If Your Dog's Going Gray Prematurely, She Might Be Stressed Out

If you don't think chasing squirrels and begging for treats is serious business, just ask a dog.

Pups might not pay bills or hold down 9-to-5 jobs, but that doesn't mean the canine life is completely carefree. Our four-legged friends also get stressed out, and according to a new study, too much anxiety can result in dogs turning prematurely gray.

Camille King, a veteran animal behaviorist as well as one of the co-authors of the study, told NBC's "Today" she was "not at all surprised by the results," saying, "For many years, I noticed that dogs I saw in my practice for anxiety or impulsivity issues were often graying early."

To conduct the study, researchers examined 400 dogs between the ages of 1 and 4 and gave their owners a questionnaire on anxiety and impulsivity. The results showed that the dogs exhibiting fearful responses to loud noises, unfamiliar animals and people were the ones associated with increased grayness around their muzzle area.

"I immediately thought of the presidents," Temple Grandin, another co-author of the study and a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, told "Today." "Every single one of the presidents has looked horrible at the end of the presidency...they aged quickly."

According to this study, female dogs tend to go gray early more often than males. The animal's size, medical issues and whether or not the animal was spayed or neutered did not factor into the dog's fur prematurely losing pigment, the study results showed.

Although there's nothing wrong with the salt-and-pepper look, we all feel better with less stress in our lives. So on that note, here are four things you can do to help Rover relax:

1. Play. That's right, get out there and have some fun. According to petMD, regular exercise is a major stress reducer for man's best friend.
2. Create a safe zone in the house. This "place" (as many trainers call it) can be a blanket, a bed or a mat that moves around the home. The dog should know she can go to her "place" for a safe reprieve from thunderstorms, loud music or other types of anxiety-inducing situations.
3. Provide high-quality dog food. As petMD notes, feeding your dog an unbalanced diet "may cause unforeseen repercussions that may lead to anxiety and stress." In order to avoid this, make sure to talk to your veterinarian about mealtime and making sure your dog gets the nutrition he or she needs for every stage of life.
4. Find a balance. With dogs, much like with people, too much or too little of something can be bad. This applies to sleep, socialization and play, The Whole Dog Journal notes. That's why it's so important to pay attention to your pet's body language and behavioral cues. If your dog is showing signs of stress, it may be because you need to adjust your pet's routine or change something in his or her surroundings.

A few gray hairs are A-OK, but we're all about helping the family dog (and ourselves!) be less stressed.

First Photo Credit: Miika Silfverberg via Flickr