Dogs are not man's best friend for nothing. Domesticated and living closely with us, our loyal friends are subject to the daily effects of our lifestyle and we can sadly and sometimes unwittingly increase their stress levels without perhaps realising it.

Maintaining the healthy mental equilibrium of our four-legged friends is an important part of responsible dog ownership and increased stress levels in dogs can lead to our pets becoming ill. If we found our dogs choking on an object then I think many of us would agree that removing the object from the dog's environment would be a primary objective in helping to ensure our dog's safety in the future.

Ignored and untreated stress-related behaviours in our dogs may lead to side effects such as -

• Increased aggression
• Digestive disorders
• Increased sleeping
• Decreased appetite
• Isolation

Ideally we should be checking our dog's environment regularly for external factors that may leave them stressed. To this end we have included a link to a Canine Stress Calculator that may help you identify the level of stress that your dog may be exposed to...check it out here.

Thanks to www.catanddogtips.com for the above info. For more dog-related tips and advice please visit www.catanddogtips.com.