Like us, our dogs can and do experience stress. Just as stress can make us feel afraid or hyper or edgy or irritable, it can do the same to our dogs. It is a well established fact that chronic or long-term stress will likely have a detrimental effect on an individual's behavior, health and overall well-being. As responsible guardians we have a responsibility to help prevent stress in our dogs lives and to help them deal with stressors when they do occur.
While we and our dogs need to live with a certain amount of stress; it is imperative that we understand that whether the stress is "good" or "bad," short term or long term, it will have a physiological effect on the body. Stress has the potential to make one ill and may cause behaviors that damage relationships with others. It also increases arousal and reactivity, which frequently increases aggression. As a pet behavior consultant, it has been my experience that most behavior problems with pets, especially the more serious such as aggression and separation anxiety, are the result of stress. The susceptibility to stress varies with each individual dog or person. How an individual responds to stress is often affected by a combination of inherited genes and events within the organism's environment.
When something stressful happens (e.g. we are surprised by a snake, we are in a car accident, etc.) the body falls under control of the Sympathetic Autonomic Nervous System (SANS). The SANS is part of the body responsible for controlling the flight or fight response. Essentially the body goes on auto-pilot to protect us from the perceived threat. This is all controlled by a series of stress hormones and neurotransmitters that activate and deactivate various systems within the body.
The SANS is closely associated with the limbic system, which is the part of the brain that deals with the expression and experience of emotions, memory and aggression. It is the most primitive part of the brain and is very involved with instinctual survival mechanisms. It is separate from the cerebral cortex, which is thought to be the "thinking" part of the brain and the site of conscious thought and intelligence. Note that the brain is hard-wired to always remember negative emotional responses to help ensure our future safety.
There are four key things to remember about a dog under severe stress: 1) their body is reacting instinctively without thought, 2) the increased level of arousal/reactivity that is part of stress increases the probability of aggression, 3) when under stress the ability to learn is severely disabled if nonexistent, and 4) if under chronic/frequent stress, it can take many hours or even days for the body to return to normal, which is why chronic stress is so debilitating.
When stressed a dogs behavior will often change. Common behaviors that are often stress induced are: being restless, an inability to relax, poor sleeping habits (less than 17 hours of sleep per day), excessive sleeping, becoming jumpy/hypervigilant, irritable, destructive behaviors, excessive self-grooming, loss of appetite, obsessive/compulsive behaviors (e.g. shadow chasing), an inability to focus, hyperactivity, increased urination and defecation, and vomiting and diarrhea.
In order to reduce our dogs' stress we first need to understand it. Once we have identified the cause there are many approaches to eliminating the stress. The easiest way to deal with a dog under stress is usually management - removing the dog from the situation/context where the stress occurs. While this does not solve the problem, it is a temporary fix which will make the dog feel better. If this is a context/situation the dog will need to be exposed to in the future, it is advisable to work with a qualified and credentialed behavior consultant (see Selecting A Dog Behavior Consultant - http://tinyurl.com/4o6a7t ) to help get the dog over this fear. Few dog guardians are successful resolving this type of issue by reading books, attending seminars, or watching programs on TV. In my experience they usually make the problem worse.
A behavior consultant will consider a number of methods to help your dog deal with their stress. They will almost always recommend a behavior modification protocol, which is a specialized training program for your dog's situation. A dog training class is seldom recommended for a dog with stress-based issues such as anxiety and aggression, as it often puts a dog in a situation where they will be stressed and learning cannot occur.
Additionally a behavior consultant may also recommend changes in diets, treatment with complementary therapies (Bach Flower Remedies, herbs, homeopathy) if they are so qualified, and if they are a veterinary behaviorist they may recommend the use of certain drugs. A behavior consultant should always be working with your veterinarian.
Stress can make us feel miserable and it does the same for our dogs. If you have a dog living in stress - take steps to help them as soon as possible!
[via diana @ pos-4-reactivedogs]
[Personally I take this as another viewpoint to explain behavior. Others have other viewpoints and I think they all have some merit.]
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