Yes, we can stress our dogs. Really! Especially in times like now, where Covid has changed our lives so drastically. Many parents are now working from home and kids may still be home-schooling. As much as our fur-kids love all the pack around, the new way of life has its challenges and can bring on

The levels of stress in dogs and their owners follow each other, according to a new study from the Linköping University in Sweden. The scientists believe that dogs mirror their owner's stress level, rather than vice versa. Researchers at the Swedish University have examined how stress levels in dogs are influenced by lifestyle factors and by the people that dogs live with. Previous work has shown that individuals can mirror each others' emotional states. There is, for example, a correlation between long-term stress in children and in their mothers. The recently published study arose from scientists speculating whether similar mirroring of stress levels over long time periods can also arise between between our dogs and us.

The researchers determined stress levels over several months by measuring the concentration of the stress hormone cortisol, concentrated in the hair of the dog and its owner. Their findings where rather astonishing. It seems no matter if child or fur-child, stress levels mirror one another! "We found that the levels of long-term cortisol in the dog and its owner were synchronized, such that owners with high cortisol levels have dogs with high cortisol levels, while owners with low cortisol levels have dogs with low levels," said Ann-Sofie Sundman of the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, principal author of the study. The study examined 25 border collies and 33 Shetland sheepdogs, all of them owned by women. The owners and the dogs provided hair samples on two occasions separated by a few months. Since physical activity can increase cortisol levels, the researcher also wanted to compare companion dogs with dogs that competed in obedience or agility. The physical activity levels of the dogs were therefore recorded for a week using an activity collar. Previous research has shown that levels of short-term cortisol in saliva rise in a synchronous manner in both the dog and its owner when they compete together. The study presented here, in contrast, found that physical activity in dogs does not affect the long-term cortisol in their hair. On the other hand, the stress level of competing dogs seems to be linked more strongly with that of the owner. The scientists speculate that this may be associated with a higher degree of active interaction between the owner and the dog when they train and compete together. The dog owners were also asked to complete two validated questionnaires related to their own and their dog's personality. The researchers investigated whether stress levels are correlated with personality traits. "Surprisingly enough, we found no major effect of the dog's personality on long-term stress. The personality of the owner, on the other hand, had a strong effect. This has led us to suggest that the dog mirrors its owner's stress," says senior lecturer Lina Roth, principal investigator for the study. The result suggests that the match between an owner and a dog affects the dog's stress level.   There is only one answer to this: Let's all find more time to relax! Because we don't want to stress our fur-children, do we? Find out more on: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190606102036.htm