Dogs that don't get enough water won't eat as much, and vice versa. Attendants caring for the animals can also induce stress. People who are tired or irritable when handling dogs can cause stress in dogs. Abnormal behavior in caretakers can bring about defense reactions in dogs. One of the greatest stress producers is restraint, especially by strangers.
Extreme stress is produced by learned helplessness.
This occurs when something negative occurs to a dog and the dog has no action he can take to avoid the discomfort. If nothing the dog does can shut off or stop a negative situation, the dog can virtually shut down. An example would be a person who drags a dog on a leash across a slick floor, never giving the dog a chance to acclimate and walk across the floor on his own. No matter what the dog does, he still is dragged across the floor. Maintain a healthy digestible treat for employees to feed dogs for entering and exiting kennel areas if necessary.