How Your Job Stress Affects Your Dog

We all know stress from work can follow us home — but what if it's not just your partner or kids feeling the fallout? New research reveals that even your four-legged companion might be quietly suffering alongside you.

A study by Mitropoulos and Andrukonis (2025), published last week in Scientific Reports, uncovers a startling yet deeply relatable finding: your job stress can "cross over" to your dog, particularly when you can’t stop thinking about work after hours. It turns out our dogs don’t just share our homes — they share our emotional burdens too.

The Invisible Link: When Your Stress Becomes Your Dog’s

Dogs are incredibly sensitive. From reading our facial expressions to picking up on changes in tone and posture, dogs are masters of emotional detection. Scientists have long known that dogs experience emotional contagion — in other words, they "catch" our feelings. Now, this study is one of the first to show that job-related stress, when paired with persistent rumination, can result in real behavioral stress responses in dogs.

The research focused on 85 working adults who live with dogs. Participants completed online surveys assessing their own job stress, their tendencies to ruminate about work during leisure time, and their dog’s stress — both through their personal perceptions and more objective, behavior-based indicators.

The most compelling finding? Dogs whose owners reported high job stress and frequently dwelled on work showed more behavioral signs of stress — such as pacing, whining, or reduced playfulness. Interestingly, these behaviors weren’t always recognized by the owners themselves, suggesting our dogs may be more stressed than we realize.

Rumination: The Real Culprit

While job stress alone had a modest effect on dog stress, the real driver was work-related rumination — the habit of mentally rehashing the day’s challenges long after work is over.

Owners who couldn’t mentally disconnect from their jobs tended to be less emotionally present and more likely to emit stress cues (like tense posture or anxious tone), which their dogs clearly picked up on. This mental spillover created a feedback loop where the owner's lingering stress became a source of tension for the dog, even during what should be relaxed, off-duty hours.

What Can Dog Owners Do?

If you're a dog parent and you struggle to leave work at work, don’t worry — there are concrete steps you can take to shield your furry friend from the effects of your stress:

1. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness practices — like meditation, deep breathing, or simply being present — help reduce work-related rumination and allow for genuine relaxation with your dog.

2. Establish Transition Rituals

Create end-of-day routines that signal the mental shift from work to home. A post-work walk with your dog, a few minutes of quiet stretching, or even a simple wardrobe change can help break the cognitive link with your job.

3. Be Intentional with Dog Time

Turn off work notifications and fully engage with your dog. Whether it’s fetch, a training session, or just lounging together, these moments can reduce stress for both of you.

4. Manage Your Emotional Cues

Dogs read your nonverbal communication. Try to be conscious of how you speak and move around them, especially during stressful times. Calm tones and relaxed body language can help reassure your dog.

5. Tame the Thought Spiral

If you notice recurring work-related thoughts intruding during downtime, use cognitive-behavioral techniques or journaling to process them and refocus your attention.

6. Create a Calm Home Environment

A peaceful, consistent home environment — think soft lighting, quiet spaces, and familiar routines — can help your dog relax, even if you've had a rough day.

7. Get Support If You Need It

If your job stress feels unmanageable, consider reaching out for help — whether from your employer, a therapist, or a stress management program. Caring for yourself is one of the best ways to care for your pet.

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Final Thoughts

Your dog might not understand spreadsheets or deadlines, but they understand you. They see you when you're anxious, withdrawn, or distracted — and they feel it too.

This study is a powerful reminder that the ripple effects of stress go further than we think. So next time you're tempted to bring your work worries into your downtime, remember: disconnecting benefits not just your health — but your dog’s happiness, too.

By prioritizing emotional balance and being present with our pets, we can protect their well-being and deepen the bond that makes dog ownership so special.

In case you are interested in reading more about dogs “catching” our stress, here are links to a few other studies:

• A 2019 study found that long-term stress levels in humans and their companion dogs are often synchronized. Researchers analyzed cortisol concentrations in hair samples from dogs and their guardians. (Cortisol levels are a rough biomarker of stress.) They found that cortisol levels in guardians’ hair matched those in their dogs’ hair, suggesting synchronization in stress levels.
• A 2024 study investigated whether changes in an owner's stress levels affect their dog's stress in unfamiliar environments, such as veterinary clinics. Using heart rate (HR) monitors on both owners and dogs, researchers found that while dogs’ heart rates generally decreased over time as they acclimatized, changes in the owner's heart rate significantly predicted changes in the dog’s heart rate. This suggests that dogs may mirror their owner’s emotional state through emotional contagion and social referencing.
• Another 2024 study used cognitive bias testing to explore whether the smell of human stress would affect dogs’ behavior and cognition. Dogs exposed to stress scent were less likely to approach ambiguous cues, suggesting increased risk aversion and a negative emotional state. Dogs could distinguish between stressed and relaxed odors, suggesting they perceive and respond to human stress chemosignals. These findings highlight that stress signals can travel through the air and influence dogs’ emotions and learning.