Stress in Performance (Working) Dogs

Dogs that have stressful or traumatic events can carry psychological trauma.Royal Canin Walkthrough any post-meltdown Fukushima dog shelter in Japan and one will see the foremost common behavioral problems related to post-traumatic stress disorder. (PTSD)

Dogs, like people, can feel stressed, confused, and unloved.Royal Canin Many dogs that were abandoned within the Fukushima exclusion zone after the past nuclear crisis has had to survive many devastating effects: high radiation levels, lack of food, freezing temperatures, and sudden changes in their environment and relatives .

The numerous meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi atomic power Plant in March 2011 not only caused a humanitarian crisis, they created the worst-case scenario for all pets also .Royal Canin quite 100,000 people had to be evacuated from within the 13-mile radius.

Dogs were left feeling traumatized. Today, researchers have evidence that the Fukushima event was so devastating for the 5,800 dogs that were registered within the area that,Royal Canin when tested, these abandoned dogs displayed many symptoms almost like post-traumatic stress disorder in people.

According to Miho Nagasawa and colleagues who compared behavior patterns and levels of cortisol within the Fukushima rescued dogs, they found evidence that dogs do indeed suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD).Royal Canin"We received stray or abandoned dogs from rescue centers within the Fukushima Prefecture. During re-socialization training and health care, we accessed the behavioral characteristics and therefore the urine cortisol level of every dog and compared them with those of other abandoned dogs not involved during this earthquake. The dogs from Fukushima showed significantly lower aggression toward unfamiliar people, trainability, and attachment to their caretakers: also, urine cortisol levels within the dogs from Fukushima were 5-10 fold above those in abandoned dogs from another area of Japan.Royal Canin These results suggested that the dogs from Fukishima suffered from a particularly stressful crisis." Miho Nagasawa says via Nature's Scientific Report.

Behavioral and Neuroendocrine Stress Responses

Nagasawa and his colleagues expected that the Fukushima dogs might still be under chronic stress and show behavioral and neuroendocrine stress responses that might be due to the environmental conditions post-Fukushima.Royal Canin They then proceeded to match research data from disaster-affected dogs and people from Kanagawa, a non-affected area in Japan.

The results showed that the Fukushima dogs' urinary cortisol levels were highest on the day of arrival then declined significantly after the 8th day,Royal canin Maxi puppy while the Kanagawa dogs showed no significant changes in urine cortisol levels over time.

These strays also demonstrated difficulty with learning and developing an attachment to humans. "The dogs from Fukushima showed significantly lower aggression toward unfamiliar people,Royal canin Maxi puppy trainability, and attachment to their caretakers." Miho Nagasawa says via AAAS. Science Now

Impaired Learning and an Inability to Bond

Impaired learning and an inability to bond were two of the post-traumatic disorder symptoms displayed by both dogs and other people .Royal canin Maxi puppy Although the Fukushima dogs appeared to improve with time, these dogs still remained anxious and more stressed than other dogs. They weren't as friendly as other dogs.

Miho Nagasawa and his colleagues say that it still remains unclear whether the greater stress within the Fukushima dogs resulted from experiencing the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake in 2011, the strange and sudden disappearance of all humans,Royal canin Maxi puppy or the length of your time it took to rescue all the abandoned dogs in Fukushima.

Understanding a number of the Signs of Stress

In order to acknowledge the signs of stress in working dogs, one must attempt to visualize the external stressors during a performance dog's environment. Although it's impossible to live levels of stress, it's certainly possible to live certain stressors during a dog’s environment.

Understanding a number of the signs of stress in performance or working dogs which will include panting, yawning, avoiding eye contact, shivering, licking, tacked tail, general restlessness, muscle tension, zooming round the ring, and avoidance of the handler is vital to improving overall performance in dogs.Royal canin Maxi puppy While many handlers are conversant in a number of these stressful behaviors, it's going to be interesting to notice that a lot of of those behaviors were found within the post-meltdown Fukushima dogs in Japan.

Stress in Performance (Working) Dogs: What we will Learn from Fukushima

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Emotional Stress

In working dogs where speed, accuracy, and timing are so important, many of those dogs sometimes display signs of stress when during a new environment.Royal canin Maxi puppy Emotional stress can affect any dog at any time. When a dog is nervous before a contest , muscle glycogen stores and energy may become depleted. This successively may cause uncontrollable panting, which then leads to respiratory problems, dehydration, and a disappointing performance.

This often happens to dogs during transport to dog shows and through their stay in exercise pens or crates.A small amount of stress are often beneficial; nonetheless Royal canin Maxi puppy, one must be ready to control the dog’s environment before competing and also hone in on understanding the symptoms of stress in working dogs. Working with each dog’s individual personality and seeing what the stressors are for that specific dog will help aid in future performance results.

Some veterinarians will go as far as prescribing anti-anxiety medications or anti-depressants. This combined with the work of an understanding trainer is found to assist dogs desensitize from situations that they find stressful.

By taking the time to pinpoint and understand your dog’s stress triggers,Royal canin Maxi puppyand employing a well-rounded approach to improving his response to those triggers, you'll help him deal far better with life’s ups and downs

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