Trigger Stacking - "He Never Does That!"

While enjoying a leisurely walk on a Saturday your dog nearly pulls you off your feet by lunging and barking at the dog walking across the street, seemingly out of no where. This could be completely out of character for your typically friendly pooch. If you have had your pup for a while you’ve likely been in a situation similar to this at least once. What you didn’t notice was the truck that went by a few seconds ago, the bicycle that dinged their bell just beside you and the baby crying in the distance.

In dog training speak, a trigger is any addition to the environment that the dog’s brain does not immediately filter out of consciousness and may be perceived as a threat, increasing their awareness/fear/reactivity. These triggers can very easily become overwhelming and stressful, causing the dog to act out of out of character and likely display a fearful or reactive behaviour at something that wouldn’t normally set them off.

Some days your dog’s fuse may be a bit shorter than normal because of something like a change in routine. Our dogs thrive on predictability and when that is taken away from them it can easily add a layer of stress to their day.

What does this mean in the overall scheme of things? This means that the simple act of not getting a daily walk when this is an expectation can add stress. A much loved visitor well known to the dog can add stress via excitement. Interacting at length with people the dog is not typically exposed to, regardless of the dog’s comfort level with friendly strangers, can add stress. A lengthy car trip to a favored location can add stress. A day out at a favorite activity can add stress. The stressor doesn’t have to be an adverse activity to create a reaction.

In the same way that you love to spend a day at the beach with your family, having fun in the sun and catching up, you’re likely to be exhausted afterward! This overworking of the brain and body can shorten anyone’s fuse, and we shouldn’t expect anything different from our dogs!

Remember to watch for signs of stress in your dog. Read up on dog body language (or stick around for our next post to learn more) and remember to give your pup regular breaks to destress. Spend time with them doing their favourite activity - like sniffing. Or leave them completely alone if that works better for your dog. We often accidentally forget to set our dogs up for success by just going about day to day things without paying much heed to their anxiety levels.

Listen to your pup. If they just want to sniff on your walk instead of getting all the way to the park to run around like they normally do, let them do that. Remember that a routine that works for both you and your dog is key!