Dog Ownership, Stress, and Finding Romance

For many people, the gift of a puppy seems appropriate around the holidays this time of year. It may be that the presence of a new puppy on a day devoted to peace, good will, and togetherness is viewed as the perfect way to intensify the joy. Unfortunately, it may mean a difficult and traumatic experience for the new pup. While almost every puppy of any breed can be completely adorable and affection inducing in its “infancy,” not every adolescent or adult dog will be as appealing as he was as a pup.

If you – or the recipient of your sentient gift – is truly ready to expand their families and take on new caretaking responsibilities, take care to choose the breed that makes the most sense for the pup’s new household. The decision should address size, activity level, temperament, and personality.

Recently, a few interesting news stories regarding our four-legged best friends have appeared in the popular and academic press. One story presented veterinarians’ views on the dogs that should not be chosen as pets. As a rule of thumb, we shouldn’t pick puppies as pets if their adult size is smaller than a cat or larger than a newborn calf. That is an interesting and, hopefully, memorable guideline for any potential puppy shoppers. Living in a tiny apartment does not necessarily justify getting a “tiny” dog. Being a “weekend warrior” who loves the out-of-doors, but only gets out on Sunday afternoons does not mean that a high energy, highly intelligent Border collie is going to love spending long days alone in house while you are at work -- “Sundays only” outings are just not adequate to keep this dog content.

Does Dog Ownership Help Your Romantic Relationships?

The findings of a study by Cloutier and Peetz (2016) indicated that having a dog in your life is likely to bring a little more energy and vitality to your romantic relationships. Pets bring out some highly appealing qualities in people. Pet owners, they found, enjoyed better relationships, were more responsive to their partners, had better adjustment skills, and higher relational investment in their romantic relationships. Pet owners also tend to be more empathic with others’ needs. All in all, caring and devoted dog lovers make good romantic partners. There’s an old saying that following a person’s time and money tells you everything you need to know about their values; observing how a potential partner interacts with his pets can tell you a lot about how they will behave in a long-term relationship according to this study.

Is a Gray Muzzle in a Young Dog a Big Deal?

Finally, a recently published journal article dealt with the risks of “premature graying” for some members of the canine population (King, Smith, Grandin, & Borchett, 2016). Some people jokingly complain that their kids or their jobs are going to “give them gray hair.” There are also tales of individuals who went completely white or gray-haired “overnight” when an unexpected and significant stressor appeared in their lives.

We equate gray hair with age or stress – and it turns out that our canine companions are more similar to us than we might have thought.

In the study by King et al., it was found that young dogs who experience a great deal of anxiety in their lives are also likely to gray prematurely, just like some super-stressed humans might be. When we see a dog with a graying muzzle, many people probably jump to the assumption that the pup is in its late adult years. However, dogs that show the classic “doggie anxiety” symptoms (barking excessively when alone, fear of people, barking a strangers, hiding from people, and so on) were more likely to wear their stress on their muzzles. Canines that were more impulsive (easily agitated, difficulty “sitting” or “staying” for long periods, chasing after squirrels on walks, and so on) were also more likely to be wearing this trait on their muzzles, as well.

If a dog friend of yours is showing signs of graying, and the dogs is still relatively young, this is a warning sign that the dog’s temperament is likely more challenging to modulate than that of some other dogs. Three strong predictors of premature graying were their reactions to loud noises, unfamiliar animals, and unfamiliar people. If you are looking for a pup at the animal shelter, be wary of choosing the pup that is the most wary of you. It may be a sign of more challenges down the road.

The holidays are usually stressful enough for the most well-balanced among us. When you’ve got a pup whose needs for entertainment are more draining than those of a 2-year-old child, it might be a sign that your dog could benefit from dedicated care giving and training from her people. King and her colleagues suggested these pups might benefit from coping skills training and helping dogs learn how to better read people’s body language to help dogs avoid unnecessary self-induced stress.

Conclusion

Considering all of the research that has been conducted on our four-legged best friends, it is clear that people enjoy having canines in their lives. There are a lot of positive outcomes associated with pet ownership for a lot of people, but the stress of trying to train a challenging pup can drain all but the most dedicated dog people. Choose a pet carefully, be willing to invest the necessary time and energy caring and training your new pal, offer your very “best self” to others, and then enjoy the pleasure that pet ownership provides.