Hi everyone. Floyd, as I have said before is hyperactive. However, I took him to Belton Horse Trials yesterday and I think he was stressed, not excited as I first thought. After half an hour, his coat became really scurfy though he was acting excited. (or was he? Did I miss the signs?) The only other time I have seen this scurfy coat is when I have left him at home with my husband /and or sister when I go away for work for 3 weeks.
I've never heard of a rapid change in a dog's coat due to stress, although it wouldn't surprise me if there could be a change over the longer term due to stress. But, don't know.... Why do you think he's stressed? What did he do? I assume he doesn't seem scared/stressed eg quiet, withdrawn, tail down, trying to escape from things? An excited dog can become stressed though, I've seen it with my dog when he was younger and very unfortunately under tight restrictions due to surgery. I've seen this in a very exciting place where he is asked to be on lead, or walk on lead, and that is too much to ask, it's just too difficult for him. An excited dog, in a place with too many distractions, will pull on his lead towards things, appear desperate to explore, say hello, sniff, pee, steal things and so on, plus has a frantically wagging tail. Will also possibly whine in frustration. Might jump up, start chewing things, even start nipping etc. An over excited dog may start feeling stressed by frustration if you expose them for too long to the distractions, at too close a distance, and they are still prevented from accessing what they want - if this happens with my dog, he will stop wagging his tail, become quieter but still try to lunge towards things, and still appear hyper alert but his body is still (he might even seem stiff) and whine more frequently. I can tell he is stressed and not just becoming calmer because he does not become more able to follow well known cues. If, on the other hand, he is becoming calmer, he is more able to follow well known cues and his body becomes not stiff but more relaxed. Both an over excited dog, and a very stressed dog might be unable to eat.
Hi, I'm now thinking eustress, I was told to look this up. Tail wagging, panting, pulling to say hello. No trying to escape, no downed tail. I was just concerned about the sudden change in his coat. Normal excitability causing good stress causing scurf. Thank you
