Dogs Want and Need Much More Than They Usually Get from Us
A video called Downward Dog and an essay about stress show anxiety abounds
A message we don't want to hear: Companion dogs are more highly stressed than we realize in a human-dominated world
A few days ago I learned about an awesome video called "Downward Dog." I thought it was really well done, and the comments I received when I shared it with a large number of people along with the comments at the website echoed my views. My humble suggestion is to watch it, and while you're laughing, take into account what they dog is really saying, namely, while things are sort of ok, they surely can be much much better.
I also just learned about an essay by Naia Carlos titled "The Secret Life of Dogs When Left Alone Is Pretty Sad -- How to Deal With Your Pup's Separation Anxiety" that nicely summarizes ta report from IFL Science called "This Is What Happens To Your Dog When You Leave It Alone." Both essays are available online, and the bottom line is one that many of us don't want to hear, namely, numerous dogs suffer from separation anxiety and are more highly stressed than most people realize. In the second essay we read, "The first 30 minutes after being left alone is usually the most stressful time for the majority of dogs ... However, for some individuals, this elevated level of stress can last for the whole time that they are left.” Their heart rate, respiratory functions, and levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol rise during these situations.
We also read, "Dogs, it seems, can never get used to you leaving. After a while, they recognize certain cues of yours – walking towards the front door, looking for your keys, locking the bathroom, and so on – that notify them that you’re about to disappear, and the panic begins to set in earlier rather than later."
And, if you think having a second dog will always make things better, think again, for we're told, "'in some cases, one dog could learn from another about being anxious in that situation,' so a pairing of dogs could sometimes make things worse. It’s really difficult to tell, unfortunately."
Fortunately, in many cases the situation isn't hopeless. We're told, for example, “'prepare a home alone box' a container that contains soft toys, 'a rawhide chew or pig's ear, a few dog biscuits wrapped individually in sheets of newspaper, empty toilet rolls,' things like that. When you’re about to leave the house, place it in front of them, and let them have a rummage around. Then, confidently, leave the house – don’t make a fuss of it. And, "If you have a dog, the best time to train it to accept brief periods of isolation is when they’re a wee little puppy." Ms. Carlos tells us, "the dog's experience of being left alone during the critical socialization period as a young puppy -- three to 14 weeks old -- can influence how they deal with it as an adult."'
Dogs live in an environment that “makes it impossible for them to alleviate their own stress and anxiety”
It might surprise people to learn that numerous companion dogs who are fortunate enough to share their life with a human are highly stressed, but when you think about it, they're always trying to adapt to a human-oriented/dominated world in which their wants and needs are secondary to those of their own and other humans. Psychology Today writer Dr. Jessica Pierce provides an extensive discussion about this in her excellent book called Run, Spot, Run: The Ethics of Keeping Pets, and in her book called Love Is All You Need, Jennifer Arnold notes that dogs live in an environment that “makes it impossible for them to alleviate their own stress and anxiety.”
Ms. Arnold also writes, “In modern society, there is no way for our dogs to keep themselves safe, and thus we are unable to afford them the freedom to meet their own needs. Instead, they must depend on our benevolence for survival.” Think about it: We teach dogs that they can’t pee or poop wherever they want. To eliminate, they must get our attention and ask for permission to go outside the house. When we go outside, we often restrain dogs with a leash or fence them within yards or parks. Dogs eat what and when we feed them, and they are scolded if they eat what or when we say they shouldn’t. Dogs play with the toys we give them, and they get in trouble for turning our shoes and furniture into toys. Most of the time, our schedule and relationships determine who dogs play with and who their friends will be.
All things considered, it’s a very asymmetric, one-sided relationship, one that many would not tolerate with another human. Simply put, dogs want and need more freedom (for more discussion on the need for more freedom for dogs and other animals please see The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age). One way to relieve stress, perhaps your dog's and your own, would be to get down and dirty with them and show your dog how much you love them and want them to enjoy themselves as much as possible.
Many dogs, let's hope most of them, make their peace with these compromises. Yet millions of dogs also live with stress-related disorders or are on drugs to relieve stress and anxiety (for more discussion please see "Pets on the Couch: Do Animals Need Freud and Pfizer?"). Ms. Arnold notes that we abuse our power over dogs when we impose our will on them without considering their thoughts and feelings. Indeed, ample research clearly shows they are deeply thinking and feeling social beings.
