10 Symptoms of Stress & Anxiety in Dogs

Thanks for caring about your best friend! Here we are going to detail 10 signs of stress and anxiety in dogs.

Stress and anxiety in dogs is a normal response to certain situations that are foreign or threatening to them. Although stress and anxiety can be beneficial at certain times, when they become excessive or chronic they can have a negative impact on the dog's health and well-being.

The causes of stress and anxiety in dogs can be very diverse. Some of the most common are changes in the environment, isolation, lack of exercise, monotony, pain, and illness.

The signs of stress and anxiety in dogs can be very varied and not always easy to detect. Some of the most common signs are increased vocalization, increased activity, withdrawal, loss of appetite, change in behavior, increased salivation, change in heart rate and respiration, and change in in the sleep pattern.

Hyperactivity

It is very common for stressed dogs to have hyperactive behavior. They are incapable of being calm and in the long run they may begin to chew furniture and any utensil they find in their path to release accumulated tension.

Appearance of stereotypes

Stereotypes are constant repetitive movements that the dog carries out without a specific purpose . There are many types of stereotypes: we can observe dogs that bite their tails, that hunt invisible animals, that bark non-stop... These are repetitive and incessant habits.

Overreactions

Maybe your dog was already a bit barking, ate things off the ground, or maybe he already reacted to other dogs in the past. Whatever their habits were, you now observe their more intense behavior. In the stressed dog the reactions are intensified.

Salivation and Smack

If we observe that a dog licks its lips and salivates in a very exaggerated way, it will be essential to pay attention that it is not a habit that it carries out repetitively and constantly. It is one of the signs of stress in the dog that we must take into account.

Lack of attention

Dogs that are stressed suffer a general nervousness that makes it difficult for them to concentrate, pay attention, follow our obedience orders... However, if your dog presents a general lack of attention and has always (not only now that it is stressed) You could evaluate with your vet if it is an attention deficit problem.

Excessive panting

Panting is the tool used by dogs to expel body heat. If you see your dog panting in situations where he should be calm, he is probably stressed and needs to relieve the tension he is feeling. Sometimes panting may be accompanied by wailing and sad sounds.

Reactivity or Flight

The stressed dog usually feels very uncomfortable in the face of an unknown situation or one that is causing stress. If, for example, our dog suffers stress when meeting other dogs, each of these encounters will cause him to overreact. This will cause him to try to flee or to react very negatively to this stimulus (whether it be a person, an environment, an object or a specific situation).

Loss of hair

Hair loss usually occurs in cases of chronic stress in which the dog begins to feel physically affected by the situation it is suffering. If you notice that your dog begins to lose hair due to pure anxiety, you should go to the vet as soon as possible. You can also lose hair from compulsive licking ( acral granuloma ) or from pulling it out directly with your teeth. Act as soon as possible, the dog sends you emergency signals.

Muscular stiffness

Especially in situations that cause him stress, we can see him more tense and rigid than usual. It is common to see the tail and limbs in tension, waiting for something significant to happen.

Behavior Changes

Finally we end the list with a common problem: behavior changes . It is very common for dogs that suffer from stress to begin to develop behaviors that they have never shown before: aggressiveness, shyness, depression, phobias... But instead of showing them in specific situations, they begin to do so in a general way. This is one of the most revealing signs of stress in dogs.

Other symptoms

• Nervous visits to the vet
• Destructive Behaviors
• Haircuts
• rutting season
• Depression due to loneliness
• Electric storms
• Home visits
• Chronic pain
• canine insomnia
• Land and Air Travel with nerve
• Aggressiveness Cases
• Excessive barking
• Canine Arthritis
• Lack of appetite
• Restlessness by Anxiety
• Barking Fireworks

How to help your pet?

Now you will be able to get to know your pet better and you will know how to help it!