For thousands of years, people and dogs have lived side by side.. The animals were used for hunting, guarding, herding and many other tasks, and they also earned a reputation as " It may seem that the lives of modern dogs are devoid of stress compared to the lives of their ancestors, but a new study shows that this is not entirely true, writes Science Alert.

A few years ago, French researchers discovered that a dog owner's behavior at the vet affects their pet's stress levels.. Study results indicate that negative owner behavior, such as swearing, increases an animal's anxiety during veterinary examinations. However, until now, no one had studied the effect of owner stress on a pet in a controlled environment, scientists from Queen's University in Belfast decided to correct this.

U Focus. Technologies has its own Telegram channel. Subscribe so you don't miss the latest and most exciting news from the world of science!

The authors note that their analysis differs from the work of their French colleagues because it examines the specific impact of owner stress, measured by changes in heart rate, on the stress experienced by the animal at the veterinarian's office..

28 owners and their pets took part in the experiment. The humans and dogs wore heart rate monitors throughout the experiment so scientists could track and record their heart rates as well as heart rate variability. This made it possible to measure stress levels.

At the next stage, the owners were exposed to stress, and then its effect on their pets was analyzed. The stress intervention consisted of a digital stress test that required owners to complete an oral arithmetic task as well as a verbal arithmetic task.. The stress-relieving intervention was a five-minute breathing meditation video.

The results showed that the dogs' heart rates decreased as they became accustomed to the environment in the veterinary clinic.. Scientists now believe that veterinarians should give animals time to get used to their surroundings before examining them.. This is expected to help reduce stress and also improve the reliability of the examination results since heart and breathing rates may increase as stress increases.

During the experiment, scientists also found that changes in the owners' heart rate before and during the experiment could predict changes in the pet's heart rate. If the owner's heart rate increases or decreases, so does the dog's..

Scientists have concluded that dogs are likely to be able to recognize their owners' stress and this affects their own well-being.. What happens is “emotional contagion” - a state in which people and other animals can imitate the emotions and behavior of others, both consciously and unconsciously.

It is suggested that the study results may indicate that dogs look at their owners to recreate their reaction to the environment.. Please note that owners were asked not to interact with their dogs during the experiment..

Therefore, any assessment of owner stress made by their dogs was conducted without direct communication between owner and pet.

If our stress can affect our pets, people should consider this. This is especially true for visits to veterinary clinics, when pets are already susceptible to stress due to a change in environment and examination..

Previously, Focus wrote that scientists have found that dogs can distinguish between cruel and clumsy people.