Blog — Holistic Dog Training

I recently came across an article suggesting that when a dog “acts out,” it’s because he’s bored and in need of more mental stimulation (7 Signs Your Dog Needs More Mental Stimulation). While this idea is widely accepted, what is often more accurate—especially through a polyvagal and somatic lens—is that many dogs are not under-stimulated, but over-stimulated. And it is this state of over-stimulation that drives the behavior we label as “acting out.” From a nervous system perspective, behavior is not simply a matter of excess energy needing an outlet—it is an expression of autonomic state. When a dog’s system...