One in 10 dog owners don’t know stress signs, study finds

[skinnydipper]

Fewer than half of the dog owners were able to identify the most well-known body signals of fear.

The Kennel Club urges more awareness of dog body language.

One in 10 dog owners don't know stress signs, study finds

The Kennel Club urges more awareness of dog body language.

mrcvs.co.uk

 

[JBM]

It’s interesting how similar some of the signs are to horses.
I’m actually surprised 9 out of 10 people can identify them

 

[Bellaboo18]

I'm also surprised it's not more people sad though

 

[twiggy2]

In real life I doubt anywhere near that amount would recognise them

 

[Clodagh]

Looking at nearly all videos on fb it seems that dogs can be displaying all those signs and people have absolutely no idea.

 

[Jenko109]

I do not for a second believe its only one in ten.

 

[tetij]

That's sad, but I can definitely believe it!

It’s interesting how similar some of the signs are to horses.
I’m actually surprised 9 out of 10 people can identify them

I thought that in horses, licking and chewing were signs of relaxation, not stress - does anyone know which it is (or maybe it's not that simple...)? e.g. I've heard trainers indicate that the horse is starting to relax as he/she is licking and chewing?

 

[JBM]

That's sad, but I can definitely believe it!


I thought that in horses, licking and chewing were signs of relaxation, not stress - does anyone know which it is (or maybe it's not that simple...)? e.g. I've heard trainers indicate that the horse is starting to relax as he/she is licking and chewing?

I believe in horses it’s them starting to come out of stress and trying to relax but does indicate they were stressed and doesn’t mean they’ve necessarily stopped being stressed
Possibly processing what’s happening

 

[Aperchristmas]

I also don't believe that it's only 1 in 10 - I'm consistently shocked by the number of dog owners I know and meet that don't realise their dog is stressed.

 

[stangs]

The sort of owner who bothers to fill out a survey on stress signs is far more likely to know them in the first place.

I thought that in horses, licking and chewing were signs of relaxation, not stress - does anyone know which it is (or maybe it's not that simple...)? e.g. I've heard trainers indicate that the horse is starting to relax as he/she is licking and chewing?

It's a signal of both. The current thinking is that the horse licks and chews as they're changing into a parasympathetic state. Adrenaline causes a dry mouth; they chew to wet the mouth again. So, in that case, it's a sign of a horse becoming more relaxed.

However, if you thought the horse was already relaxed, but then they start licking and chewing, you can consider that a sign that something has been stressing them out unbeknownst to you. It's all about the context.