Stress in Pets: What to Look For
Training can be hard work for your pet, which can also be amplified by distractions in the environment. A certain amount of stress is normal when learning new things, but all too often people ignore the warning signs that their pets are experiencing an overload of pressure during training (See: Trigger Stacking). With this in mind, the following outlines how to gauge your pet’s feelings and comfort level when interacting with you or participating in training sessions.
Your pet is an expert at “telling” you when they feel stress or anxiety (See: Dog Body Language 101 and Cat Body Language 101). In order to do this, they display what are known as “calming signals.” These actions are your pet’s way of relieving stress while also communicating to other pets (and/or you) that they are trying to resolve some inner conflict regarding what is happening around them. It is important to watch for these behaviors in order to help your pet work through stressful situations — whether it’s a training setting or any other situation in their daily routine.
Calming Signals
Animal trainer Turid Rugaas coined the term “calming signals” and spent many years identifying the behaviors dogs employ when dealing with stress and conflict. If you see your pet doing any of the following, you should immediately stop and assess your pet and/or the environment. This is necessary in order to ensure that you maintain an acceptable level of comfort for your pet:
- Lip licking.
- Excessive water consumption.
- Excessive urination.
- Shaking body (the same as after a bath).
- Averting eyes.
- Sniffing the ground more than normal.
- Excessive scratching.
- Turning body away from you or something else in the immediate surroundings.
What to Do
If you see your pet displaying any of the above calming signals, you have a couple of options to help your pet become more comfortable. The first is to take a little break. Pet them gently or have a brief play session. You may also mirror some of the easier calming signals back to your pet by yawning or licking your lips a number of times until your pet can respond back with the same behaviors. These calming behaviors send the message to your pet: “I’m OK. You’re OK.” Learn more by watching: Social Pressure and Animal Interactions: Set Up for Success!
Lastly, if your pet is still uncomfortable, remember that you always have the option of postponing your training session to a later date or removing your pet entirely from the situation.