In our new series of dog-friendly training secrets for enlightened dog lovers – Chief Cheery Officer (CCO) Kiyo recommends that we pay lots of attention to understanding if a dog is stressed. There’s ‘good’ and ‘bad’ stress. ‘Good’ stress prompts a dog to continue learning, ‘bad’ stress causes a dog to shut down. Just because a dog is still and seems obedient, it doesn’t mean that it’s comfortable. So read the signs carefully.
Dog Stress Alert #1: Head Turn
An important part of being a good dog owner is being able to read how our dog is responding to us or to being in a certain situation. That means that we need to be able to identify our dog’s stress signals – they tell us if our dog is still enjoying itself, it’s merely tolerating what’s happening, or it has had enough. In this photo, the girl appears to be gently restraining the dog. But the dog has turned its head away and its body language suggests that it’s trying to move away from the girl. The dog is merely tolerating being held – turning its head away is a stress signal, which has been ignored.
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| Photo from Dreamstime |
When your dog starts displaying stress signals, do something to improve the situation, or end the interaction and get your dog out of the situation. If you’re not sure of what to do, please consult a qualified trainer or behaviourist to help you and your dog.