Friday, February 18, 2011

Stress and Calming Signals

When a dog yawns, I often hear a nearby person comment: "Oh, you're sleepy, poor little thing."  But, a difference between humans and dogs is that dogs do not yawn when they are sleepy.  When you see a dog yawning (especially, when s/he does a slight yawn with a shake of the head), it means the dog is under stress.  S/he is trying to relieve the stress by sending a calming signal.  Dogs sometimes send calming signals to relax themselves.  Other times, they will send such signals to other dogs or people to help them relax.

I tried this technique with a person who was causing me a lot of stress.  I looked away and kept yawning, hoping the person would read the ‘calming signals’ I was trying to get across.  It didn’t work… too bad!  She didn’t understand my intention at all and continued to make me stressed!  So, I gave up…

But, you can try to send this calming signal to a dog when you see that it is under stress.  I am sure it will work much better than the time I tried it on a human!

Like humans, dogs get stressed for many reasons.  When they get stressed out, it can have negative impacts on their health.  When their stress reaches at the maximum level or other parties don’t understand their signs, dogs sometimes express their stress by defending themselves and attacking others as a last resort.  But dogs always send signals before they take an action.  Unfortunately, so many times they take ‘the last resort’ action because humans don’t read or understand their signals.  And, that can lead to an unpleasant situation like a bite.  If we understand the signs of stress that dogs are sending, we can prevent such incidents.

Signs of Stress

Even though dogs are fairly adaptable to their environment, they still get stressed out by a sudden sense of dread, for example, or sudden changes in their environment.  Dogs are very sensitive to violence, anger, or aggression when they feel those things taking place in their surroundings.  In addition, dogs get stressed out if the environment is too noisy or people pay too much attention to them and don’t leave them alone.  But, at the same time, since they are a pack animal, they also get stressed when they are isolated too long.  Excessive exercise and play lead to stress, too.  Direct violence or anger from people or an attack from other dogs will very likely cause them stressed as well.

The following is a list of common stress signs:

Acting restlessly
Overreaction (to a doorbell, running into a dog on the street, etc.)
Scratching body, biting, chasing tail
Diarrhea
Allergies
Tense muscles
Shaking or trembling
Suddenly producing a lot of dandruff
Panting without exercising
Behaving aggressively
Barking, howling, whining
Fixation on certain things like light, shadow, noise, etc.
Loss of appetite
Urinating or defecating more frequently than usual

 
When you see a dog shaking his/her body as if s/he is "shaking off water," the dog is trying to shake off whatever caused him/her to stress.  It’s like a reset of the computer system.




A Relaxing Environment for Your Dog

As a dog owner, the most important thing for you is to read and understand the stress signals which your dog is sending.  Good communication and mutual understanding are the keys to a “stressless life” for you and your dog.  One of the things you can do for your dog is to pick a quiet spot in the house (i.e. a corner of the living room) and put a blanket down so that your dog can go there when s/he needs a downtime.  It is also a great idea to set up a crate at a quiet spot of the house.  Dogs are descendants of wolves.  They love their "cave" and use it like a den to retreat.  Once they recognize it as their personal space, they will start bringing their treasures like favorite toys, treats, etc.

Music can work as a great stress reliever, too.  Incidentally, classical music is played throughout the day here at my home since I started living with Juliette.  One of her favorite activities is to take a nap while listening to nice and relaxing music.  She sleeps very peacefully.  According to a study done by an animal rescue organization, the music of Mozart has the most calming effect on dogs.  And, dogs seem to feel most relaxed by the sound of the piano.  Nowadays, there is such an activity like DOGA (dog YOGA) where people and dogs can practice together to release their tension.  Why don’t you try to find some ways that both you and your dog can use for a stress reliever?

Well, I would like to talk about “exercise” in the next article.  As you know, exercise is one of the most helpful ways to relieve stress.  I hope to give you some important information on exercising for you and your dog.  Please look forward to it.

