Nervous System Types & Stress

Dogs of any breed, size or type can suffer from stress.  In fact, a certain amount of stress is necessary for a healthy life.  Hunger produces a form of stress that motivates us to find food, which is a healthful activity.  However, a pet dog that receives a doting owner's petting and praise on demand all weekend tends to build an insatiable appetite for constant social gratification.  Once he is left alone, particularly for a long period of time, the dog is frustrated by a frustrating problem where he cannot find his “emotional food.”

Whether this condition results in problem behavior depends on the stability of the dog's nervous system and how the animal behaves to relieve tensions that will always arise from frustration.  A chewing problem develops in the orally oriented animal.  The tension relief is manifested by chewing up objects that smell and taste of the owner, of things that, to the dog, are symbolic of the owners.

In some cases, litter mates of the same sex where one is a chewer and the other well behaved, even when both have been equally overindulged.  On the other hand, in some situations, litter mates living in non-indulgent homes where the problematic stress was created simply by the owner returning home late.