Do Dog's Feed Off Of Their Owners Emotions?

If you have been a professional in the pet industry or just have been a dog parent for a while, you know this is a true statement.

Dogs' can sense fear from humans when their hormones shift from calm to stressed. Our adrenal glands, just like our dogs, are responsible for the stress response hormones fluctuating and alerting your dog.

Dogs indeed feed off their owners, even more, when they are on a leash. The older your dog gets, the more in tune they become with their owners. The more hurt or loss, whether from losing another fur member, loved one, divorce, or other events. The more trauma you and your dog experience together, the more synced with your lowest of lows and highest of highs. The more you and your dog are at risk from being emotionally co-dependent. At first, this does not sound bad, but this can be how a stage five clinger is created. In a way, I think humans are past the point of being dependent on our furry friends. I know I am a stage five clinger for my fur kids. When raising the perfect pup, the last thing we want is not to be independent—learning that our emotions, good or bad, affect our dogs.

The more attached to our dog, the reverse is usually true. We have to help teach our pups to be calm and confident, whether that's on the leash or when their human is gone. They are just now bringing to light how much our mood and energy reflect their owners. The old saying "Your energy travels down the leash" is absolutely a true statement.

If you need any help navigating the weird but exciting life of becoming a pet parent, then give us a call.