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Know if a dog is stressed it will depend on each specific case and sometimes it will be difficult to identify if we do not have previous experience with it. It is recommended to consult an expert if this problem generates serious situations.
For this reason, at PeritoAnimal we want to help you to learn to identify the causes that cause stress in your pet with a series of tricks and advice to prevent it and promote its well-being.
Keep reading this article to learn all about stress and how to avoid it, be well informed so that your pet is happy and healthy.
How can we measure stress?
Stress combines several factors, including adaptation to the environment, the dog's needs and the succession of positive factors that brighten its life. This way, if we don't meet these basic requirements our puppy will be stressed.
The welfare of an animal is achieved by complying with the five freedoms of animal welfare that briefly include:
- Free from thirst, hunger and malnutrition
- Discomfort free
- Free from pain, disease and wounds
- free of expression
- Free from fear and stress.
Fulfilling all these needs and observing a healthy dog we can say that it is a dog that has well-being.
How to identify a stressed dog
We may think that we have fulfilled all the dog's liberties and that he enjoys a happy life, but sometimes we come across behaviors that show that this dog is not happy at all, and besides suffers from an important stress situation.
If we don't solve this problem that, influenced by the environment, social needs and others cause a mental problem, we can cause our pet to start suffering from changes in its behavior, which leads to behavioral problems.
Some clues that indicate stress in our pet are:
- the stereotypes: These are repetitive behaviors or movements that have no function. In bitches we can talk about cases of dogs that walk around on themselves for hours, this is effectively a stereotypy.
- aggressiveness: If until now our animal was a pet with a normal behavior and starts to develop aggressiveness in certain situations, these obviously affect our animal's health, increasing its stress levels. Sometimes this can be the reason for him to start biting even more in games.
- Apathy: Although some puppies demonstrate their stress through aggressiveness or extreme behavior, there are also cases of puppies showing no behavior at all.
- Excessive activity: It's not the same thing as talking about a tireless dog. These are pets that despite being extremely tired are unable to stop their movements and behavior.
- Using negative reinforcement or aggressiveness: In addition to being dangerous not only for us, but also for those in our midst, these behaviors generate a great level of stress in our dog. We must avoid all kinds of negative behavior.
- Fear: It can be fear of people, other dogs or we can talk about general fear. Those dogs who have had very negative experiences in their lives may suffer from fear that creates stress.
What should we do to improve well-being?
A dog with severe aggression or fear issues must be treated by a specialist, because sometimes and due to lack of knowledge, we may not be acting correctly. Therefore, during the time you are waiting to go to a professional, you should follow these advices:
In addition to fulfilling your pet's basic needs, it is very important that you communicate with him properly. Use positive reinforcement to encourage those behaviors that are appropriate with treats, petting, and even a kind word. You don't have to be overly generous, showing affection to the dog will be enough.
When you do something you don't like, you should say "No" firmly and confidently, whenever you're having that wrong behavior right now. It's very important never to hurt him or use electric discharge collars or the like, this will only make your dog more stressed.
before a scared dog we must look for tranquility and security, for this reason we must not force him to relate or interact with other dogs or people, depending on his fear. When they themselves feel ready, they will try to relate.
Encourage relaxation both indoors and outdoors, this way it will be more appropriate to walk your pet during quiet hours and not encourage behaviors that excite him excessively.
We should encourage him with games and activities that allow him to develop and have a happy behavior and proper to a dog.
Lastly, we mention the importance of spending time with your puppy and walk for at least 60 to 90 minutes per day, these are techniques that will considerably improve your stress levels.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.