Dog Nervous System--Canine Nervous System Types

The dog nervous system is a delicate mechanism. Dogs of any breed, size or type can suffer from stress. In fact, a certain amount of stress is necessary for a healthy life. Hunger produces a form of stress that motivates us to find food, which is a healthful activity. However, a pet dog that receives a doting owner's petting and praise on demand all weekend tends to build an insatiable appetite for constant social gratification. Once he is left alone, particularly for a long period of time, the dog is frustrated by a problem where he cannot solve an emotional need.

Whether this condition results in problem behavior depends on the stability of the dog's nervous system and how the animal behaves to relieve tensions that will always arise from frustration. A chewing problem develops in the orally oriented animal. The tension relief is manifested by chewing up objects that smell and taste of the owner, of things that, to the dog, are symbolic of the owners.

In some cases, we see in litter mates of the same sex that the nervous system of the dogs appears to show considerable difference. We may see that one is a chewer and the other well behaved, even when both have been treated in the same manner in terms of indulgence. On the other hand, in some situations, litter mates living in non-indulgent homes where the problematic stress was created simply by the owner returning home late. So, you see that the dog's basic or fundamental nervsous sytem "type" plays a significant role in how it reacts to environmental conditions. However, environmental conditions as well can determine to some extent your dog's emotional response to external stimuli.

Also interesting in terms of canine nervous system and dog emotional life is the subject of pheremones.

Pheromones are chemical substances secreted by an animal that influence the behavior of other animals of the same species. Unlike other hormones, pheromones are secreted externally and influence other animals, typically by smell. In this case, pheromones may play a very important role in animal behavior. In dogs, pheromones probably influence group integration and are a factor in fighting and general aggressiveness. Some theorys suggest that dogs release pheromones in urine and feces, and perhaps through exhaled breath, subcutaneous glands at the base of the tail and the foot pads. This would tend to explain why aggressive, fighting dogs are often compulsive urine sniffers and urine markers, and why they become less aggressive when sniffing and urine marking are not allowed by their owners.

Pheromones may act as a trigger or primer for certain types of behavior. This case is typical of many wherein a dog appears to sense, by smell, another dog that may be perceived as a threat. Also typical among some vicious biting dogs is the need to brand a strange territory with their own pheromones before launching an attack. Some take place even when the biting dogs were on their home territory. Remedial programs include restricting urination of the problem dog to a single area of his own yard. This tends to lower the aggressiveness, as well as reduce the incidence of household urination.


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