There really are a lot of demands imposed on dogs, day in and day out, and we need to do all we can to reduce them to a minimum and to try to eliminate them totally.
A few days ago I learned about an awesome video called "Downward Dog." I thought it was really well done, and the comments I received when I shared it with a large number of people along with the comments at the website echoed my views. My humble suggestion is to watch it, and while you're laughing, take into account what they dog is really saying, namely, while things are sort of ok, they surely can be much much better.
I also just learned about an essay by Naia Carlos titled "The Secret Life of Dogs When Left Alone Is Pretty Sad -- How to Deal With Your Pup's Separation Anxiety" that nicely summarizes ta report from IFL Science called "This Is What Happens To Your Dog When You Leave It Alone." Both essays are available online, and the bottom line is one that many of us don't want to hear, namely, numerous dogs suffer from separation anxiety and are more highly stressed than most people realize. In the second essay we read, "The first 30 minutes after being left alone is usually the most stressful time for the majority of dogs ... However, for some individuals, this elevated level of stress can last for the whole time that they are left.” Their heart rate, respiratory functions, and levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol rise during these situations.
We also read, "Dogs, it seems, can never get used to you leaving. After a while, they recognize certain cues of yours – walking towards the front door, looking for your keys, locking the bathroom, and so on – that notify them that you’re about to disappear, and the panic begins to set in earlier rather than later."
And, if you think having a second dog will always make things better, think again, for we're told, "'in some cases, one dog could learn from another about being anxious in that situation,' so a pairing of dogs could sometimes make things worse. It’s really difficult to tell, unfortunately."
Fortunately, in many cases the situation isn't hopeless. We're told, for example, “'prepare a home alone box' a container that contains soft toys, 'a rawhide chew or pig's ear, a few dog biscuits wrapped individually in sheets of newspaper, empty toilet rolls,' things like that. When you’re about to leave the house, place it in front of them, and let them have a rummage around. Then, confidently, leave the house – don’t make a fuss of it. And, "If you have a dog, the best time to train it to accept brief periods of isolation is when they’re a wee little puppy." Ms. Carlos tells us, "the dog's experience of being left alone during the critical socialization period as a young puppy -- three to 14 weeks old -- can influence how they deal with it as an adult."'
Dogs live in an environment that “makes it impossible for them to alleviate their own stress and anxiety”
It might surprise people to learn that numerous companion dogs who are fortunate enough to share their life with a human are highly stressed, but when you think about it, they're always trying to adapt to a human-oriented/dominated world in which their wants and needs are secondary to those of their own and other humans. Psychology Today writer Dr. Jessica Pierce provides an extensive discussion about this in her excellent book called Run, Spot, Run: The Ethics of Keeping Pets, and in her book called Love Is All You Need, Jennifer Arnold notes that dogs live in an environment that “makes it impossible for them to alleviate their own stress and anxiety.”
Ms. Arnold also writes, “In modern society, there is no way for our dogs to keep themselves safe, and thus we are unable to afford them the freedom to meet their own needs. Instead, they must depend on our benevolence for survival.” Think about it: We teach dogs that they can’t pee or poop wherever they want. To eliminate, they must get our attention and ask for permission to go outside the house. When we go outside, we often restrain dogs with a leash or fence them within yards or parks. Dogs eat what and when we feed them, and they are scolded if they eat what or when we say they shouldn’t. Dogs play with the toys we give them, and they get in trouble for turning our shoes and furniture into toys. Most of the time, our schedule and relationships determine who dogs play with and who their friends will be.
All things considered, it’s a very asymmetric, one-sided relationship, one that many would not tolerate with another human. Simply put, dogs want and need more freedom (for more discussion on the need for more freedom for dogs and other animals please see The Animals' Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age). One way to relieve stress, perhaps your dog's and your own, would be to get down and dirty with them and show your dog how much you love them and want them to enjoy themselves as much as possible.
Many dogs, let's hope most of them, make their peace with these compromises. Yet millions of dogs also live with stress-related disorders or are on drugs to relieve stress and anxiety (for more discussion please see "Pets on the Couch: Do Animals Need Freud and Pfizer?"). Ms. Arnold notes that we abuse our power over dogs when we impose our will on them without considering their thoughts and feelings. Indeed, ample research clearly shows they are deeply thinking and feeling social beings.
There really are a lot of demands imposed on dogs, day in and day out, and we need to do all we can to reduce them to a minimum and to try to eliminate them totally.
