reinforcer in training is not bribery

Stress: Triggers and Consequences

In her ongoing series on canine stress, Diane Garrod discusses the importance of triggers

and the environment and the dog-guardian relationship, and presents tips for helping

In humans, good or mood enhancing stress, aka eustress, presents itself with a number of characteristics, including that it: • Motivates; focuses energy. • Is shortterm; happens repeatedly. • Is perceived as being within individual coping abilities, although this can vary from person to person. • Feels exciting; internal release of oxytocin and dopamine is common. • Improves performance; feeling good helps with focus. In dogs, there are similar responses to eustress, which can vary dog to dog. Think, for example, of a pet highly responsive to cues, attentive to his guardian whether on or offleash, delivering a focused performance and showing an overall positive demeanor.

Conversely, negative stress, aka distress, in humans, includes the following characteristics: • Anxiety or concern. • Can be short or longterm. • Is perceived as being outside an individual’s coping ability. • Feels unpleasant; associated with buildup of adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol. • Decreases performance and ability to focus. • Can lead to mental and physical problems; can cause health issues. Again, dogs are very similar to humans. In dogs, negative stress can occur as soon as a trigger appears. When anxiety spikes, a dog might think he cannot cope with what is going on (perceived or real) and lose focus quickly. In this situation, a dog may be quick to react or aggress, and unable to take food. Distress can result in acute spikes, where the dog will go over threshold and take longer to come down each time, or eventually, result in chronic stress, leveling out over threshold, where the dog cannot come back down from it at all (see Figs. 3 and 4on p.36). Stressors and Consequences Triggers for stress (i.e. stressors) in dogs come in many shapes and sizes. They may be environmental, biological, mental, emotional and/or social. As such, releasing stress is a highly individualized process and will vary dog to dog. Each dog’s experiences will be unique, as will be his responses to specific triggers.

According to Bayne (2000), stressors can be defined as mild, moderate and severe: • Mild stressors result in a “shortterm physiological response on the part of some animals and slight to no behavioral adjustment. Examples might include room entry and regular husbandry activities which have been shown to cause an increase in heart rate (Line and others, 1989).” • Moderate stressors “may include a minor procedure on the animal or a more significant procedure that is accompanied by pain relief and perhaps unconsciousness during the procedure. dogs through a stress reduction protocol

Stress release protocol client, Max, tries to relax on day one of his behavior change program © Diane Garrod

A moderate stressor would evoke behavioral adjustment on the part of the animal and physiological recovery or adaptation by the animal. The animal may experience limited distress (or perhaps eustress) associated with restraint.” • Severe stressors occur when “no relief is provided to the animal either through the ability to physically remove itself from the stressor or by modifications in its environment that would reduce the stress (e.g., use of nesting material to modulate cage temperature or treatment of a disease state). In such a case, there is inadequate adaptation by the animal to the stressor and distress results.” Distress would be defined then “as a state in which the animal is unable to adapt to the stressor and the animal may exhibit maladaptive behavior. The animal is not coping—behaviorally or physiologically.” Imagine you are taking a walk through a marked onleash wooded trail with your dog. The day is sunny and calm. Suddenly, an unfamiliar dog is racing around the corner at full speed, offleash, and with his guardian nowhere in sight. When the dog sees you, he enters a state of high alert. He approaches your onleash dog, who starts lunging in an attempt to protect himself. However, the dog snaps at your dog and draws blood. Real life can happen this quickly. A nice relaxing walk has now turned into what could be weeks of physical and emotional recovery. As a result of this incident, your dog may now experience stress in the environment where it occurred, whenever another dog approaches, and/or at any perceived inability to escape (barrier frustration). Walks, generally speaking, will not be pleasant for him if any of these triggers appear. Triggers create a lack of (perceived or real) safety, trust and confidence. Actions have consequences and, as we know, dogs (and people) learn by association and consequence.

© Diane Garrod Fig. 3: Distress can result in acute spikes, where the dog will go over threshold and take longer to come down each time

Consider these four types of consequences in life: physical, physiological, psychological and emotional. Continuing with the same example, the consequences will most likely be manifold. Psychological, because this was a horrible experience for both guardian and dog. The guardian may be wondering why it happened and what they could have done to prevent it or protect their dog, and what they should do if it happens again. They may also be feeling more anxious when out walking the dog, trying to anticipate what could go wrong. The dog, meanwhile, may be on high alert and also feeling anxious, particularly in the area where the incident occurred or when seeing other dogs. This emotional response may lead to reactivity. Another possibility is that the dog may experience an adrenaline rush that can shut down his digestive system, making it difficult for him to take treats and therefore negatively impact any attempts by the guardian to implement a desensitization and counterconditioning protocol. This is the physiological response. The physical consequence is the light injury sustained by the dog.

