Is this a relaxed or stressed dog?

Does this video show a hot, tired dog or a stressed, pained dog?



Answer and explanation below the tags...

Don't be distracted by the staples and recent cauterization marks. They use cauterization because most dogs don't even notice it and the first time this particular dog had a staple, she was running around showing it off like she would a new collar.

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This dog is in fact in pain, but not from any of the visible surgical marks. Her collar irritated and opened a cauterized area on her neck and she has a large painful open sore under her neck (note, this video was taken while waiting for treatment.)

However, you don't need to see the sore to recognize that she is under stress. She is giving off at least 3 clear signs of stress in the video. Her silhouette shows a rounded topline and braced legs. Her tail is down. If you look closely at her tongue as she pants you can see the wide bottom of what Brenda Aloff calls a "spatulate tongue" from muscular effort as compared to the the lolling tongue of a hot or tired dog. It's important to get this question right, because a dog in pain or stress deserves help, and they are also much more likely to bite or nip.

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