Dog Training Full Advice

Out for a Walk with Some of My Dogs

1. Typical Causes of Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Aggression  in Dogs;
2. Typical Signs of Stress in Dogs;
3. Long-Term Stress is a Health Threatening Condition
4. The Use of Conventional Chemical-Based Drugs to Control Stress
5. Other Products that Claim to Solve Stress and Anxiety
6. Diet Can Create and/or Exacerbate Stress or Help to Alleviate Stress
7. Herbs Can Help Too
8. Better Communication Helps to Alleviate Stress

• Inherited traits;
• Acquired traits;
• Diet and nutrition;
• Available support structure, etc.

• Natural predisposition which is inadvertently enabled by the dog’s human - for example:
• A dog that has heightened sensitivity can become stressed resulting in anxious behaviour if the dog’s human does not learn to be an effective communicator;
• An unfamiliar situation:
• Vehicle, train, plane:
•  An unfamiliar environment and movement leading to:
•  Car, vehicle anxiety or over excitement;
•   Motion sickness;
• Surgery and injuries;
• Under-socialization;
• A sudden traumatic event – emotional and/or physical for example;
• The passing of a loved one - grief;
• The sudden move of a family member away from home;
• An emotionally destabilizing encounter reinforced by discomfort of the dog’s human – i.e. an attack by another dog while in a dog park;
• A violent thunder storm, wind storm, etc.
• Fireworks, gun shots, etc.
• A condition that is inadvertently created and teaches the dog to be in an altered state of normal, for example:
• Providing affectionat the wrong time;
• Greeting your dog the wrong way can create separation anxiety, as can:
• Feeling guilty about leaving your dog alone when you go out;
• Tension resulting from proximity to animate and inanimate objects – situations and locations, people, other animals, objects associated with tension that creates stress due to fear resulting in avoidance, aggression etc…
• On-leash aggression;
• Stress around children;
• Stress around other animals;
• Stress created by object guarding;
• Stress created by guarding of food;
• Stress created by guarding of people;

• Healthy diet;
• A truly good diet supports a healthy mind and body;
• An inadequate diet and/or a toxic diet creates instability in mind and body;
• Safe home;
• A physically safe environment promotes confidence; an inadequate environment promotes stress;
• Structure that enables positive, balanced physical and mental output.

• Loss of appetite;
• Refusal to accept offered food or treats;
• Diarrhea;

• Panting;
• Rapid breathing;
• Stress yawn;
• Withheld breath;

• Facial Expression - tense:
• Eyes;
• Diverted eyes will not make eye-contact;
• Dilated pupils;
• Whale eye;
• Tail;
• Low to body or tucked between legs;
• Ears;
• Back;
• Head;
• Lowered;
• Turned to side;
• Body;
• Low posture;
• Weight shift to back legs;
• Stress-bow;
• Defensive aggression – barks, growls, bares teeth with fearful body
  postures (lowered head, tucked tail, ears back, whale eye) while moving away
• Offensive aggression – barks, growls, bares teeth with offensive body
  postures (high tail, direct eye contact, ears erect) while charging/moving forward

• Lethargy;
• Disinterest in activities that the dog would normally look forward to/enjoy;
• Loss of appetite;

• Demanding constant attention;
• Constant swinging of head or eyes to scan environment or lock on to objects;
• On guard looking for threats – defensive and offensive;
• Inability to focus or ‘pay attention’; 
• Fixation;

• Excessive shedding;
• Sudden shedding;
• Skin rash from excessive nervous scratching;

• Drooling and/or foaming at the mouth;
• Licking of lips;
• Licking of nose;
• Excessive licking of paws, legs, etc.
• Excessive licking of another dog or human companion;
• Sucking on paws, tail, blankets, etc.

• ‘Hyper-activity’…
• Inability to ‘settle down’;
• Restlessness;
• Continual pacing;
• Continual scratching;
• Full body shake-off;
• Stress-bow;
• ‘Suppressed activity’…
• Slow and/or ‘slinking’ movement;
• Trembling;
• Tense and tentative movement;
• Avoidance – pulling away, slinking away, running away, hiding, etc;

• Excessive or more than usual;
• Barking;
• Crying;
• Grumbling;
• Growling;
• Whining, whimpering.

• Suppression of the immune system - thereby leaving the body more susceptible to:
• Disruptions in the endocrine system; 
• Inflammation;
• Infections, such as:
• Eye infections;
• Ear infections,
• Ironically when eye and ear infections are treated with antibiotics (rather than with natural remedies for ears and natural remedies for eyes), greater stress - physical and psychological results due to the fact that:
•  Antibiotics kill good bacteria in the GI tract along with bad bacteria;
• The elimination of good bacteria destroys the health-giving flora of the GI tract placing additional stress on the immune system and on the psychological state as serotonin levels in the GI tract are also adversely affected.
• Insect and parasite infestation;
• When infestation is addressed with chemical-based treatments the immune system and renal system is further taxed due to the toxic pesticides present in the treatments;
• To avoid further taxing the system it is best to use natural topical and ingested treatments such as:
• Natural sprays and dips;
• Natural spot-on treatments;
• Foods, herbs that help to repel insects and parasites;
• Natural dewormers;
• Fatigue and pain;
• Low serotonin levels - thereby affecting brain function and behaviour;
• Viruses.

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