Ask the Trainer: Dogs can get stressed too

This week, I had a letter from Alison, which reads: "We have been caring for our son's dog Jack for about two years.

When Jack first came to us, it was straight after his primary caregiver, our daughter in-law, had passed away and our son had to head back overseas for his work.

Poor Jack must have been so confused. He would regularly lean against the wall or the sofa - never against us though.

I have a theory that the leaning is a stress reaction, when he is feeling confused or vulnerable, but people just laugh at me - what do you think?"

This behaviour is one of the most common stress signs - avoidance.

Common types of avoidance include:

Excessive sniffing

Inattention

Looking away

Turning away

If your dog is avoiding interacting with people or other dogs, they are showing you they are uncomfortable.

If your dog is avoiding interaction with anyone, human or canine, respect that choice. Avoidance is always better than aggression and forcing interaction while a dog is in a stressed state will lead to your dog having to react negatively by growling, snapping or even biting if they feel overpowered by their stress.

However, you can manage and decrease the stress they are showing by building a relationship of trust and respect.

This is achieved by positive reinforcement through training and play, which are a combination to achieve a great bond with your dog.

Training is fun and rewarding for you both and as your dog begins to work with you, I am sure you will be amazed by the decrease in the stress they show.

This also means that when your dog is showing signs of stress, you are able to redirect them with another trained behaviour rather than have them shut down.

I am also a firm believer that dogs grieve to some extent. This is in more of an awareness of change than a longing for the person lost in my opinion. Many animals who have been rehomed, or even puppies when they leave the breeder, experience an awareness and emotional response to change, which is evident during the first few nights' cries.

However, the beauty of dogs is that they adapt to new surroundings and situations with guidance from their owners and this emotion is not held onto as it is with human memory. For dogs, the moment is now and that is their main focus.

Dogs do, of course, react to our emotions and mirror these to some degree. Happy owner = happy dog and stressed owner = unsure dog. That is the reason we love them.

Paw point of the week

Other common stress signs include: dilated pupils, tail low or tucked under body, head dropped, freezing posture, whining and excessive panting.

Contact me for the chance to have your question selected for publication at nadines@dogguru.co.nz and for further information on Dog Guru visit www.dogguru.co.nz