The number one goal of any “behavior modification” plan I write for a dog is to create autonomic flexibility.
For a dog who has experienced a specific trauma, or one who has lived in chronic stress for long periods of time (like at a shelter) their nervous system may be somewhat “stuck” in sympathetic arousal. Or, depending on their temperament and how they deal with stress, they could potentially spend weeks or even months in a state of shut-down (appearing aloof, depressed, dissociated). They might even flip-flop between these two states, going from one extreme to another.
Humans often get confused when looking at these different states. If the dog isn’t too over the top with their behaviors (not yet aggressive), this sympathetic “lock” can be seen as a dog who is just always excited or hyper-friendly (bordering on manic). In fact, I have found that many people mistake their dog’s stress for “excitement.” On the other hand, a dog who appears lazy, slow, or low energy could be seen as a calm and “good” dog, while they are actually stuck in a dorsal vagal state of freeze. Or perhaps you have a dog who is overly sweet, who shows many appeasing behaviors to both humans and other dogs, while also showing a great number of fearful or shy behaviors (which can sometimes be subtle and unnoticed). So why change any of these?
Because lack of autonomic flexibility will eventually lead to a very brittle nervous system that can’t handle change and won’t tolerate stress. At some point you will see fallout from this, whether it’s an outright violent attack, increasing reactivity, or even physical illness. This is why some people say their dog “snapped out of nowhere” while having ignored months or even years of extreme emotional stress. This is why some dogs suffer quietly while their internal organs collapse under the metabolic stress caused by protective states, and disease finally takes over.
We can’t permanently protect your dog from triggers and stress. And even if we could, there’s a problem with that which is built into the body-mind: State precedes story. If your dog’s state never changes, their biology will just make up new triggers to justify the state. Because 80% of the information the vagus nerve carries is afferent, which means most of the information is traveling from the organs to the brain. So to put this in human terms, your dog tells herself “a story” about her triggers and about the environment so that her internal state makes sense or feels aligned. As in, “I feel stiff, tense, and afraid, so that thing I’m looking at must be dangerous!” Otherwise the body must be lying, which wouldn’t make sense.
We can’t explain to dogs that their state precedes their story, and even if we could, it wouldn’t be helpful or useful to teach them not to trust the body. We need that sensitivity of the body and our senses to keep us alive!
Of course, in the beginning, we can start re-tuning the nervous system pretty quickly by reducing stress, reducing exposure to triggers, and letting your dog get enough deep rest. But the long term plan will be to show the dog’s nervous system that it is safe to shift in and out of different autonomic states. This is what creates emotional capacity, autonomic resilience, and the confidence to handle sudden environmental changes.
Shifting a dog’s state can seem insurmountable in some extreme cases. What you have to look for is tiny glimmers, if even for a second, that the dog seems coherent and tuned in: Capture and connect with that! We build those glimmers with engagement, food work, relaxation, connection, and enrichment. We work to put your dog in a state of drive, where they are hunting and seeking instead of scanning the horizon for threat. We teach your dog to bark on command, then quiet bark, then just take a breath.
You build a relaxation station where you massage your dog nightly with soothing music and very little talking. You take your dog for walks in natural areas, where there is no training, no pressure, and just lots of exploring and sniffing. You allow them to dig, chew, nest, and express their primal behaviors. The list really goes on and on, depending on your dog and how they like to play, hunt, connect, and relax.
Eventually, if done right, your dog starts feeling safe enough to truly let down her guard. Safe enough to play. Safe enough to enjoy being touched. They start to understand that high states of arousal can be fun instead of scary, and equally, that low states of arousal can be safe without being hypervigilant to their surroundings.
It happens slowly at first, so it’s important to notice even the smallest changes. You will start to see your dog spending less time in survival mode and more time being socially engaged, relaxed, and happy to explore different environments. Remember to celebrate small milestones. Before you know it, you will have achieved something really grand: An emotionally flexible dog who handles stressful situations with resilience and even poise.
In this way, your dog retains her sensitivity and trust of you and her senses, but she becomes increasingly coherent. She develops good discernment, and only “reacts” when there is a true need for it. She can enjoy building a deep bond with her social group, which then adds to a sense of safety and security. And her world becomes bigger, more peaceful, and much less scary.
Photo by Yashar Bazli on Unsplash