Do you know the signs of stress in dogs?

Dogs speak a totally different language to us. Imagine going to a foreign country and trying to communicate to the people there that you are stressed or upset; but they have no idea what you are trying to tell them; because they don’t speak your language. It must be similar for our dogs sometimes, we might think we know how they are thinking but their behaviour and body language is easily and commonly misinterpreted. You can never learn too much about the way your dog communicates!

 The 4 F’s

🐾 Some dogs, when stressed or feeling unsafe will go into defensive mode, this is called the fight response. These dogs may bark, lunge forwards, growl, snap or bite.

🐾 But other dogs will do the opposite; trying to move themselves away from the situation bothering them. This is called the flight response. They might hide, create distance or even bolt.

 🐾 Another type of stress response is the freeze. This is when the dog goes very still or shuts down. They will often lower their body carriage, tuck their tail under, their ears back and they may squint their eyes. Many dogs will lay onto their back when they are feeling overwhelmed by being stroked and touched which is commonly misinterpreted as wanting tummy rubs.

 🐾 Lastly; the “fool around” response is the most easily misunderstood sign of stress. Many dogs will appear ‘happy’ and hyperactive. This may involve zooming around, jumping up, mounting, excessive licking, panting, there may be some mouthing, looking like they are being very ‘silly’ or just boisterous play. This is common in dogs during the adolescent stage (6 months - 3 years). Often their eyes will be wide and their tongue forms a wide ‘spatula’ shape as they are panting. Some dogs will just become more restless and seem unable to settle.

If you observe your dog you will be able to detect the more subtle signs as stress is rising;

🐾 Licking their lips

🐾 Refusing treats

🐾 Holding up one paw

🐾 Yawning out of context

🐾 Changes in tail carriage (a waggy tail is not always a sign of a happy dog)

🐾 Scratching themselves for no reason

🐾 Panting (when they are not too hot)

🐾 Scratching themselves for no reason

🐾 Having a shake off

🐾Tense facial expression such as a furrowed brow and lips pulled back at the corners

🐾 Ears going back, eyes may look wider

🐾 A dog that is very relaxed will have a soft facial expression and loose, relaxed movement so any deviation from that may be a sign your dog is feeling uneasy

This is not a conclusive list of signs but hopefully enough to get you aware of your dog’s body language and changes in behaviour. It is important to explain at this point; that these signs are not always an indicator of stress. Your dog will lick their lips many times during the day when they are not stressed, for example. But noticing these changes in behaviour is the most important thing.

Stress can be triggered by both good and bad things! This means that too much stimulation or exercise such as ball fetching can even contribute to stress even though your dog may be enjoying it. Just like us, dogs need time for the brain to calm down from lots of sensory input to avoid trigger stacking (read further below for more on this).

Ways to help your dog calm down and reduce stress:

 1. Sniffing: plenty of opportunity to sniff is the easiest and most effective way of helping your dog to calm down. When dogs are sniffing they are exhibiting behaviour that is totally natural and important to them. When dogs are sniffing, it has been scientifically proven that their heart rate decreases, blood pressure drops and dopamine levels rise; which makes them feel really good and promotes relaxation for the entire body (Budzinski and Budzinski, 2019).The easiest way to allow sniffing is to take your dog on a walk and allow them to sniff! You can also teach easy scent-work activities at home (see the training tip in December's newsletter!)

 2. Recognise the body language signs that your dog may be stressed and help them! Can you give them space away from what’s happening? Can you give them something positive to do to help them feel better, such as, the suggestions listed here?

 3. Be aware of “trigger stacking”. When dogs are mentally or physically stimulated this triggers a hormonal response within their body. Certain hormones such as cortisol are elevated at times of stress or high excitement / high activity. It takes time for these levels to return back to normal, meaning they will be more easily overwhelmed or stressed by subsequent activities. So if your dog has had a very busy day, it’s a good idea to have a quiet day after where you avoid any triggering situations and provide them with calmer activities such as gentle sniffy walks and chewing.

 4. Avoiding the situations your dog finds stressful: it might seem obvious; but the easiest way to help dogs relax is to avoid the things that cause them stress. Their mental well-being is extremely important and has a direct impact on the behaviour you see in everyday life. If your dog does not enjoy the company of other dogs; can you avoid going to the busy park each day and opt for somewhere quieter?

 5. Do more of the things your dog enjoys! Does your dog enjoy being stroked and massaged? You can use this to help them relax. Does your dog enjoy learning new tricks and always seem contented after a training session? You can integrate regular training sessions into your week so that your dog gets more of the ‘feel good’ chemicals flowing in their system.

 6. Chewing and licking: most dogs benefit hugely from having appropriate opportunities to chew and lick. Find some safe dog chews and give your dog plenty of opportunities to use them. If they are not interested in what you’ve offered, it may not be to their taste (many of the plastic or rubber chews available in pet shops are unappealing to dogs). There are also plenty of products available to encourage licking such as ‘licking mats’ and hollow rubber toys which you can smear tasty wet food inside. Do ensure that if you have multiple dogs you offer these activities to them separately to avoid conflict and teach children to never approach dogs when they have something like a chew; even the friendliest dog may get defensive.

7. Is there an underlying cause that needs addressing? Did you know that the majority of dogs referred to behaviourists with a behaviour problem have some sort of undiagnosed discomfort or pain? Mills et al. (2020). If your dog is not feeling their best, stress will affect them more, so if you’ve noticed a change in your dog’s behaviour the first step is to get a good, thorough vet check to discuss their behaviour and if there could be something physical affecting them. When health problems, discomfort and pain are addressed and treated your dog will be feeling much better in themselves and therefore calmer.

Blog written by Claire Mcknespiey of Educating Paws.