11/17/2024
TRIGGER STACKING – WHEN BEHAVIOUR HAPPENS “OUT OF THE BLUE”
We’ve all had those days when nothing seems to go right and one frustrating thing after another happens to us, leaving us feeling wound up, stressed and ready to explode at the next unsuspecting person who dares to ask us something.
This “unsuspecting” person may think we have a serious behaviour problem or need anger management therapy, when the truth is that we’ve just had a really bad day or even a few bad days and don’t usually behave like this at all.
Dogs are no different and a behaviour that seems completely out of character or happens “out of the blue” is often caused by “trigger stacking”.
A trigger may be anything that increases a dog’s stress levels and has a negative impact on their emotional, mental or physical state.
These may be small things that we may not even notice or seem insignificant to us, but they are all adding to an increasing “stack” of events that may culminate in out of character behaviour.
When stress levels reach a certain point, the next stressful event, however small, may cause an explosive reaction that is completely unexpected.
Instead of just focusing on a particular behaviour and seeing it as a problem that needs to be prevented, take a step backwards, look at the bigger picture, look at events, circumstances or environmental factors that may have played a role leading up to that behaviour.
Being aware of potential stressors and allowing your dog time to decompress, relax and unwind for a few days will often mean the difference between “normal behaviour” and a behaviour that seems completely out of character.
