Stress in dogs: what do they get it from?

What makes dogs stressed?

Stress in dogs can cause health issues, even without you realising it. To help prevent physical complaints, we will first take a look at what might be causing the stress. Most dogs don't get stress from working too much, but from what? Dogs can get stress from the unpredictability and uncontrollability of certain situations. For every dog, these situations are different. How a dog reacts to a certain situation depends on the dog's character, what has already happened in the past and the current moment. So stress often arises when a dog cannot properly assess or change the situation he is in or the environment he is in.

Are all forms of stress bad for your dog?

Not all stress obviously gives health problems. Short-term stress only makes the dog feel different at that moment and that is quite natural. Only if the situation remains unchanged or recurs too regularly will it become a problem. Then there is no longer short-term stress but chronic stress. The dog's body becomes exhausted by prolonged stress and can no longer adapt to the situation. A tired body can become more susceptible to behavioural abnormalities or health problems, for example because of reduced immunity. At such times, there just isn't enough energy for that.

What are often causes of stress?

Now of course the question is, but what does my dog get stress from? This is very different for each dog, but in general you can consider the following situations. Things that belong to normal life for us, such as changes in family composition (baby, new partner), moving house, renovation, a new pet, driving in the car, thunderstorms, fireworks and holidays. These situations can contribute to a dog's stress level. But things you might not immediately think of can also contribute to the dog's discomfort. You can think of the neighbour's dog, the new dog in the neighbourhood, boredom at home, staying home alone while everyone else (the pack) leaves. Where you walk the dog can also be an influence, think of a very busy neighbourhood to walk while the dog may not like all that noise at all.

-This is an automated translation-