Stress

I don't post over half of the pictures I take because the subject appears stressed.

Those are her 'please don't pet me' ears.

I refrain from commenting on pictures and videos where the subject (typically a dog) is showing signs of stress.

I wonder if the person posting these things notices and doesn't care, or doesn't even know what the signs of stress are.

Stryker's head is low, her eyes are darting, and she's lip licking.

Stress happens, I realize that. As my good friend Elizabeth says (and I'm paraphrasing because I don't typically record our conversations) "if my dog can deal with this level of stress and continue to work, then I'm okay with it. However, if my dog shuts down, then it's too much."

 

Stryker is eating food. Bailey is avoiding eye contact and turning away.

We strive to make the lives of our dogs as stress free as possible, right? If not, we should!

Stressed dog pictures make me uncomfortable and most are deleted when I sort through the first time. Our good friend Crystal explains stress well if you search for body language or stress.

So, to all the forumers and bloggers out here; this is the reason why I rarely comment on pictures. I can't bring myself to say something nice about sharing a picture of a clearly stressed dog. 

Here's more pictures of stressed dogs, without caption. Do you know why I consider the dog stressed?

If you can identify this adorable baby-dog... you win a prize!