Psycho-emotional state of dogs with different autonomic nervous system tones under acute stress

V. I. Redko; O. M. Bobrytska; L. А. Vodopianova; К. М. Sovik

doi:10.31890/vttp.2025.12.10

V. I. Redko State Biotechnological University, Kharkiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8124-749X
O. M. Bobrytska State Biotechnological University, Kharkiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5368-8094
L. А. Vodopianova State Biotechnological University, Kharkiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9331-1689
К. М. Sovik State Biotechnological University, Kharkiv, Ukraine https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1974-702X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31890/vttp.2025.12.10

Keywords: dogs, autonomic status, sympathicotonia, vagotonia, normotonia, psycho-emotional state, stress, anxiety, adaptation

Abstract

The problem of stress resistance in dogs is an important aspect of modern veterinary medicine and ethology, as it directly affects the health, behavior, and performance of animals in service, sport, and therapeutic activities. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a key role in regulating the psycho-emotional state, determining the speed and intensity of responses to stress stimuli. The aim of the study was to determine the specific effects of different types of autonomic tone on the dynamics of the psycho-emotional state of dogs under conditions of acute stress and ordinary anxiety, and to identify the mechanisms of ANS involvement in the formation of behavioral responses. The study was conducted on 30 dogs with different autonomic statuses. The psycho-emotional state was assessed using the modified FAS scale (FAS-M) in dynamics. It was found that normotonic dogs under acute stress exhibited a moderate increase in psycho-emotional state, indicating balanced reactivity and adaptive capacity. Vagotonics had minimal baseline values (0.3–1.5 units), but in response to acute stress they sharply increased (up to 2.5 units), followed by a rapid decline by the end of the experiment (1.3 units), indicating unstable adaptation dynamics. Sympathicotonics showed consistently high excitability levels (1.9–2.3 units) and the most pronounced stress response (up to 3.1 units), maintaining elevated anxiety even during ordinary anxiety days (2.5–2.8 units), which reflects their low adaptability. Analysis of the influence of individual ANS branches showed the dominance of sympathicotonia at the initial stages (0.4 units on the first day) with a gradual decline to 0.04–0.31 units in the following days, while vagotonia displayed a phase-like pattern: from moderate values at the start (0.22–0.36 units) to suppression on days 2–3 (0–0.02 units), and a renewed increase on day 5 (0.46 units). Thus, the type of autonomic tone is a determining factor in shaping the stress response in dogs. This suggests that autonomic tone type can be considered a prognostic marker of individual stress resistance and a basis for developing practical correction methods in veterinary practice.

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