To break through the stress experienced by the dog as a result of the encounter will require an understanding of both the facts and the behavior. The incident must be taken apart trigger by trigger, from walking in the spot where it occurred, to dogs approaching quickly (both onor offleash) and dogs getting too close while the original dog is on leash (leash reactivity/barrier frustration), and generalized emotions to different environments. Just one incident can mean weeks or months of desensitization and counterconditioning and releasing the dog’s stress must become a priority to help him cope again.

Annabelle attends a reactive dog class with her guardians: a calming hand helps soothe her (signs of stress include closed mouth, eyes wide, tail base and body tight, worried about the environment) © Diane Garrod

© Diane Garrod Fig. 4: Eventually, stress will become chronic, staying over threshold, and from which the dog cannot come back down

Behavior Modification Tips When dealing with such cases, I focus on stress reduction and coping skills. In order to modify behavior, I teach clients how to modify the dog's environment with an emphasis on prevention, management and supervision. There are five concepts that are key throughout this process: 1. SMART Goals Setting goals in a systematic manner is key. A common way to do this is to set SMART goals, which, based on the scientific research, help people achieve their targets. In this context, SMART goals can help toward errorless prevention, management and supervision and, thus, we can help a dog to experience less stress and cope better when it does. As such, by using SMART goals, we can influence how he responds to and handles varying environments and triggers: a. S = Specific: Clearly define and lay out a detailed plan. Put up signs if needed. b. M = Measurable: Easy to determine whether goals are being accomplished. c. A = Attainable: Something accomplishable through hard work. d. R = Relevant: Aligned with other stress release and behavior modification goals. e. T = Timebased: Linked to a time frame. Create goals, milestones, progress graphs. Shortterm goals should be achieved in one to four weeks, while longterm goals can take months or even years to achieve.

Italian greyhound Wylie is able to fully relax as he works his way through a stress reduction procedure: sleep is one of several things a dog needs in order to remain functional; yet guardians do not always think of sleep as a big deal © Diane Garrod

Triggers for stress (i.e. stressors) in dogs come in many shapes and sizes. They may be environmental, biological, mental, emotional and/or social.

2. Stay Motivated The motivation model is quite clear. This is where professional expertise to help a dog’s guardian work at keeping stress levels low will go a long way; understanding what the guardian/client goes through is also helpful. a. The hype: Motivation goes through the roof in the beginning and usually remains strong at the outset. The honeymoon is the period of the hype when motivation reaches an alltime high. In my experience, it lasts for around a couple of weeks—until the dreaded plummet. 3. Prepare for the Plummet This is the time when the professional’s expertise and knowledge of how to work with people shines through. The honeymoon period is over and results are everything. Reality sets in, motivation starts to decrease and, guess what? This is all normal—until the lapse. a. With the plummet comes the lapse. This is where trainers may feel they have hit a brick wall. It is where the client gets stuck and where “thought distortions” set in (like seeking a new trainer or hiring an aversive trainer to “fix” the situation). The client feels they can’t do it, or that they have failed. This is where the trainer must help their client work through these specific challenges. 4. Infinity and Beyond Behavior flows; it does not remain static. It has slips and surges. It progresses and regresses. After a first lapse, client motivation will experience highs and lows. Motivation, like behavior, isn’t constant either, but ebbs and flows. Again, this is where the professional’s expertise comes in as they help the client meet milestones and goals, showcasing how far they have come and helping them not get discouraged...because a surge is right around the corner.

