My Dog Is Stressing Me Out | What Should I Do?

Nowadays, humans are becoming more mindful of the many benefits of owning a dog. These cute, fun, cuddly creatures can play a positive role in human life. Dogs can positively affect you, physically and emotionally, which is scientifically proven. But quite the reverse owning a dog could pose difficulties for someone in some cases.

Out of the blue, many dogs can display unexpected, problematic behavior such as hyperactivity, aggression, destructive separation anxiety, etc. However, they have reasons to behave like that too. You will find troublesome in actions like these of your dog. Barking, over-enthusiastic greetings, dragging around the leash, or destructiveness by dogs are all enough to give you stress. I am here to get you out of this stress and to let you know why this happens.

Is owning a dog stressful?

Dogs provide great convenience, companionship, loyalty, exhilaration. For dog lovers, dogs are loving members of their families. But love comes with a lot of hardship. There are some things related to dog-owning that you may find stressful, like adjusting to a new dog, training it, getting familiar with it, providing food and medicine on time, regular check-ups in vets, regular exercise, finding a solution in terms of dog sitting, and many more.

Also, behavioral terms of your dog can be a reason for your stress. Every dog gets wild sometimes for anxiety or pain or more surrounding conditions. It can be the worst nightmare in broad daylight for a dog owner.

Why does my dog stress me out?

There are many reasons to mention that why your dog is causing you stress. But a few of the most common reasons that I faced are:

• Craving for food: Many dogs can be simply food motivated. Sometimes from increased appetite, your dog may prey on its favorite food. Your denial can be enough to make it wild.
• Irregularity: You must maintain a routine for feeding, walking, and exercises. Changes to this schedule can make your dog anxious. Your dog doesn’t understand why this is happening, and it may not be able to get used to your irregularity. That may make your dog frustrated and wild.
• Boredom: When your dog is left alone at home while you are working outside. Your dog can be bored, depressed. It will cause your dog destructive separation anxiety. Being left alone might trigger a stress reaction.
• Loud noises: For some dogs, loud noises such as loud music, sirens, yelling can be frightening or threatening. These will trigger your dog’s anxiety and will cause you stress.
• Stranger people and other pets: Stranger people or dogs can seem threatening for your dog. For some dogs, strangers are offensive in their eyes. ““Dogs and dogs” aggression may occur too. You shouldn’t make this situation if your dog is not easily cooperative with others.
• Lack of attention: When your dog feels a lack of awareness when it doesn’t get enough care and pamper from you when you don’t give her enough time to play or entertain, your dog may feel abandoned. Your dog will start to be aggressive around you to seek attention.
• And you: Dogs feed off our energy. If you are panicked and stressed out, your dog will be stressed too. Seemingly unrelated things in their surroundings can contribute to your dog’s misbehavior.

What to do when my puppy or dog is stressing me out?

It is high time to get out of these stresses given by your dog. The only thing to do in this case is to bring your dog under control. As well as everything else you have to do –

1. Feed healthy meals on time: Be punctual about your dog’s feeding schedule. Please give them the healthy, nutritious, and right amount of high-quality food. Don’t let your dog hungry for a long time. That can make your dog’s mood terrible.
2. Enforce Nap time: Dogs can become cranky when they get to sleep less. They can act weird if they are overtired. Try to put your dog to sleep on time. Make sure Your dog is getting enough sleep.
3. Avoid stressful situations: You can’t imagine how irrelevant things around dogs can cause their misbehavior. But you do know your dog’s characteristics. Don’t drag your dog in any situation that may trigger your dog’s anxiety. For example, if your dog doesn’t like loud noises, don’t bring them to concerts or anywhere where loud music will be playing; play music at an average volume, even in your house. If your dog is not used to being with other dogs, don’t strain. If your dog doesn’t like to be in the crowd, don’t bring it to parties. You have to let go of certain things to cope up with your dog.
4. Provide toys: Dog toys can provide mental stimulation for your dog. It is also a great option to reduce stress by giving them busy toys. Such as a chewing toy can spare your books and things from your dog’s chew.
5. The reward for obeying: Giving rewards is a beautiful gesture for raising a well-mannered dog. If your dog listens to your command, if you catch your dog being calm and understanding, reward instantly. Reward means the things which your dog is fond of. By having a reward, your dog will feel warm, and next time it will count on you.
6. Consistent training and exercise: Consistent and proper training is essential to keep both you and your dog satisfied because a tired dog is a happy dog. Exercise helps to remove extra layers of nervous energy. There is no best medicine than exercise to keep your dog away from anxiety and stress.
7. Consult a veterinarian: If your dog is really out of control and your stress seems unavoidable, consult with a veterinarian. Your dog may need treatment.
8. Personal care: Ensure that the stresses of your personal life are not hindering Between you and your dog’s relationship. Your mental health affects your dog. Out of being overprotective, your dog can be aggressive. So lift yourself and present yourself in front of your dog in a good mood. Avoid unnecessary yelling and commands.

What to do if my dog is stressing me out while walking?

You may have faced many problems while walking your dog. Your dog may be agile or aggressive, maybe distracted easily by surroundings, may get over-excited. That will lead it to pull the leash with full force or Won’t step for an inch to move on and cause trouble for both you and other people. Read the suggestions below to get rid out of this stress:

• Walk briskly.
• Don’t allow stoppage for sniffing.
• Command to have a seat at the curb.
• Keep the leash relatively short but not enough to cause your dog to pull Against it. Just keep a distance between your dog and other people.
• Practice at home. You can walk him in your corridor with or without a leash as there will be few distractions.
• Offer treats.
• Be consistent in training your dog.

How do I stop my dog from stressing me out when left alone?

When you come home at the end of a busy and tiring day, and you find that your home is in a state of turmoil by your dog is pretty annoying and unbearable, I must say. What is causing your dog to be that much destructive? The reason is nothing but destructive separation anxiety. Your dog is mad at you for leaving. Here I am telling you how to avoid this-

• Confine your dog loosely.
• Provide toys for distraction.
• You can play music or keep the television on.
• Don’t make a big deal while leaving.
• Leave your clothes with your dog that smells like you.
• Leave the dog with your family or friends.
• Build a gesture that your dog will understand when you mean to say you will be back.
• Don’t yell or punish them. Be nice to it when you are home.

Final Thought

Your dog doesn’t want the same thing as you all the time. You can nurture the dog but not drive its mindset as it has feelings and emotions. No matter how cute it is, it can be the reason for your stress. After reading for so long, I hope you know what to do to make things easier between you and your dog.