Impact of Owner Stress on Dogs in the Clinic

In the Literature

Byrne A, Arnott G. Empathy or apathy? Investigating the influence of owner stress on canine stress in a novel environment. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2024;279:106403. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106403

The Research …

Stress can negatively affect canine behavior and welfare, and pet-owner–related factors can affect canine stress in the clinic.¹

This study investigated whether changes in owner stress levels influence canine stress levels in a novel environment. Dogs (n = 28) and their owners were divided into 2 groups. One group of owners was subjected to a minor stressful intervention, in which they were given a mental arithmetic task and asked to do an oral presentation. The second group of owners was guided through a video on meditative breathing. Owners were asked to ignore the dogs throughout the experiment. Heart rate and heart rate variability of owners and dogs were monitored. Owner stress scores were evaluated before and after the intervention. Dogs were evaluated based on videos taken during the intervention that were later scanned for indications of stress based on body language.

Neither intervention caused a significant difference in heart rate or heart rate variability of owners or dogs; however, heart rate in dogs decreased over time, indicating dogs tend to be calmer when allowed to become familiar with a new environment, thus supporting the premise that stress can be reduced when dogs are allowed to adjust to novel situations (eg, visiting the clinic).² Heart rate and heart rate variability correlated between owners and their dogs, and a component analysis of canine behaviors labeled as alert (eg, standing, staring, panting, moving) were positively correlated with mean dog heart rate.

Results of this study appear to support social referencing and emotional contagion between owners and their dogs, meaning that owner behavior can impact dog behavior and vice versa.³ In addition, visual indicators (ie, alert behaviors) may help identify dogs in distress.

… The Takeaways

Key pearls to put into practice:

• Fearful behavior is a common response to visiting the clinic, with an estimated up to 79% of dogs showing indications of distress when entering the clinic.⁴ Addressing fear and anxiety by allowing dogs time to acclimate and providing as positive of an experience as possible (see Suggested Reading) may help mitigate stress.

• Although owner stress can contribute to stress in dogs, most dogs are more at ease in the presence of their owner.⁵ Examinations and procedures should be completed in the owner’s presence when possible.

• Bringing fractious, fearful dogs to the clinic can greatly affect owner stress.⁶ Providing a previsit pharmaceutical plan to address fear and anxiety can help these visits be less stressful for all involved.

• Caregiver burden is another source of owner stress, especially when patients are terminally ill or have chronic medical and/or behavior conditions. Caregiver burden can be decreased by reducing the complexity of the treatment plan, defining treatment goals, and working collaboratively with the owner to determine the next steps of care.⁷