Signs Your Dog is Stressed
Sometimes recognizing if our dogs are stressed can be difficult to determine. Especially with a newly adopted dog who you haven’t gotten the chance to know yet fully. But even the best pet parents who’ve owned their pooch for years can miss some of these subtle signs of stress.
Pay Attention to Their Tail
A dog’s tail can be worth a thousand words because they frequently correlate it with their current emotions. If your pup’s tail is tucked between their legs, that should be a clear indicator that they are experiencing stress or nervousness. A stiff tail can be a little bit more challenging to recognize. If you’re noticing Fido hasn’t been waging their tail for a while, or it’s pointed straight up in the air, this is less likely a sign of stress or more closely related to aggressive or warning-like behavior.
Panting, Shaking, and Shedding, Oh My!
A canine will pant when they’re hot to try and cool themselves down or shiver to try and warm themselves up in the cold. But if neither of those environments is in play with the current situation, they’re most likely indicators of high stress. Your dog sheds all the time, so how do you know the difference between average shedding and stress shedding? There really isn’t a clear answer. It may just be normal shedding, or it could be related to a medical condition – so if it’s something that is causing you concern, it’s best to bring it up with your vet and let them make the call.
Where is Fido?
Sometimes your dog needs some alone time, and a healthy amount of that is totally okay. But if your pooch seems to be secluding themselves regularly or even hiding – you may have a problem on your hands. Red flags will look like – removing themselves from situations frequently and hiding under beds or in empty rooms.
Big Eyes & Flattened Ears
Also known as “half-moon eyes,” is then your pup is choosing to move their eyes to observe the room rather than merely moving their head. This type of behavior will result in an exposure of the whites in their eyes that creates a crescent moon shape. Another physical sign of stress will be when Fido’s ears wither pin back or lay completely flat against their head – this isn’t only a sign for anxiety but fearfulness as well.
Sudden & Abnormal Aggression
If a dog is feeling stressed out, they may start to panic, and like a lot of people do when they go into panic mode – they can get aggressive. The cause of their stress will usually become quite evident as they will project their growling and biting towards it. This is a normal reaction for dogs when they meet new people or children if not properly introduced. Your dog is a loving and protective animal and may think a stranger is trying to harm you, creating stress-induced aggression. Dogs who don’t possess great listening cues or aren’t equipped with the proper training or more likely to act this way and harder to control as well.
Doggy Destruction
If you come home after a long day and your home is trashed, you’ll most likely be frustrated and upset – especially if your dog usually has excellent behavior. So before getting angry and yelling at your pup, consider that this ordeal most likely happened because of stress, anxiety, or lack of exercise. Ensuring your furry friend is getting enough exercise every day can help lessen this behavior significantly. If you realize the problem is more anxiety/stress-related, then obedience training should be able to help.
There is an abundance of reasons your canine companion could be experiencing stress; these are just the most common culprits. Proper training and exercise, though, can help with a majority of these issues, so try those first, and if your pup still isn’t feeling their best, you should talk to their vet.
