Detect Stress In Your Dog
It’s common knowledge that many pets are stressed by thunder and lightening, not to mention a trip to the vet. But there are many other reasons that pets suffer from stress and anxiety and it happens mostly in their home environment. Typical signs of stress in dogs include: •Excessive barking both inside and outside the home•Accidents around the house
•Sudden displays or growing, snarling and even biting family members toward which your dog is normally affectionate
•Physical signs of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite skin allergies excessive licking and pulling out clumps of fur •Destructive behavior such as chewing furniture and other items in the home
Further, many dogs get stressed when left home alone for long hours and anxiety builds until you get back home. A new home or changes in the existing environment can also be triggers. So can a new baby or a new pet. Some pets get destructive chewing things around the house, others make themselves physically ill.
So how do you address the stress your dog has developed?
Not surprisingly a good pack structure and pack mentality will resolve most of the issues. There is not much you can do about moving to a new home. The important thing about getting a new dog, or one you have had for along time is to introduce them to the new home correctly. Rather than just take your dog from the car to the house you should invest about 20 - 30 minutes walking the dog around the neighborhood to allow them to get aquainted with their new surroundings.
Dogs instinctively know they must move territories. Their definition of moving to another territory is the entire pack moves together. They leave where they were walking in search of a new location following the alpha's leade. Once the new territory with plenty of water and food is found they may want to mark this new location to show it is owned by them.
Humans on the other hand find a real-estate agend, choose a location, pack their belongings and move. There is no sniffing, marking of territory, nothing, just unpacking and moving in. We don't do the natural process of a pack animal. This has to be confusing for the dog.
Perhaps you didn't move and still your dog has signs of stress. By developing a correct pack mentality many of these behaviors will subside or dissappear. If the dog is the leader of the pack and you move without getting his permission, well you just blew his authority. It is not normal for submissive members of the pack to make moving, or any other decisions. And if you are considered a submissive member of the pack your dog will feel stress because there is not a clearly defined pack structure.