Until Next Time, Be Kind to Man’s Best Friends!

comments/questions: info@doggieproject.com




Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Pet Loss - Eternal Good-Bye To Your Pets

When I was walking Juliette this morning, Mary, one of our doggie lover neighbors, came to talk to me.  Her eyes were red and she seemed to be very depressed.  She told me that her beloved Bichon, Mimi, has just passed away.  Mimi suddenly started vomiting non-stop.  So, Mary brought her to the vet right away.  The tests indicated that Mimi’s colon was on the verge of bursting from colon cancer.  The vet sadly told her that there was nothing else they could do to save her at that point.  Mary didn’t want to see her dog suffering any longer.  So she decided to let Mimi go.  She said the first few days since she lost Mimi were so hard that she didn’t want to see anyone and kept to herself very quietly.  But, she finally started feeling a little better and wanted to tell people who knew Mimi of the news.  Yet, her voice started shaking while she was talking to me, and she ran back home.  Perhaps, seeing old Juliette might have reminded her of Mimi.
 
Emotional Preparation 

A dog’s life span is much shorter than ours.  Their average life span is 15 years.  The larger the body size of the dog, the shorter they tend to live.  The large breeds like Great Danes only live seven to eight years on average.  Yes.  It is very short indeed.  Most dogs grow from a ‘new born baby’ to a ‘teenager (in human age)’ in the first year of life.  Then, they age about 3-5 human years every year after that.  So, let’s say, even if you have a very young puppy right now, it is most likely that the puppy will surpass your age and depart this life before you. 

Since I live with a 13 year-old dog, I think I am prepared to deal with the reality that she will leave me pretty soon.  However, people around me seem to be very concerned about how I would become when Juliette departs from this world.  Coincidentally, I’ve recently came across some ‘timely’ info at the shelter.  It was a pamphlet from a facility that provides animal cremation and pet cemetery services.  Instead of thinking ‘that’s a bad jinx!’ I picked up one of them and am keeping it for … There are many places like the one I found and you can obtain the info by doing Internet research.  But, I am sure your vet can recommend a place you can rely on in case you need it.

When I lived in Japan, we had a family dog.  We named him Pluto after the Disney character.  When he became old, he suffered from Alzheimer disease.  He was always hungry and begging my mom to feed him 24/7.  He was about 17 or 18 years old when he found a way out of our house and wandered out.  He was barely able to walk.  But, he had that determination to ‘run away.’  He never came home.  When Pluto disappeared, my dad’s hearing ability suddenly deteriorated.  Although my dad was suffering from the condition for a while, it took a sharp turn downwards after Pluto’s disappearance.  The shock of losing Pluto was quite real – for all of us.  And you may not realize the magnitude of perpetual presence of your dog until s/he is gone.  

People who say “I don’t think I want to have another dog ever again” when their beloved dog passes away often seek another dog eventually.  It seems almost impossible for dog lovers to have a life without a dog.  Some people come to seek a new dog at the shelter on the same day or the next day of their dog’s passing.  Others take a long process to move on.  I believe it is totally up to each person to decide when to seek another dog.  However, it may not be wise to look for a ‘replacement’ when you are not totally over with the process of mourning.  Not only would it be difficult for you to properly establish a relationship with your new dog, it wouldn’t be fair for the new dog if you are not emotionally ready to move on and have a fresh start. 

The Rainbow Bridge

In the U.S., there is a belief that animals go to ‘Rainbow  Bridge’ when they die.  When they cross Rainbow Bridge, they see an enormous field of beautiful green grass.  All the animals play happily by chasing one another.  All of them get along.  It is a paradise full of food, water, and bright sunshine.  It is said that the animals are watching over us from there. And, since I love dogs so much, I wonder if I could go there when I depart from this world.  I hope so. 

Well, like humans, dogs can also feel stressed for many reasons.  I would like to talk about stress signs in dogs and what dog owners can do to help them ease their stress.

Until next time, Be Kind to Man’s Best Friends!


comments/questions: info@doggieproject.com