Describe The Role Of Stress In Animals

Words: 606
Pages: 3

Just like humans dogs and other organisms can experience stress. The definition of stress is “Stress is the response of an organism to a demand placed upon it to change or adapt.” There are certain levels of stress that is healthy and even necessary for survival. This positive kind of stress allows organisms to use energy in a positive way and helps in the development of new capabilities. Negative stress is called distress, this kind of stress can damage an organism resulting in behavioral problems such as anxiety or aggression. For example When something stressful happens the body falls under control of the Sympathetic Autonomic Nervous System (SANS). The SANS is part of the body responsible for controlling the flight or fight response. The SANS is closely associated with the limbic system, which is the section of the brain that deals with the expression and experience of emotions, memory and …show more content…
When the limbic system is activated, the cerebral cortex is suppressed and it’s the same way when the cerebral cortex is highly active, the limbic system is suppressed.The release of various neurotransmitters and stress hormones triggers a plethora of reactions within our body that basically shuts down all of our bodily systems not necessary for defense. After the stressful situation has passed, the body’s stress response is supposed to turn-off and levels of neurotransmitters and stress hormones should return to normal levels. However, these changes do not “turn-off” instantly but can in fact sometimes take over 24 hours to return to their normal levels, but that may depend on the person. The common causes of stress in Dogs can be Arguments among family members, Any change in environment, Scary events, Frustration, Humans ignorant of needs and ways of communicating, and etc. You can tell a dog is stressed by their body language and behavior. For their eyes you can notice these