have had a previously sound temperament towards. Often these things can
go unnoticed by owners for some time. Many dogs can be very sensitive
to the weather and if bad weather can be persistent some dogs can
become withdrawn and depressed. On the home front too many demands on
the dog like very long walks, overworked, long bouts of agility and
lots of rules along with lack of rest can have serious stressful
consequences for the dog. Harsh and punishing training schedules will
very often make dogs resort to aggressive and agitated behaviours.
There are also the physical aspects to consider for instance thirst,
hunger, extreme temperatures and lack of toilet provisions.
Unfortunately
there are no quick fix cures that we can offer owners to wipe away a
dog's stress but there are measures that we can take to minimize the
stress and reduce the frequency of it. This takes a lot of observation,
time and commitment. Often if a dog is suffering from severe stress it
will show many symptoms in many different places. It is important to
look around and take everything in, watch the dog and try to figure out
what is the trigger, the factor or factors responsible for making the
dog react. this could often be something completely oblivious to most
of us such as a man with a hat or something noisy nearby.
Once any of the
stress releasing factors have been identified action must be taken to
reduce or take that factor away. The key is to find as many as these
stress bombs as possible and systematically reduce the amount of stress
the dog is regularly exposed to. Delicate care must be taken not to
rush things as the change of too many things at once could have a
backfiring effect, one should look to improve over the longer term as
opposed to short and sudden change. it is a fact that animals that have
suffered stress over a long period of time usually require a long
period also to be able to shed off all the stress.
The golden rule
when dealing with stress is this-take away the possibility for the dog
to react. This is absolutely of paramount importance. Obedience
exercises are utterly of no value in cases like this, when adrenalin is
already pumping through the muscles the dog simply has to move. asking
for a sit or a Down is too much of a demand to be put on the dog. Dogs
can also become stressed if we are over protective towards them, they
need exposed to different places and situations so that they can learn
to cope with life, we all have a tendency to over protect at times. The
dog's daily routine has to be looked at taking into consideration
things like exercise, how much and how often, what type of exercise,
too many commands placed on the dog and diet.
If the dog is
extremely stressed it may be a good idea to visit a vet,
physiotherapist or an osteopath to check for stiffness in the vertebrae
or other areas, if there is pain then medication can be applied. Stress
cannot be trained away, obedience or exercising will only make matters
worse, the stressful stimulus must be recognised and taken away. If you
take your dog's pulse from the inside of the thigh the normal beats for
one full minute should be somewhere between 40-65, if it is over 70
then action must be taken or the circulation system will get in trouble
and this can cause heart attacks and strokes.
Stress causes us
to get sick, this is why as previously stated that it is pointless to
try and train a dog when in this condition. When adrenalin goes up
blood sugars are pumped to the muscles instead of the brain and if
chronically stressed the brain is not active and it will close down and
the dog will be unable to concentrate or focus on anything. Most biting
incidents will undoubtedly be linked to stress which causes the dog to
overreact, we are the same way.
Dr.Bach is
famous for his flower and herbal remedies which were originally
intended for people and he came up with remedies that treated specific
states of mind, this included fear, terror, anxiety, worry and boredom.
Although there are no scientific studies to support their use pet
owners have observed positive changes in their pets with use of these
non toxic and gentle remedies. The difficulty in using these remedies
is that we cannot ask our pet how it is feeling and so we have to rely
on our judgement and observation to find the appropriate remedies.
If we remember
that dogs have the same emotions as us then we will be in a much better
position to understand and help them when they over react to things,
getting to know your dog will help you to see all these things.
Suggested Reading:
Stress in Dogs - Scholtz & Reinhardt
Minimizing Stress for Kennel Dogs - Gwen Bailey
On Talking Terms with Dogs - Turid Rugaas
Barking: The Sound of a Language - Turid Rugaas
reprinted with kind permission from
Maxwell Muir
Telephone: 07999 866 989
Action 4 Dogs, 4 Borthwick Castle Terrace, North Middleton,
Midlothian, EH23 4QU
E-mail: info@action4dogs.co.uk
The above information is simply
informational. It's intent is not to replace the advice of a
veterinarian nor to assist you in making a diagnosis of your pet.
Please consult with your own veterinarian for confirmation of any
diagnosis. Your pets life may depend on it
