22/03/2023
Can you spot the moment that Spud could no longer regulate his stimulation levels?
For the record, Spud is a fantastic dog whose obedience is actually quite exceptional IF he is not over-stimulated and he is also usually quite happy to work with me. For some dogs, getting to this point happens quicker than it does for others. Each of our dogs has their own personal ‘Stress Ladder’.
What is a Stress Ladder? Imagine you’re looking at a wooden ladder, with exactly ten rungs to the top and each rung is worth 1 point. Every activity or experience our dog goes through has a different point total attached to it. For example; getting washed - for some of our pups, this is worth 1 point but for others, it could be worth 5 points, depending how much they love it, hate it, or simply are not phased by it.
So how does a generally well behaved dog end up trying to nip someone they usually wouldn’t? Because of the ladder. So, let’s make some assumptions about spuds morning:
• Car Ride to training - 1 point
• New smells and people at the park - 2 points
• Training with a group of reactive dogs - 2 points
• Excess noise from over head planes - 1 point
• Extra smells due to being a windy day - 1 point
• Walking through a group of people with dogs on either side of him - 3 points.
Now, we are at the top of the ladder which is a place that our dogs lose their capacity to regulate and are completely over stimulated, resulting in the video below. One of the most important parts of when we get here, is the ability for us as the humans to stay calm, keep our energy low and confident, and give our dogs the space to try and relax. Yelling, scolding or even correcting at this point with the dogs stress levels where they are will not be effective. Take a second, bring your dog back down, correct or redirect.
So what can we do? We can force that regulation. As their owners and advocates, it’s our job to assess where our dog is on their ladder and to know when it’s time to help them down a couple of rungs. This could be as simple as stopping your walk half through to sit down with your dog in a quiet area and waiting for them to relax and calm down. It could be taking a moment regulate our own feelings. It could look like giving your dog 5 minutes to calm down after getting out of the car before continuing to your destination or event.
When we do our part, and help them down, we allow space for them to be able to cope with the next exciting/stressful thing that’s about to come their way.
So ask yourself, what’s your dogs ladder look like? What points would you allocate to their everyday activities? And next time they are climbing to high, what can you do to help?