By Fran Jewell
Our community has had some tragedy recently and so has our country. Believe it or not, when you are overwhelmed with stress, so is your dog. It might not always be easy to recognize how your dog deals with stress. Every dog will deal with it differently. AND, we may not even recognize our own stress!
Recently, I discovered the shocking way my diabetic alert dog, Steel, deals with stress. Last summer, I lost Kalidor, one of my dearest “heart dogs” to cancer. I am sure everyone knows what a heart dog is; the dog that has been closer to us and has touched us so deeply, it becomes hard to describe. Incredibly, I have been fortunate enough to have several. Kalidor was not only my heart dog, he was the soul and heartbeat of my pack. He was the kind but firm leader that loved and protected his puppies and enforced the rules that required peacefulness every day. When I lost Kalidor to a hard-fought war on cancer, I was devastated.
Now, here comes Steel. Yes, another heart dog and probably the most intuitive and sensitive dog I have ever owned. Days after Kalidor passed, Steel became inconsolably itchy. All night long he would scratch and dig at himself. I had never seen this in him before. I assumed he had an allergy attack of some nature. Off to the vet we went for an allergy shot.
All was well for many months. Then, as most of my readers and all of my clients know, I underwent hip replacement surgery. The first one came and went. Healing happened. I was so overjoyed! My attitude was such elation and relief from horrible pain! Then hip number 2, just six weeks later. That one was more difficult for me. Steel, days after my coming home from the hospital, began to itch like crazy AGAIN! Off to the vet. Then I put it all together. Do allergies come and go 8 months apart? This wasn’t allergies. It was his reaction to stress. Maybe the stress did cause him to have less resistance to allergens. I am not a veterinarian, but, it finally occurred to me *MY* stress was the catalyst to HIS behavior!
Because right now it seems, particularly locally, that there are many community stressors for us humans, that our dogs are probably stressing too. So, how do we recognize that and what do we do? Many dogs may have slight behavior problems. Maybe she just stops coming when called. Maybe she begins counter surfing. Or maybe she just starts sleeping more. Some dogs will not leave your side. The signs can be very subtle and maybe not even recognizable. Poor Steel, his signs were so blatant, I HAD to take notice! Maybe the more intuitive and sensitive a dog is (which makes him an incredible diabetic alert dog), the more obvious the signs. But, they will be there if you look.
When you see something unusual, stop and ask yourself, what is YOUR stress level? Can you identify what is even going on with yourself? Please be aware that when a huge event happens, you must take care of yourself to take care of your dog. Even slow-building stress you need to deal with for both of you.
Don’t feel embarrassed to get help for you. And don’t feel embarrassed to get help for your dog. Contact an experienced dog behavior consultant that can help you with that side of your pup’s stress whether it is obvious or invisible!
The answers can be unlocked by someone experienced in human counseling and dog counseling!
TRAIN. RUN. COME!
Fran Jewell is a dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor and vice president. She owns Positive Puppy Dog Training LLC and can be reached at (208) 721-7221.
