{"id":240,"date":"2015-08-24T14:16:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-24T14:16:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2019-10-22T20:19:45","modified_gmt":"2019-10-22T19:19:45","slug":"help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/","title":{"rendered":"HELP! My dog is stressed what should I do?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">HELP! My dog is <span style=\"color: red;\">stressed <\/span>what should I do?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p>Having a stressed do is unpleasant for the dog but also stressful for the owner!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If you have a stressed dog then you need to identify:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul><li> When the dog is stressed? <\/li><li> What are the causes (stressors \/ triggers)? <\/li><li> What is the solution? <\/li><li> Is the solution working? <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When your dog is stressed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You may believe your dog is <b>feeling<\/b> stressed but dogs cannot directly tell us so we need to look for outward signs e.g.:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Panting <\/li><li>Pacing <\/li><li>Trembling <\/li><li>Licking <\/li><li>Self-mutilation <\/li><li>Hyper-vigilance <\/li><li>Chewing <\/li><li>Eliminating <\/li><li>Vocalisation <\/li><li>Escape attempts <\/li><li>Hackles up<\/li><li>Aggression <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Identify what is causing the stress; the stressors or triggers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The dog\u2019s genetics, early socialisation and subsequent learning may have played a part in his current stress; however the only thing you have some control over is the dog\u2019s current environment e.g.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>The home of a newly rescued dog <\/li><li>The home of a newly adopted puppy <\/li><li>A strange place <\/li><li>Being alone somewhere <\/li><li>A vet <\/li><li>A groomer <\/li><li>A boarding kennel <\/li><li>Travelling in the car <\/li><li>Thunder or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2014\/10\/fireworks-top-tips\/\">fireworks<\/a>\u00a0outside <\/li><li>Strange people <\/li><li>Strange dogs<\/li><li>A stressed-out owner <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The solution<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You are not going to focus on the outward signs of stress but instead look at why the dog is <b>feeling<\/b> stressed. You need to reduce the <b>feeling<\/b> of fear and anxiety which should result in less of the outward signs of stress. The accepted scientific solution is a gradual exposure to the stressor ideally whilst positive things happen. In technical terms this is known as systematic desensitisation and counter conditioning. This exposure needs to occur at a very low level that the dog can cope with without becoming stressed. The level of exposure can then be gradually increased over time therefore increasing the dog\u2019s tolerance. In practical terms owners often will not have the skills or experience to put this in to practice and therefore should seek out a dog trainer with a sound understanding of dog behaviour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Is the solution is working?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is more difficult than it may sound since you cannot ask the dog if he is <b>feeling<\/b> better. It is therefore time to look again at the outward signs. Have they reduced and only occur in more extreme situations? Then yes, it is working! It is likely that work is still needed to increase the dog\u2019s tolerance and decrease his stress further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about drugs, holistic remedies, DAP etc?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Medications\u00a0for\u00a0a stressed dog<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Only a vet can prescribe drugs. You may however consider drugs which alter the brain chemistry of your dog to be a last resort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Holistic remedies for a stressed dog<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Many people believe in holistic remedies but this is not backed up with a body of scientific evidence. Such remedies may help if the owner believes in them; reducing the owner\u2019s stress and consequently the dog\u2019s!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) for a stressed dog<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/32FNnzs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DAP<\/a> (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) products are a chemical copy of the pheromone that the mother secretes after giving birth to her puppies. This helps calm the puppy and strengthen attachment during this turbulent period of the puppy\u2019s development.Numerous clinical trials have provided evidence that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/32FNnzs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DAP<\/a> can increase <b>feelings<\/b> of security. Many of the outward signs of stress are consequently reduced in puppies and adult dogs especially when <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/32FNnzs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DAP<\/a> is used in conjunction with behaviour modification to reduce the <b>feelings<\/b> of stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/32FNnzs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DAP<\/a> products are available as a plug-in for a specific environment or as a collar which is especially useful when the dog is outside of his comfort zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"329\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/adaptil-dap-dog.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/adaptil-dap-dog.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/adaptil-dap-dog-300x247.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 85vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Please <a href=\"http:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/contact.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">contact us<\/a> today for help to reduce your dog\u2019s stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:12px;text-align:center\" class=\"has-text-color has-bright-blue-color\"><em><strong>Follow Rainbow Dogs on&nbsp;<\/strong><\/em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/rainbowdogsuk\" target=\"_blank\"><em><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em><strong>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"geo-post-240\" class=\"geo geo-post\" style=\"display: none\"><span class=\"latitude\">50.82253<\/span><span class=\"longitude\">-0.137163<\/span><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HELP! My dog is stressed what should I do? Having a stressed do is unpleasant for the dog but also stressful for the owner! If you have a stressed dog then you need to identify: When the dog is stressed? What are the causes (stressors \/ triggers)? What is the solution? Is the solution working? &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;HELP! My dog is stressed what should I do?&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[151,150,132],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v16.6.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>HELP! My dog is stressed what should I do? -<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My dog is stressed what should I do? Mike Garner, experienced dog trainer in Brighton &amp; Hove, Sussex.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"HELP! My dog is stressed what should I do? -\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My dog is stressed what should I do? Mike Garner, experienced dog trainer in Brighton &amp; Hove, Sussex.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Rainbowdogsuk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-08-24T14:16:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-22T19:19:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/dogstress-255B1-255D.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"620\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"403\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@rainbowdogsuk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@rainbowdogsuk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Rainbow Dogs\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Rainbowdogsuk\/\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rainbowdogsuk\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/RainbowDogsCoUk\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rainbowdogsuk\"],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#logo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/rainbowdogs-logo-web-blog-cover.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/rainbowdogs-logo-web-blog-cover.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":519,\"caption\":\"Rainbow Dogs\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#logo\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Rainbow Dogs\",\"description\":\"Where every dog is an individual\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/dogstress-255B1-255D.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/dogstress-255B1-255D.jpg\",\"width\":620,\"height\":403,\"caption\":\"Stressed Dog\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/\",\"name\":\"HELP! My dog is stressed what should I do? -\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-24T14:16:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-22T19:19:45+00:00\",\"description\":\"My dog is stressed what should I do? Mike Garner, experienced dog trainer in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"HELP! My dog is stressed what should I do?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/#webpage\"},\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/32fe8654286b039249d0dc99cf7c6d50\"},\"headline\":\"HELP! My dog is stressed what should I do?\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-24T14:16:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-22T19:19:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/#webpage\"},\"wordCount\":613,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/2015\/08\/help-my-dog-is-stressed-what-should-i-do\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/dogstress-255B1-255D.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Adaptil\",\"DAP\",\"Stress\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Welfare\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/32fe8654286b039249d0dc99cf7c6d50\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cf3af218978803fcbd77ee3d8bcc217b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cf3af218978803fcbd77ee3d8bcc217b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/08\/dogstress-255B1-255D.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":555,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240\/revisions\/555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rainbowdogs.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}