The Effects of the Environment on Dogs

Your dog's environment shapes her behavior and affects her health in myriad ways. The U.S. military found that early neurological stimulation--mildly stressing puppies from birth--improves immune functioning and produces a more resilient and intelligent dog. A stimulating environment can also help senior dogs live longer, according to a 2005 study by the National Institute on Aging. A good diet and regular physical activity also positively affect a dog's well-being.

  1. Early Neurological Stimulation

    • The U.S. military's "Super Dog" program is based on the premise that daily controlled stressors--such as briefly placing a puppy on an ice-cold towel, or holding it upside-down for several seconds--stimulated neurological development and resulted in adult dogs more sound in mind and body than those who were never stressed. Early neurological stimulation is done from birth, for the first few weeks of a puppy's life.

    Early Environmental Effects

    • Puppies go through several stages of development and their environment during critical phases can permanently affect their adult personality. If a pup is not socialized and habituated to different people and environments for the first several months of his life, he can become a forever shy, or defensively aggressive, dog. On the other hand, an overly stressful and chaotic environment or harsh treatment of a young dog can have the same effect. The happy medium for a stable, confident dog is to expose him safely to a variety of environments and keep him safe without coddling him. Dogs that never get exposed to stress never learn to deal with it, and dogs exposed to a very stressful environment can be permanently scarred.

    Individual and Breed Differences

    • A dog's temperament is not only shaped by his environment, but is in part hardwired. Highly social dogs like beagles and retrieving or hunting dogs were developed to work in a pack and obey commands. Dogs like this will usually be happiest spending most of their time around other dogs and people, and don't do well when isolated. On the other hand, livestock guardian dogs such as Great Pyrenees or Anatolians were bred to work alone guarding livestock. As long as this sort of dog has a job to do and adequate care, they can be quite content spending time without human company--and may prefer it.

      Restricting an active working breed to urban or apartment living without much stimulation and exercise often leads to problem behaviors, like excessive barking or destructiveness. A highly social dog who is isolated in a back yard; or even worse on a chain, will become depressed, and may also act out with aggressiveness or constant barking.

    Environmental Safety

    • Like small children, dogs are close to the ground and tend to eat or lick unsuitable things. If your dog spends a lot of time in a grassy yard, be aware that lawn chemicals and pesticides can harm her, causing everything from contact dermatitis to death. Researchers at Purdue's School of Veterinary Medicine studied bladder cancer in Scottish terriers and found dogs exposed to pesticides had four to seven times higher occurrence of bladder cancer than those not exposed to pesticides

      A dog that is fed a high-quality diet, given proper veterinary care and protection from parasites and diseases, allowed plenty of exercise and cared for as part of the family, will be a healthier, happier pet.