One of the main reasons that people love dogs is because they provide emotional support and reduce the stress in your life. However, while dogs are typically great for relieving your personal stress, they, too are prone to feeling anxious. In fact, your dog is just as likely, if not more so, to experience times of stress than you are. As with humans, stress has a negative affect on your dogs mental, physical, and emotional health.
Unfortunately, dogs don’t have the ability to speak and can’t tell you when they’re feeling stressed. They do, however, convey their feelings through their body language, actions, and movements. Therefore, it’s up to you to pay attention to your dog, so that you can interpret their feelings and determine whether or not they’re stressed.
- Common Dog Stressors
- Signs That Your Dog is Stressed and What to Do
- What to Do When Your Dog is Stressed
Common Dog Stressors
Dogs are some of the most perceptive and interactive animals on the planet. They can get so in tune with their owners and the people around them that they start to notice if something is a miss. Additionally, because of how perceptive dogs are, they can sense when change is coming or when something is wrong. Here are some of the most common reasons that dogs experience stress.
- Dogs can start to stress out if they’re bored for too long.
- If a dog can’t figure something out or don’t know what’s going on, they can become frustrated which leads to stress.
- If a dog knows that you’re leaving them, even for short periods, it can cause stress.
- Fear and anxiety are two of the biggest stressors for dogs.
- Fear and anxiety can stem from instability, moving too much from place to place, or not having a regular schedule.
- It can also stress dogs out when they sense that you’re angry, sick, or frustrated.
In general, the same things that stress you out will also stress your dog out. If you have a bad day at work and come home angry and stressed, your dog will stress out with you. While a certain amount of stress in dogs is unavoidable, it’s important to notice their stress and take measures to alleviate it.
Signs That Your Dog is Stressed
Whining or Growling
While it’s perfectly normal for dogs to whine or growl from time to time, it’s not normal for them to do it for no reason. For instance, when a dog wants to play with a toy just out of reach or go outside, it’s common for them to whine or growl. However, if your dog is wondering around your home whining and growling for no reason, it could be signs of stress.
Panting for No Reason
Unexplained panting is one of the most common signs of dog-related stress. It’s normal for dogs to pant when they’re hot, thirsty, or tired from a walk or play-time. However, if you see them panting for no reason, there’s a good chance they’re stressed out. Panting is often followed or preceded by random barking, whining, or growling.
Excessive Pacing
Dogs don’t have a natural inclination to exercise and “get their steps in.” So, if you notice your dog randomly pacing back and forth through your home, it’s not because they’re trying to work off that last bowl of dog food. Instead, it’s likely because they’re stressed about something and are seeking your attention.
Licking You or Themselves
A dog licking you is commonly mistaken for a sign of love and affection. While this is sometimes the case, “doggy kisses” aren’t always because of love. In general, dogs will lick you if they need something, are trying to taste something on you, or because they’re stressed. If your dog licking you is followed or preceded by aggressively licking themselves, it’s typically a sign of stress. Licking helps a dog feel calm and at ease, and they often do it to relieve their stress.
Lack of Appetite
A dog with a lack of an appetite is one of the most alarming things for a pet owner to see. When healthy, dogs will eat almost everything in sight from treats to their food to human food. As with humans, however, dogs tend to lose their appetite if they’re worried, anxious, or stressed.
Even if your dog isn’t eating because of stress, a lack of appetite is never a good sign. It typically means that they’re in pain, not feeling well, or something’s wrong with their dog food.
GI Issues
Stress and GI issues or an upset stomach are closely related in dogs. For instance, stressed dogs will often develop GI issues, and dogs with GI issues will often experience stress. The tricky part is finding out which symptom happened first so that you can treat it accordingly.
Body Language Signs
Finally, one of the best ways to tell if your dog is stressed is in their body language. Entire books have been written about how dogs convey stress and their feelings through body language. Here are some of the most common body language signs of stress.
- Yawning
- Itching
- Licking
- Scratching
- Panting
- Having a tucked tail
- Revealing the whites of their eyes (known as whale eyeing)
- Having large, droopy eyes
- Having their tail down rather than up or wagging
- Avoiding eye contact
- Tucked or droopy ears
However, it’s important to pay attention to more than just body language, because these signs can mean more than one thing. For example, dogs will display guilt or fear in many of the same ways that they display stress. Therefore, you should take body language into consideration with other signs before deciding that your dog is stressed.
What to Do When Your Dog is Stressed
If you feel like your dog is stressed out, it’s important to address the issue as quickly as possible. Unabated stress can lead to GI issues, stomach pain, shedding, and unwanted behaviors from your pooch. Here are some of the best ways to relieve a dog’s stress.
- Take them on a walk.
- Take them to the park.
- Dedicate some play time to them.
- Spend time petting them and talking in a soothing tone.
- Give them a treat accompanied by either petting, a walk, or playtime.
- Scratch their ears.
- Invest in a calming t-shirt, vest, jacket, or coat for them.
In most cases, the best way to relieve stress in a dog is simply by spending time with them. If you can make them feel loved and cared for, they’re much less likely to experience stress.
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