Daily living situations or the owner’s attitude when dealing with the dog may inadvertently stress the dog. The dog will also show the effects of stress in various ways.
Anorexia: Stress can cause a dog’s appetite to wane, and the dog may eat less or be reluctant to eat.
Solicitation/submissiveness signals: These are not necessarily indicators of stress. They are an essential daily communication tool to maintain social peace and are often found in calm, stress-free interactions. The presence of these signals in social interactions is intended to promote group peace and member safety. However, they can also be stress indicators in conjunction with other behaviors.
Such signals include:
Slow movement: the dog seems to move in slow motion; lip licking: the dog licks the mouth of the higher dog; sit/down/exposed belly: the dog lowers its body, exposing vulnerable areas; head tilted, eyes averted: the dog avoids looking at each other, revealing the neck; avoidance: the dog turns away, frozen and unresponsive, avoiding touch and treats; deep frown: the dog has folds or raised tense muscles around the forehead and eyes; learning to slow down. The dog’s frown is a tight muscle around the forehead and eyes; slow learning: learning under severe stress is ineffective or not easily understood.
Digestive problems: Vomiting and diarrhea may be signs of illness or may be signs of stress. The digestive system is very responsive to stress, and motion sickness is often a stress-induced response.
Diversionary behaviors: These behaviors aim to resolve internal stress conflicts in dogs and may be observed in urgent dogs in isolation, such as those left in veterinary hospital rooms.
Blinking: Blinking significantly faster than usual; nose licking: Licking the nose is sometimes done to keep it moist and sometimes is a sign of restlessness, and if it is done too often, it may indicate a restless dog.
Excessive grooming: Dogs may lick and chew their paws, flanks, and tail, even to self-harm in the absence of skin disease.
Overly aggressive: overly aggressive behavior, pacing, and sometimes misinterpretation as not caring and not listening to the owner.
Immune disorders: chronic stress weakens the immune system and is often associated with the stress response.
Lack of attention: The brain under stress is unable to digest information.
Clinging: Urgent dogs will seek human contact for comfort; depressed posture: ghosting, guilt-tripping, or sneaking can be a sign of stress; biting: mouthing people can be exploratory behavior in puppies or rude behavior in adults, but it can also be a sign of stress, which can range from a light bite leaving a small bite mark to a hard snack to a painful hard bite, an open bite, or an actual bite. or real open bite.
Panting: Rapid shallow or deep breathing is expected if the dog feels hot or has been exercising. Otherwise, it may be related to stress. Stress can come from outside or inside pain or other illness; stretching: to relieve tight muscles from stress. It may also be the behavior after sleeping or after a long period of fixed immobility, and stress is not related; stiffness of movement: tightness leads to noticeable stiffness in the direction of the legs, body, and tail;
Shivering: may be caused by stress, but more attention should be paid to whether it is caused by cold or physical discomfort; wailing: high audio barking, which most people find annoying, is an indicator of stress. If the dog is excited enough to make a wail, it is in a tight spot; yawning: dogs will yawn when they are tired, although sometimes this behavior occurs when the owner criticizes the dog, which is a way for the dog to soothe its inner turmoil.
