April is Stress Awareness Month

What stresses you out? Is it not being prepared for a test? Trying to find your life partner? Driving in inclement weather? Taking care of loved ones?

Just like humans, our dogs can also become stressed. For example, dogs may suffer from separation anxiety when they are left home alone. Other dogs have storm phobias and demonstrate stress behaviors well before their humans are even aware a storm is on the way.  Puppies go through a fear period between 8 -11 weeks of life and during which negative experiences are more likely to be imprinted on their personalities.  Unsocialized dogs may be fearful of novel situations or certain triggers such as men with beards, people on bicycles or other dogs.

Common signs of stress in dogs are:

• Diarrhea /Gastrointestinal disorders
• Excessive chewing or licking on the body, often resulting in hot spots
• Destructive behaviors
• Shaking or panting
• Cowering or hiding
• Persistent barking in the absence of an obvious trigger
• Lip licking
• Whale eyes (the white of eyes are prominent)
• Submissive urination
• Pacing
• Growling
• Freezing or stiffening
• Tucked tail
• Raised hackles
• Less common, (if the dog’s warning signals are respected), although possible - biting

If your dog shows signs of stress, the first thing to do is set up an appointment with your vet to rule out any medical conditions. Certain disease processes can cause a dog to be stressed as can pain from orthopedic issues. In the absence of a medical condition, the vet will assess for environmental triggers and may refer you to a dog trainer or a veterinary behaviorist for counter – conditioning or desensitization. You will want to follow any specific plan of care prescribed by your vet or trainer to decrease your dog’s stress and improve his quality of life.

Always keep a stressed dog safe by maintaining his exposure to a trigger under threshold. Use leashes and harnesses to keep him from bolting away or into traffic.

A few things you can do to manage your dog’s stress include making sure he has plenty of exercise from walking, jogging or playing sports.  Expose him carefully to new environments and introduce him to activities that challenge him mentally such as toy feeders and puzzles, snuffle mats, or scent-identification activities such as nosework.  Compression garments such as Thundershirts (https://thundershirt.com)  may help ease his anxiety during storms or other stress-inducing situations.  You may also try calming music such as Through a Dog’s Ear (https://icalmpet.com/product/through-a-dogs-ear-book-plus-starter-cd) or pheromones sold commercially as Adaptil  (https://www.adaptil.com/us) that mimic the mother’s calming hormones and that can be lightly sprayed on bedding or near their crates.  The Calmer Canine  (https://assisianimalhealth.com/calmer-canine)  is a halo-like product that is mounted or held above the dog’s head and uses delivers targeted pulsed electromagnetic field (tPEMF) signals to the brain to alleviate anxiety at a cellular level.

Overt stress is not a normal condition for a dog and should be addressed quickly to eliminate the impact on the dog’s mental and physical wellbeing.