An example here would be, say the client takes their reactive dog for a walk but by mistake leaves all the tools and treats at home. They have had a stressful day themselves but the dog needs a walk and so they just head out. While out, the dog has a reaction, which has not occurred for weeks, but this time the client was not paying attention to the distance between a trigger and their dog. Embarrassed to report the slip up, the client skips training sessions, not for a couple days, but for three weeks. They make one excuse after another why they missed an appointment with their dog. They feel guilty and a little ashamed. That negative feeling is enough to increase the likelihood that the next day will be skipped too. Don’t despair. Ask yourself what you can do to help the client stay on track. What can you do to help them remain positive and reinforce their dog so the behavior they want gets stronger? With clients, as well as with dogs, it is important to focus on positive reinforcement, which, as we already know, increases behavior by giving something pleasant in return. 5. Positive Reinforcement Throughout the entire process, reinforce both dog and client behavior when indicated. The brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that causes a rush of pleasure, when a reward is received. This positive reinforcement ensures both client and dog repeat the behaviors they have been rewarded for. The behavior we want from the client is to follow through on a systematic and achievable stress release and behavior modification protocol. Since nearly everything revolves around a dog’s environ ment, teaching clients how to prevent, manage and supervise their dog(s) is vital to continued success. That success is then both rewarding and reinforcing for guardians and pets (and even trainers)!

By following these guidelines, professional canine behavior consultants

can help guardians build better relationships with their dogs. Understanding stress and how it affects dogs is critical for clients. They will start to “listen” to their dogs by reading their body language and being cognizant of when environmental triggers are causing stress.

The Neurology of Sleep As with any behavior modification plan, in addition to the five concepts mentioned above, stress reduction must also include deep sleep. Sleep is one of several things a dog needs in order to remain functional; yet guardians do not always think of it as a big deal. Dogs are supposed to be constantly active, right? On guard? Working all the time? No.

During sleep, growth hormones are secreted to facilitate the healing of muscles as well as repair damage to any tissues (Van Cauter & Plat, 1996). After a dog has fully relaxed, neurotransmitters and sleep signals continue to lull brain activity (keeping out stimuli). GABA, galanin, and other relaxing chemicals are continually produced to keep the body and brain asleep. During this time, other waste materials accumulated during the wake cycle can be transported and removed from the brain, promoting a feeling of refreshment and wellbeing upon waking (WiseGeek, 2020). Sleep may also contribute to dogs’ memory consolidation (Bódizs, Kis, Gácsi & Topál, 2020). "Memory consolidation is defined as a timedependent process by which recent learned experiences are transformed into longterm memory, presumably by structural and chemical changes in the nervous system (e.g., the strengthening of synaptic connections between neurons)." (Urcelay & Miller, 2008). But what if sleep is ignored or considered to be nonessential? Lack of sleep can lead to a serotonin depletion (Bel Marra Health, 2015). There is a reason for the saying that someone woke up “on the wrong side of the bed." It’s an expression that applies to dogs as well as to people! n

References Bayne, K. (2000). Assessing Pain and Distress: A Veterinary Behaviorist’s Perspective. In Definition of Pain and Distress and Reporting Requirements for Laboratory Animals. Proceedings of the Workshop Held June 22, 2000. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US). Available at: bit.ly/30DTioo Bel Marra Health. (2015). Serotonin deficiency causes depression, mood disorders. Available at: bit.ly/38r7dRh Bódizs, R., Kis, A., Gácsi, M., & Topál, J. (2020). Sleep in the dog: comparative, behavioral and translational relevance. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 33 25-33. Available at: bit.ly/2ug5UG5 Urcelay, G.P., & Miller, R.R. (2008). Retrieval from Memory. In Learning and Memory: A Comprehensive Reference (1) 5373. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier Van Cauter, E., & Plat, L. (1996). Physiology of growth hormone secretion during sleep. The Journal of Pedriatrics 28 (5 Pt 2): S32-7. Available at: bit.ly/2sO9zL0 WiseGeek. (2020). What Is the Relationship between Neurotransmitters and Sleep? Available at: bit.ly/37cNlkQ Resources Garrod, D. (2016, March). Let Sleeping Dogs Lie. BARKS from the Guild (17) 18-23. Available at: bit.ly/2G05PKk Garrod, D. (2019, November). Stress Matters. BARKS from the Guild (39) 36-39. Available at: bit.ly/34jxhMy Garrod, D. (2020, January). The Impact of Stress on Behavior. BARKS from the Guild (40) 32-33. Available at: bit.ly/36aweih Schultz, P. (2006). Stress and Distress: A Discussion by the Refinement and Enrichment Forum. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 54th National Meeting Official Program. Animal Technology and Welfare 5 (2) 99- 102. Available at: bit.ly/36aQHTX

Diane Garrod BSc PCT-A CA1 FF1 is the owner of Canine Transformations (caninetlc.com) based in Langley, Washington, where she conducts Treibball workshops, classes and private consults, specializing in canine aggression and reactivity.