Dog owners who refound about work stress can transmit anxiety to your dog: study
If your work makes you feel tense, your dog is feeling it too.
A new study published in Scientific Reports discovers that work stress can affect your dog at home.
The investigation, directed by Tanya Mitropoulos and Allison Andrukonis, shows that when the dog owners stop in labor problems after hours, a habit known as “Rummy related to work”, their pets show more signs of stress.
The researchers surveyed 85 owners of dogs who work. They measured work stress and how often people still thought about work during their free time. Then they asked how the stressed owners thought they were their dogs and also tracked real behaviors linked to canine stress, such as groans, rhythm or concern.
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A stressed office worker, on the left, covers his face while sitting on his laptop. On the right, a black retriever labrador looks visibly anxious. A new study found that work stress can affect dogs through emotional contagion and work related to work. (Getty images)
The study found that the owners with greater work stress had dogs that showed more stress -related behaviors. That link remained strong even when the researchers represented another stress at home. Interestingly, the owners did not always realize that their dogs were stressed. It was the behavior of a puppy that told the story.
The important factor that drives the connection? Rumination. The owners who took home were more likely to have stressed the dogs. Thinking about the work outside the clock seemed to extend the stress of humans to pets.
This idea is known as “crossover”, when a person’s stress spills others in a home. Previous investigations have shown that this happens among the spouses, and now there is also evidence that it can happen between people and their pets.
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A dog sits on a wooden floor with a sad expression. New research finds that dogs can absorb the work stress of their owners through emotional signals and changes in routine. (Getty images)
Dogs are especially sensitive to the mood of their owners. Scientists call this “emotional contagion”, the idea that dogs can capture human feelings through voice tone, body language and other subtle signals. When an owner is distracted or irritable to work stress, the dog realizes. Over time, this can affect the well -being of the dog.
The study also suggests another explanation. When people focus on labor problems, they can become less patient, more distant or less consistent with routines such as walks and food. That rate of change in attention can also increase stress in dogs.
A woman pinch the bridge of her nose with frustration while working from home. A 2025 study published in scientific reports links work stress and rummy to stress signs in pet dogs. (Getty images)
The authors point out that Americans see their pets overwhelmingly as part of the family. That makes it even more important to understand how our behavior affects them.
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In the words of the study, “the owners of dogs used can benefit from avoiding work -related reflections when they are at home to protect the well -being of man’s best friend.”
Leaving work aside when you walk around the door not only helps your own health. It also helps your dog.
Jasmine is News Digital writer and a military spouse based in New Orleans. Stories can be sent to jasmine.baehr@News.com