Dogs are incredibly resilient creatures that can withstand great hardship and still come out the other side wagging their tail. However, sometimes they need a little help to unlock their resilience and help them cope with stress. There are several ways to help a dog open their strength. One is to provide them with a safe and stable environment. Providing a safe environment means having a consistent routine and plenty of positive reinforcement (Tiira, 2019). Managing stress levels in dogs incorporates behavioral and physical changes that need to be enhanced.
Stress is a common problem for dogs and their owners, but it does not have to be a permanent part of their dog’s life. Understanding the causes and effects of stress can help their dogs overcome it and become more resilient. Many different things can cause stress in dogs, including changes in their environment, separation from their guardians, and fear of unfamiliar people or animals (Tiira, 2019). Some dogs are also more prone to stress than others due to genetics or previous experiences. The good news is that there are several things one can do to help their dogs to cope with stress and become more resilient. These include providing a safe and consistent environment, desensitizing their dogs to things that trigger their stress, and teaching them positive coping mechanisms.
Several key factors contribute to dealing with stress in dogs. The function of the sympathetic nervous system, the hypothalamic “fight or flight” response, becomes key as one of the stress relief mechanisms. The sympathetic system of the dog’s body becomes the area that regulates the fight or flight response. The response is triggered when the body perceives a threat causing the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine. When the arousal level increases, it helps the body prepare for action and deal with the cause of the stress. Fight or flight response is controlled by the hypothalamus, responsible for releasing adrenaline via the pituitary glands in response to a perceived threat. The stress response constitutes the release of energy to some critical body systems. Some of these areas include the heart, which causes a spike in the rates of relaxation and contraction, the pain perception system and the sensory areas.
A growing body of evidence suggests that chronic stress can lead to several health problems in dogs, including digestive, skin, and behavioral problems. Chronic stress can lead to an imbalance of hormones, including increased stress hormone cortisol. The heightened hormone levels can lead to a state of allostasis or wear and tear on the body, eventually leading to allostatic overload and a breakdown of the body’s systems (Tiira, 2019). Allostasis which represents the adaptation to change, allows the dog to develop mechanisms that help cope with stress. The body’s response to stress increases the hormone glucocorticoids, regulated via the negative feedback loop, to return to normal levels. The notable health impacts include decreased growth, cases of early death, heart problems, gastrointestinal disorders and immune problems.
When dogs are faced with a stressful situation, their bodies release cortisol. The hormone helps them to cope with the stress and to recover from it more quickly. It also allows them to build up a resistance to stress over time, making them more resilient (Chmelíková et al., 2020). The primary mechanism by which cortisol release manages stress is the prevention of initial responses from increasing rapidly and causing damage to the body together with inflammatory responses. Many factors can lead to toxic stress in dogs, including prenatal stress during gestation and adolescent stress, which present differences in brain functions between young and adults. However, the primary factor that contributes to toxic stress is the lack of maternal care. The puppies become the most affected since adaptation without maternal care to stress becomes a problem. Changes that depict behavioral and physical growth in dealing with stress become problematic for the puppies. The adults, however, become hyper-responsive to dealing with stress due to high anxiety levels.
Several other factors also contribute to stress management in dogs, mainly composed of the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The amygdala is responsible for processing emotions, and it is especially active during times of stress. When the amygdala is stimulated, it sends signals to the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and learning (Tiira, 2019). The hippocampus then sends signals to the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and executive function. The amygdala hence monitors the threat assessment and contains the memory of fear. The hippocampus is crucial in ensuring that it modulates the emotional response together with extinction. The last part, the prefrontal cortex, then regulates the impulses and fear levels, adequately coping with stress.
Stress relief mechanisms are composed of behavioral factors and the body systems. The body responds to stress by making various changes to prevent further damage, typically during inflammation. The increased hormonal levels are regulated via harmful feedback levels. Additionally, in terms of behavioral mechanisms, maternal care becomes a critical aspect right from the dogs are still young. Adult dogs that lack that maternal care while they are puppies develop anxiety and depression while at the same time showcase poor maternal care to their young ones.
References
Chmelíková, E., Bolechová, P., Chaloupková, H., Svobodová, I., Jovičić, M., & Sedmíková, M. (2020). Salivary cortisol as a marker of acute stress in dogs: a review. Domestic Animal Endocrinology, 72, 106428. Web.
Tiara, K. (2019). Resilience in Dogs? Lessons from Other Species. Veterinary Medicine: Research and Reports, Volume 10, pp. 159–168. Web.