Does your dog feel the stress you bring home from work?

A new study in Scientific Reports confirms stress crossover – the transfer of stress from guardian to dog. The key factor? Work-related rumination – constantly thinking about your job outside of work hours.

Dogs living with people who mentally stay “at work” show more behavioral signs of stress. This isn’t about one bad day – it’s a chronic influence that can reduce your dog’s well-being.

This is the first study to clearly demonstrate just how deeply dogs respond to human emotional states. They soak up our emotions like sponges – whether we want them to or not.

So if you want to support your dog, start with yourself. Learn to leave work where it belongs – outside your home, and ideally, outside your head. Be with your dog, not just physically near them while your mind’s in your inbox.

A question worth sitting with:

What does your dog “know” about your life that you’re avoiding feeling yourself?

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Mitropoulos, T., & Andrukonis, A. (2025). Dog owners’ job stress crosses over to their pet dogs via work-related rumination. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 16887. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-01131-x