Are you concerned that your dog is stressed? Are you trying to figure out whether your dog is actually stressed? As dog owners, we want to know how our pups are doing. And this includes whether or not they are stressed out.
In order to better determine how our dogs are doing, we decided to ask the experts. This meant asking how we can tell if our dogs are stressed out and what the signs are of a stressed out pup. Luckily, we got some interesting expert advice that makes it a lot easier to determine how our dog is doing.
Not only did we get some insight into signs of our dog being stressed out from Colby Julien, a dog trainer and animal behaviorist from Geo-Sniffing, but we also got advice from Kendall Wolford of Impact Dog Crates. So what did they have to say about what to look out for in our dogs?
How can you tell if your dog is stressed out?
In reaching out to the experts our question was specifically, "How can you tell if your dog is stressed?" Here's what they shared with us:
According to Wolford, "Typically, dogs tend to retreat when they are stressed. It's common for dogs suffering from stress to become more reclusive and lose their appetite."
Her answer was very straightforward and made perfect sense. And it is definitely something we have seen with dogs in the past when their environment changes.
So what did Colby Julien share about telling if your dog is stressed?
As Julien explained, "Dogs show stress through signals known as 'calming behaviors.' There are over 30+ calming behaviors, as described by Norwegian dog trainer Turid Rugaas. These include lip licking, yawning, turning away, and sniffing the ground, which are attempts to communicate discomfort. Every owner should learn about calming behaviors because they can be triggered by fear of people, unfamiliar places, or objects. If you recognize the signals it allows you to either remove them from the situation or reward them with treats to overcome their fear."
Knowing that our dogs are showing stress by way of doing things to calm themselves down makes sense. And it is good to know so that we can pay better attention to what is happening that could be stressing them out.
Being aware of the signs of stress can go a long way towards finding ways to eliminate potential stressors. And of course, it can help us to not add more stress to their plate.