Can Learning Take Place in a Stressed Dog?

Hello, and welcome.

This month, we’ve been focussed on the subject of learning - both new skills for us and our dogs. If you have an anxious dog, however, they may find it challenging to engage in training - especially when they’re feeling under pressure.

Fear and anxiety are normal emotions – adaptive responses to a potential (or actual) threat. Driven by the limbic system - better know as the “fight/flight” response - this helps our dogs by stimulating hormonal responses that they need to be able to run away from, or confront, a danger. While this is a natural and important bodily response, some dogs can end up in ‘limbic overdrive’ when they see everything as a potential threat.

Conversely, dogs who are regularly able to relax have the ability to dampen down the limbic system and instead engage their prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain responsible for reason, logic, and processing information – thus learning!

For most dogs, their bodies (and emotions) are well balanced – but when our dogs get too reliant on the fight/flight system then they’ll struggle to reason and process information. This is when it’s very hard for learning to happen.

When we’re looking at our own dog’s ability to learn we need to first think about how they’re feeling. Is the environment too arousing? Are there too many potential dangers - such as other dogs - nearby? Have they had enough rest? And is the reward you’re offering enough to motivate them?

One really simple way to find out how your dog is feeling during a training session is to ask them to do the most basic task they know - perhaps a “sit”? If they can do it successfully, great - repeat this a couple more times then give them a rest. If however, they fail, then it’s definitely time for a break. Your dog may be tired, confused, or just finding the environment too difficult to focus in. Step away from this session, allow them some downtime, and then try again in a quieter space.

The most important thing we can do when training our dogs is to leave expectations behind. Set very small, easily achievable goals - and don’t be pressured to achieve even these. Look at your dog as an emotional being and set them up for success. Learning can be fun - but only when facilitated in the right way.

Until next time, happy training!

Caroline