Stress, dogs and the stressor

Stress? Why would I talk about this now? Aren’t parties all about joy, joy and hot chocolate with beloved Uncle Bob? But you know why. . . Maybe you had to take three planes to visit Bob, or drive in the fog for eight hours, or Uncle Bob is a . . . I will stop there, you understand my drift. The holidays can be both joyful and stressful, and not just for us humans. Holidays can also be stressful for our pets. See, for example, Five Reasons Dogs Become Holiday Grumpsand Your dogs and the holidays.

But the stress (the negative gender, or, officially, “de-stressed”), is an equal opportunity phenomenon. Dogs can be stressed at any time of the year, and it’s important for us to understand its implications.

To this end, I recently had the opportunity to discuss with Kristina SpauldingPhD, CAAB, on his fantastic new book, The Stressor in Dogs: Unleashing Resilience and Improving Well-Being. (Also check out his podcast, Search bites.

I asked him “What don’t people know about (de)stress that you wish they knew?” She replied, “How much does stress affect not just the behavior, but the whole animal.” Stress affects the immune system. It damages the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, impairing learning and memory, and makes the amygdala more reactive, increasing fear or anxiety responses. During development, this can “literally change the way the brain is wired,” and developmental periods last well into adolescence.

Before proceeding, it should be noted that stress, at the right intensity and at the right time, can be a good thing. eustress, good things, can increase feelings of happiness and satisfaction. (Whee! I have a new dog!) Mild distress can improve performance IF the task is familiar and the stress is not too intense. Mild stress in most contexts is not a crisis; something I think of when I see concerns about dog stress with some minor frustration. One of the most interesting parts of the book The stress factor is his brief discussion of “allostasis” (versus “homeostasis”), acknowledging that healthy animals can respond to changes in the environment by adjusting its order.

BUT, chronic distress or distress due to trauma, can cause an incredible amount of damage, especially in early development and adolescence.

The vulnerability of adolescent dogs was one of the things that surprised Dr. Spaulding the most when she researched the book. We often think of teenage children and teenage dogs as something we have to live with. The fifteen-year-old girl who barely talks to you, the nine-month-old dog who blows her callback signal. But it’s important to remember just how vulnerable teenagers can be. I’ve worked with “troubled teenagers” in Alaska and I can tell you they were as raw as if they showed up at school with no clothes on. We may remember these feelings from our teenage years, but we don’t tend to generalize this to dogs. Dogs at this age need calm consistency, lots of positive reinforcement, and lots of room to stay together.

The stress factor has an extensive section on the effects of negative stress on dogs in utero and during early development. Anyone considering raising a litter or having a young puppy would do well to read and re-read these pages. But, if you have a dog that is long out of adolescence and might be suffering from stress, first educate yourself on the signs of acute or chronic stress in dogs. (The whole dog diary has a good article on this, but the internet is full of videos and articles about signs of stress in dogs.)

So what if you have a dog whose behavior suggests that stress is a major factor in how they react to the world around them? Maybe you have a dog who nervously barks at every dog ​​he sees on a walk. Maybe your dog doesn’t want to come out of his crate and you adopted him three months ago? We can’t go back and redo what happened to a dog early in its life, but we can do a lot of repairs. Dr. Spaulding has thirty-six excellent pages to help dogs avoid or recover from the toxic effects of stress.

Number one on his list is control. I can tell you from personal experience that one of the worst parts of severe trauma is losing the belief that if you’re fine this second, you’ll always be fine the next. Most of us live our lives oblivious to the fact that we could die at any moment – an optimism partly born of experience – look at every second we’ve been fine! But it’s also because a certain amount of naivety is essential for good health: having your brain on RED ALERT is not good for you. When you’re chronically stressed, your brain is always ready to go into total panic – which is why stress can have such an impact on the day-to-day functions of the brain and body.

Ensuring control of individuals during their lifetime helps counter the inner fear of never knowing what is going to happen. This means never forcing your dogs into a scary situation (if possible), letting them make decisions when possible about when to proceed, teaching them that their behavior can drive reinforcement.

Social support can also be essential. A large body of research shows that social animals are less stressed if they are with others than if they are alone. The ASPCA has a new study about their work with extremely fearful dogs, which includes creating situations in which dogs spend time with other dogs, even those who are also fearful. My own Maggie would like to jump in here: when she came to see us, she was nervous about unfamiliar dogs when she was walking, whether alone or next to Willie. I worked with her a bit, but since it wasn’t as bad as Willie’s responsiveness, I didn’t do all I could have done. (By the time Maggie arrived, Willie’s responsiveness had improved by 95%.) She stiffened and growled when she saw other dogs, but relaxed once she was able to approach and to sniff them. But the first time she saw dogs off the farm with Skip by her side, it was a different dog. Relaxed and curious. Maybe one of her nicknames should be Whitney Houston, from the movie Bodyguard in the early 90.

There’s so, so much in this book it has value. I could go on and on, but this is a blog post, not a book per se. If you are serious about behavior and like to know what science has to tell us about it, this is an invaluable book to have. (Kristina calls herself a “serious geek” about science and behavior, which of course makes me love her even more.) It’s also full of practical information and an enjoyable read.

Here’s what I said about the book when I had the opportunity to see him again: Kristina Spaulding has done dog lovers and dogs a great service by writing The Stress Factor in Dogs. Jam-packed with accessible science, this is one of the most important books on dog behavior in a long time. Even if you know a lot about this subject, I guarantee you will learn even more. If you work with dogs or have a dog that doesn’t spend its entire life in a valium-like haze of happiness, get this book. It’s a triumph!

That said, you should know whom I have known and admired Kristina since she was a student. I’ve read previous drafts and made suggestions, mostly to move from “academic talk” to writing for dog lovers. Full disclosure is important, but I guarantee I would love this book no matter who wrote it.

MEANWHILE, back at the farm: We had snow last week, which I liked anyway. It makes everything so much prettier. But then it warmed up, so now we have spongy snow, slippery icy spots and, yes, lots of mud. The triple crown of shitty foot. Here is a picture of the pretty things. And no, I didn’t switch to a black and white filter, that’s just the world we’re in right now.

The color came from the Christmas tree that Jim and I had at Summer’s Christmas Tree Farm outside of Cross Plains. The tree in the left foreground is now in our living room, waiting for the ornaments to be added this week.

Here is our tree being packed in this “Christmas tree wrapping machine” before being strapped to our car.

It was a very holiday weekend, more baking (banana bread below), more gift wrapping and parcels sent, and a start on the Christmas card list.

I swear I’ll send you all a Christmas card if I could. Expect! I can! It’s here . . . pretend it came in an envelope.

I’m going to take a vacation for the next two weeks, all those bags of homemade treats for friends aren’t going to fill up, after all. So, I take this opportunity to say to you all: May your holidays be full of peace and euphoria, just what is needed, at the right time.