Dogs are historically one of man's best friends for so many reasons. One of them is that having a loyal dog can serve as a useful companion any day and time.
Dogs serve many useful purposes to its owner, and as a result, can be greatly stressed even without the knowledge of the owner.
One major cause of stress in dogs is that most owners do not understand the animal mood, and as a result, do not feel that their dogs can get stressed until it is already late.
Here are 9 ways owners stress their dogs:
1. Leaving your dog alone for an extended period of time
There are several breeds of dogs that can stay alone. They wouldn’t feel too lonely without your presence. A likely example here includes big dogs such as Scottish deerhound, Neapolitan mastiff, etc. These breed of dogs are lone rangers.
However, there are other dog breeds such as the Border collie, Miniature Pinscher, etc. When you leave them alone for long, they begin to exhibit patterns such as peeing where they are not supposed to pee, destroying furniture, barking too much as well as displaying unusual behaviors. These pointers should be a pointer to you that your dog is stressed from having to spend all that time by itself. You can talk to your dog's vet when these signs begin to manifest.
2. Giving too many commands
Just like humans who become tired after a hard day’s job, dogs can also get weary and exhausted. When dog Owners give too many varying commands to their dogs, they run the risk of getting their dogs stressed.
The American Kennel Club recommends that dogs be given one command at a time when they are having a hard time listening to or learning your commands.
3. Nervousness in social situations
The way a dog owner behaves in social situations is a mirror of how the dog will behave also. A 2017 study shows that the cortisol level on dogs and owners are usually the same, which implies that a dog's behavior to its owner will mirror the owner's behavior to others.
So owners who are less sensitive to others will find they have dogs that are less sensitive to their needs too. So you should treat your dog with the utmost care and affection, and your dog will surely reciprocate even twice as much.
4. Owner feeling stressed out
A recently published article suggests that dogs mirror their owner's stress levels. This deduction was made when the cortisol (a stress-related hormone) levels of dogs and their owners were taken and measured by a Swedish scientist named Lina Roth. She reported on a research that was conducted on 58 dog owners.
The result proved that the behavior of their dogs was a true reflection of each owner’s behavior. It further explained that the stress levels of the owners had a significant influence on their dogs.
5. Unnecessary punishment
Most owners treat their dogs as though they have human abilities. They believe that dogs should have the innate ability to distinguish what is right from wrong and should be able to understand morals. This belief is not true because dogs except for severe training, do not fully grasp the extent of human reasoning and so they do not live by human codes.
Punishing your dogs unnecessarily as though they are humans is the wrong thing to do. You should not also mistreat them as a result of wrongful behavior.
6. Traveling in a car
Except a dog is trained from a young age to travel in cars, traveling with your dog in the car can trigger their stress level. This effect is called “motion sickness.”
Dogs are used to their living space, and when traveling, they are out of it, which makes them nervous. It can even get worse if your dog is taking a flight hence it is advisable to give your dog vitamin-based sedative to calm their nerves during long travels.
7. A loud, unexpected sound
Most dogs have noise phobia, which can be triggered by fireworks, noise, thunder, etc. This may result in dogs going into panic-mode, which can make them jump through windows, tear your carpets, destroy furniture, or even run away.
Yearly, dog shelters around America take in hundreds of dogs as a result of the 4th of July fireworks.
8. Staring at your dog
Most dogs view staring as a form of confrontation and it’s hugely unsettling for them, and triggers a stress response from the dogs. It is okay to stare at your dog but only in response to an event and not a continuous staring as this causes stress in dogs.
9. Pulling on your dog’s leash indiscriminately
It is important to understand as a dog owner that your dog may be drawn in a different direction other than yours. Sometimes dogs do this to smell or see something that looks interesting.
You need to learn to be understanding as an owner and give it some time to follow through. Continually pulling your dog’s leash to redirect it may cause increased stress levels.
We have discussed some of the ways dog owners increase the stress levels of their dogs. However, other ways include: holding your dog while hugging or kissing it, point or shake your finger at your dog, waking up your dog.
Dog owners must also learn how to spot these stress patterns in their dogs and help them be at ease. Some proper measures include trying to avoid stressful situations, understanding your dog’s stress levels, and getting someone to help care for your dog when you are leaving for a long time.
But if your dog is perpetually stressed and shows symptoms like barking, destroying furniture, messing up your apartment, ensure you take it to a veterinary doctor for a checkup.