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Always alert. Slightly sleeping. Constantly vigilant. What is behind this behavior and what can you do about it? <\/p>\n
Stefan Veenstra DVM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Your dog is not aggressive. Not extremely anxious. Not sick.
\nBut you can’t relax. <\/p>\n
He sleeps lightly. Responds to any sound. Seems constantly alert. And even during moments of rest, he never seems to let go completely. <\/p>\n
Many owners think this is character.
\nYet there is often more to it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
He is in his usual place. Eyes closed, body relaxed. But as soon as you get up, it’s already there. Before you reach the hallway, he is behind the door, seemingly resting, but ready to jump to his feet within five seconds. <\/p>\n
During the day he seems to be asleep, but on closer inspection you can see that his eyes are never completely closed. He sinks down, only to be awake again a minute later. A car driving by. A noise outside. A movement in the room. Enough to reactivate it. <\/p>\n
Behavioral signals that owners often describe:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A dog that is chronically alert is constantly under the influence of its sympathetic nervous system. This is the part that puts the body in a state of readiness, the so-called “flight and fight” nervous system. This gives an increased heart rate, tense muscles, sharp senses. Useful in real danger, but burdensome when it becomes the default mode. <\/p>\n
In the event of prolonged stress, the stress hormone cortisol remains elevated. Cortisol is meant for short peaks, not as a baseline level. Chronically high cortisol levels affect sleep patterns, digestion, the immune system and behavior. A dog that has been in this for a long time gets stuck in action mode, as it were. <\/p>\n
The gut-brain axis plays a role in this that many owners do not know. The intestines and brain are directly connected via the vagus nerve. A disturbed intestinal environment can contribute to a restless nervous system. Conversely, persistent stress can undermine gut health. This interaction makes the whole thing difficult to break through without a broad approach. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Chronic alertness is rarely the result of a single cause. More often it is an accumulation of factors that reinforce each other. Some that we regularly encounter: <\/p>\n
Long-term stress<\/p>\n
Moves, changing routines, conflicts in the house or previous negative experiences can activate the nervous system for a long time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Pain complaints<\/p>\n
Subtle pain, such as joints, back or abdominal pain, gives the body a constant alarm signal. Dogs naturally hide pain well. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Bowel problems<\/p>\n
A disturbed microbiome or dormant intestinal complaints can contribute to restlessness and irritability via the gut-brain axis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Nutrition<\/p>\n
Processed food with many additives, fast carbohydrates or ingredients that are poorly suited to the individual dog can contribute to unrest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Insufficient recovery<\/p>\n
Too many stimuli, too little real rest time or too much intensive activity without a recovery period keeps the system running.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Character and socialization<\/p>\n
Predisposition plays a role, but even sensitive dogs can learn to relax if the circumstances are right.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Rosie was such a dog. No aggression, no obvious fear. But always on. His owner described it aptly: “He sleeps with his eyes ajar. I can never really see him resting.” <\/p>\n
When the children came home, she also became more and more hyper until the moments came when she really got behavioral problems and became more and more unreliable.<\/p>\n
Upon inquiry, it turned out that Max had had minor intestinal complaints for years that had never been properly addressed. His diet was variable. And his daily schedule contained little real, quiet rest time. <\/p>\n
After an integral process with adapted nutrition, fixed rest periods, targeted intestinal guidance and support for the nervous system, something gradually changed. Not overnight, but after a few weeks, Rosie really started to close his eyes. Because she slept better, the grumpy behavior also decreased and the children, after a short parenting course, had the best buddy after school. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
There is no quick fix for a dog that is chronically alert. What does work is a broad approach that tackles several factors at the same time. A few points of attention: <\/p>\n
Fixed routine<\/p>\n
Predictability reduces stress. Fixed times for nutrition, exercise and rest give the nervous system something to hold on to and reduce alertness. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Real rest time<\/p>\n
Not every rest period is recovery. Consciously make room for quiet, low-stimulus moments. No music, no TV in the background, no constant touch when the dog has just laid down. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Movement tailored to the individual<\/p>\n
More exercise is not always better. Intense activity can actually increase stress levels if it is not followed by a proper recovery phase. Calmer sniffing walks work better for many dogs than exhausting training. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Nutrition<\/p>\n
Take a critical look at what you feed. Foods with a lot of processed ingredients or little variety can contribute to intestinal restlessness, which affects behavior via the gut-brain axis. A dietary change to more natural, less processed food helps many dogs. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Exclude pain<\/p>\n
Don’t let subtle pain go unnoticed. A dog that is constantly on guard may have pain as an underlying trigger. A thorough physical check is always a useful starting point. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Support stress regulation<\/p>\n
In addition to the above-mentioned adaptations, targeted support of the nervous system can help initiate the recovery process. For dogs that have trouble relaxing, we at NGD Care use Relax Support<\/strong><\/a>, a natural formula that supports the stress response and helps the body to switch back. <\/p>\n It’s not a solution in itself, but as part of a broader approach, it can make the difference between moving forward slowly and getting stuck.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n “A dog that never really relaxes requires more than patience. He asks for an understanding of what is behind that behavior.”<\/p>\n Do you recognize this in your dog and don’t know where to start? We are happy to help you with integral advice that suits your situation. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This blog is intended to be informative and does not replace a veterinary consultation. Do you have doubts about your dog’s well-being? Contact a veterinarian. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Behaviour & well-being My dog never really relaxes Always alert. Slightly sleeping. Constantly vigilant. What is behind this behavior and what can you do about it? Stefan Veenstra DVM Your dog is not aggressive. Not extremely anxious. Not sick. But you can’t relax. He sleeps lightly. Responds to any sound. Seems constantly alert. And even … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[178,13521,8537],"tags":[13522,13530,13528,13526,13532,13524,13537,13536,13534,13523],"class_list":["post-22670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-en","category-disorders","category-integrative-veterinary-medicine","tag-behavior","tag-cortisol","tag-gut-brain-axis","tag-nervous-system","tag-overstimulation","tag-recreation","tag-relax-support","tag-routine","tag-sleep","tag-stress","infinite-scroll-item"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ngdcare.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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