07/12/2023
WHEN REGULATING YOUR BODY HELPS REGULATE YOUR MIND
Some dogs who struggle with impulse control struggle with the right strength or size of behaviour for the moment.
For example, when aroused, they often pick behaviours that are much bigger than they need to be. They barge through spaces. They knock people over. They barrel over their friends.
Instead of being able to control how much intensity they put into a behaviour, they seem to have a faulty volume dial on their actions.
This is often why I ask about loose-leash walking when I suspect a dog may need screening for impulsivity. Dogs who struggle to control the strength of their behaviour often struggle to walk on lead. It's a little alarm bell for me in the same way as alarm bells ring when a person tells me their dog destroys all their toys and I end up digging out a frustration & impulsivity questionnaire.
Dogs who struggle, despite a lot of teaching, to walk with us may struggle for lots of reasons. Big person, small dog... Big dog, small person... The dog may also be struggling with mobility. A trot can sometimes be much easier than walking.
But dogs who struggle with the volume button on How Much Behaviour is needed don't just struggle with loose lead. They often struggle with their relationships too.
For example, they're not just happy to see you. They're Happy with a Capital H. So Happy they'll headbutt you and break your nose. So Happy they'll jump up and kidney punch you. So Happy they'll bowl you over. So Happy they might just have to grab you or your stuff because they can't keep the Happy in.
But that's also true of fear responses too. Instead of growling or even barking, they might go right for the big behaviours like snapping or biting without warning.
Whenever I see behaviours that were disproportionate to the situation, then I am likely to go investigate impulse control in other areas. Sure, if you've been out of town for three weeks and your dog hasn't seen you, then big behaviours make sense. But if your dog struggles to cope when you just went to put the bins out, and kidney punch you in joy on your return, then it's not simply motivation that can be stoking that behaviour, but a lack of ability to modulate their behaviour too.
Behaviour is not just about activity. It's also about the ability to modulate it appropriately.
So, these little clues give me reasons to check out a dog's ability to control their body.
It's often not surprising that the dog really struggles to do that. It's almost like they're not quite aware that they get to choose how much effort to put in.
One thing really helps dogs like this. It's a weird thing and it's netted me a lot of strange looks when I've suggested it to clients: movement control games.
Why would a dog who can't walk on lead without pulling like a frantic steam train benefit from learning to control their movement?
Why would a dog who keeps getting into fights with another resident dog when they both try to go through a door together benefit from proprioception exercises, movement puzzles and a big focus on learning that NOT moving nets rewards?
Well, I ask... is it your opinion that they're doing a good job of that right now?
Honestly, within two or three weeks, it's like a lightbulb comes on for the dog. Simple, simple exercises, both static and controlled as well as dynamic, seem to work magnificently to lay the groundwork for less impulsive behaviour. That, in turn, pays dividends in their relationship without really teaching them directly what to do.
Just as an example, one family I was working with recently had some issues with their dogs. Mum would often be relaxing on the couch with the older dog, and the younger one would come in, bouncing like Tigger, bouncing on to the couch and causing a fight.
Was their older dog guarding the couch, they wanted to know. The older dog was always seen as the instigator, since they always started by growling and snapping.
So was their older dog the one with challenges?
Well, maybe. But what helped massively was teaching the younger dog some movement control.
Think of it as ballet or yoga for dogs, if you will.
Why would that resolve a squabble over the couch?
Because when the younger dog seemed to have that lightbulb moment that, 'hey! I control my body!', instead of consistently getting into fights with his canine big brother, he came in with moderation, was able to wait by the couch and ask to come up. That way, his guardian could keep him on the other side of her. Problem solved.
Impulsive behaviour can often be insensitive to consequences. That means both rewards and punishments. The younger dog in this situation would have struggled to wait for a biscuit. He also was paying no mind to the fact that every single time he made like Tigger on the couch, it ended in a fight where he ended up getting injured.
There's many ways to teach dogs that they control their bodies. Proprioception, Ttouch groundwork, cavalettis, movement puzzles, agility, hoopers and targeting are my main go-tos. It's like watching the world suddenly make much more sense to the dog.
And yes, it helps with loose leash walking too.
In fact, when my girl starts to pull, I know she's not regulating herself well enough to cope with whatever next happens, so we stop mid-walk and remind ourselves that we control our bodies. It's almost as if she says, 'oh yeah! That's right! The brain does mean I can turn down the volume a bit!'
Without us understanding this, we can often end up selecting approaches to teach loose lead or interaction that fuel frustration, like asking for stillness which then ends up doing nothing more than squashing down a bunch of pressure on our coiled springs of dogs, and we then end up with much more explosive action. It's a great way to teach dogs to struggle even more on the lead, in fact.
Or, if they're jumping all over guests, trying to insist on a sit or a stay on a mat can be a great way to add anxiety to the situation too.
Truthfully, if we can't find ways to teach dogs how to regulate their movements, when we're the ones sending people into space and designing nanotechnology to do surgery, then why are we expecting our dogs to take responsibility for their movement themselves?
It always feels weird to see movement control & regulation as a way of building up social skills and smoothing ruffled fur after a long period of fighting, but it is often a real game changer, I promise!
