How YOUR Mental Health Can Impact Your Dog!
As “man’s best friend,” dogs tend to be close with their owners…
However, this can also be a bad thing, as they can be negatively affected by their owner’s stress.
A Swedish research study looked at the cortisol levels in the hair of 58 dogs and their owners…
Cortisol displays the amount of physiological stress on a living being, which can be raised because of distress, exercise and illness.
Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images
In the summer 57 of the dogs had cortisol levels that matched their owners; this was true of 55 dogs in the winter.
In other words, the cortisol levels of the dogs rose and fell along with the levels of their owners.
The study revealed the correlation was influenced by the owner’s personality, rather than the dog’s personality or actions.
The study also showed that an owner’s stress has more of an impact on female dogs than male dogs.
Do YOU think this is true? Do you think your dog can sense your stress or bad mood?
