How often have you heard this in training class or during a handling lesson: “Nerves travel down to the other end of the leash”? Our dogs are so well attuned to our feelings that sometimes they mirror our fears or anxieties, or other emotions.
We have a guest blogger here today: Kaitlin Falatovich. Kaitlin is a content writer for dog.com, an online pet supply store that boasts of carrying Everything and Anything Dog™. Her guest post addresses the subject of “contagious feelings” mirrored between dog and owner. Take it away, Kaitlin!
Doggie Hypochondria
Humans have a way about overreacting about… hmm… just about everything. From their cars to clothes, humans are always worrying about one thing or another. But now it may be rubbing off on their canine counterparts.
There are two kinds of “doggie hypochondria” that come about. First, there is the chronic anxiety that some dogs can suffer from. And this is no laughing matter. This uneasy feeling can seem like just part of dog nature, but owners of dogs with severe anxiety find that their dogs have extremely heightened levels of fear and paranoia. This is classified by the persistent feeling of fear that cannot be rationalized.
This may actually come from a self esteem problem that is a very slow fix. An unexplained sense of fear can seem normal in a dog, but when your dog begins to fear every aspect of their environment, it may be part of this problem. To cure of your dog of this persistent anxiety, it would be wise to consider a hiring a trainer to slowly alleviate your dog’s fears. If a trainer isn’t what you are looking for, you can slowly and cautiously try to make your dog calmer in their surroundings.
The second type of “hypochondria” isn’t so much the dog’s problem as much as the owners (in the beginning). All dog owners know that dogs do not communicate in the same way that humans do. And even though they can tell us what /how they are feeling, that doesn’t always mean that we will interpret it in the right way. This miscommunication can turn a simple “sigh” into a mass contusion in the owner’s eye.
Now even though it is true that it is better to be safe than sorry, this type of confusion can not only rack up your vet bill, it can lead to a very confused pup. Imagine being taken to the doctor every time you stubbed your toe. (ANNOYING!) This type of “doggie hypochondria” is most common with new, first time dog parents. Just like first time parents to human children, mom or pop just want the best for their little one.
In most cases, over time, these cases of overprotective parents seem to fade. But in some instances overprotective doggie parents can stick with their behavior for the dog’s entire life. Effects rage from virtually nonexistent to the type of anxiety that was stated above.
So take some deep breaths, sit on the couch, and tell the doggie doctor all your problems… .
This article was written by Kaitlin Falatovich. She is currently a college student living in Pennsylvania with her fiancée. She works for dog.com. For more articles like this one please click here.
Thanks, Kaitlin! Just as a reminder, you can get a 10% discount on dog.com products through AKC. Go to their website and click on the dog.com ads for more information.
And Also from Dog.com…
We have something else from Dog.com for one lucky winnah. If you’re familiar with the Jolly Pets nearly-indestructible Tug-n-Toss™ ball with the handle, then you already know all about our prize, the Jolly Pets Bounce-n-Play ball! It’s the exact same toy, only without the handle. I give one of these to my brother and sister-in-law’s Mastiffs every year — and if these toys can survive beatings from two nearly-200-pound doggers, they can survive whatever yours will do to them.
Does your dog want one? All you have to do to win this one is follow these Wicked Simple Rules…
Wicked Simple Rules
- Go visit the Bounce-n-Play dog toy page on dog.com.
- Come on back to the blog and tell me what size and color ball your dog would like to win. (Remember: the glow-in-the-dark ball comes in Small only.) Remember, you have to comment on the blog, We adore Facebook comments, but the number-picker can’t find them — so, no entry. No entry, no winnee.
- Become a fan of Dog.com on Facebook.
- We’d never turn down a Like on the Shaggy Dog Stories page, either.
As always, we use a random-number picking script to select the lucky winnah by comment number. If yours is the lucky number picked, you’ll be contacted by email and/or Facebook message. You have a week to respond, or we’ll sadly invoke the You Snooze, You Lose rule and award your prize to the next non-snoozin’ entrant. Hate when that happens.
Deadline for entries is Monday, October 1.
