If you love your dog, take note, because recent research shows that fear and anxiety can affect your dog's health and shorten their lifespan.
So, along with the damage and destruction you come home to every time you leave your dog home alone, or the incessant barking and whining that drives your neighbours up the wall, or the constant cleaning because your dog poops and urinates in the house while you're out, or even the concern you have at the first signs of a storm, we now have something else to worry about - the effect it is having on the quality of our dog's life.
An Increase in Disease and a Shortened Lifespan In other species, including people, it is already well researched and documented that the stress response to situations that cause us fear or anxiety is linked to hormone and immune system changes, which in turn are related to an increase in disease and the shortening of lifespan.
A survey was carried out by Nancy A.
Dreschel from Penn State University to try to establish if the same was true for dogs.
The research involved 721 owners of recently deceased dogs, who completed very detailed questionnaires, which were then analysed to see if there were any clear links between behaviour, fear and anxiety, and diseases and cause of death.
Well Behaved Dogs Live Longer The analysis discovered that the better behaved a dog owner thought their dog was, the longer they had lived.
Conversely, dogs with separation anxiety and other fears were shown to be more likely to get skin disorders, as well as getting them more frequently and more severely.
Overall, while the research could not directly relate fear and anxiety to the cause of death in the dogs, a dog's fear of strangers did correlate with a significantly shortened length of life.
Respond to Dog Anxiety Problems Fast Two things stand out from this research.
The first is that it won't benefit either you or your dog to leave problems of fear or anxiety unresolved.
You really need to take action right away rather than leave it in the hope it might sort itself out, or disappear over time.
The second is that a well-behaved dog will live longer, which is one of the best reasons I've come across in a long time for persevering with your dog training.
Remember, you'll be doing it for their own benefit, because in the long run they'll live longer and healthier lives.
And finally, just think how beneficial a happy and well-behaved dog will be for your own stress levels.
So, along with the damage and destruction you come home to every time you leave your dog home alone, or the incessant barking and whining that drives your neighbours up the wall, or the constant cleaning because your dog poops and urinates in the house while you're out, or even the concern you have at the first signs of a storm, we now have something else to worry about - the effect it is having on the quality of our dog's life.
An Increase in Disease and a Shortened Lifespan In other species, including people, it is already well researched and documented that the stress response to situations that cause us fear or anxiety is linked to hormone and immune system changes, which in turn are related to an increase in disease and the shortening of lifespan.
A survey was carried out by Nancy A.
Dreschel from Penn State University to try to establish if the same was true for dogs.
The research involved 721 owners of recently deceased dogs, who completed very detailed questionnaires, which were then analysed to see if there were any clear links between behaviour, fear and anxiety, and diseases and cause of death.
Well Behaved Dogs Live Longer The analysis discovered that the better behaved a dog owner thought their dog was, the longer they had lived.
Conversely, dogs with separation anxiety and other fears were shown to be more likely to get skin disorders, as well as getting them more frequently and more severely.
Overall, while the research could not directly relate fear and anxiety to the cause of death in the dogs, a dog's fear of strangers did correlate with a significantly shortened length of life.
Respond to Dog Anxiety Problems Fast Two things stand out from this research.
The first is that it won't benefit either you or your dog to leave problems of fear or anxiety unresolved.
You really need to take action right away rather than leave it in the hope it might sort itself out, or disappear over time.
The second is that a well-behaved dog will live longer, which is one of the best reasons I've come across in a long time for persevering with your dog training.
Remember, you'll be doing it for their own benefit, because in the long run they'll live longer and healthier lives.
And finally, just think how beneficial a happy and well-behaved dog will be for your own stress levels.
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