What is stress?
This might seem like a simple thing to explain, but in the context of dog behaviour, it’s extremely important to understand how stress works.
Stress is a biological response to any perceived challenge, threat, or demand. It’s a survival response. What’s interesting about the stress response is that it can be triggered by things that are not actually a threat.
The amygdala is the part of the brain responsible for detecting perceived threats; for the purpose of this article, we’ll call this their ‘alarm system’. What is perceived as a threat will vary between dogs. For example, some dogs are stressed by loud noises, while others are not. This is not something dogs have any control over; the alarm system responds automatically and very quickly, without conscious thought.
When the alarm system detects a perceived threat, it sends signals to a different part of the brain, called the hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA). This part of the brain releases stress hormones such as adrenaline, which kick the body into action: increasing heartrate, dilating pupils, raising blood sugar, and temporarily suppressing unnecessary functions such as digestion. The brain has detected a perceived threat, so it prioritises what’s important for survival at that moment.
The body can now respond to the perceived threat using the fight, flight, fool-around, or freeze response. This alarm system is automatic and unconscious and can happen whether or not there is areal threat. A different part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, is responsible for deciding whether there is an actual threat; it activates more slowly. For ease, we'll call the prefrontal cortex the 'thinking part of the brain'.
The thinking part of the brain will assess whether the reaction was needed. If the threat is not real, the body starts the process of returning to normal. If the threat is real, the body remains on high alert and continues taking action to stay safe.
What does this mean for our dogs? There are two key points to understand:
Dogs have no control over what is perceived as a threat. It doesn’t matter that you know they are safe; what matters is that they do not feel safe at that moment, and their alarm system has been activated. It might just be a plastic bag blowing in the wind! Many dogs will react, take a few moments to suss out the situation, then realise they are safe before calming down and carrying on.
Dogs have no control over how their body responds when the alarm system is activated. This can change depending on the context or how your dog is feeling in everyday life. It’s the same as humans: when we detect a threat, we have no control over our response, and sometimes our reaction may seem ‘over the top’ once we’ve had time to realise we are not in danger. Dogs are the same, these are all nervous system responses that dogs cannot consciously control at the moment.
Many times, when dogs behave in a ‘reactive’ or aggressive manner, it’s because they are responding to a perceived threat and trying to keep themselves safe. This is completely normal. However, humans often see this behaviour as a problem, so many try to stop it in its tracks. Interestingly, stress responses such as freeze and flight are often not seen as a problem by owners, whereas behaviours such as barking and growling are considered to be “wrong,” even though all of these are simply stress reactions. Understanding how the stress reaction works shows us that simply trying to stop the reaction does not change how the dog feels. Instead, we need to observe, figure out what triggered the reaction, and help the dog feel confident and optimistic in similar circumstances.
When a dog’s alarm system is triggered regularly, it can lead to long-term issues such as anxiety, irritability, poor sleep patterns, digestive problems, and ongoing fear-based responses. Repeated exposure to stressful situations sensitises the alarm system, causing it to react more easily over time.
The alarm system can also learn to generalise, reacting to a broader range of stimuli.
What are the signs to look out for?
Understanding your dog’s alarm system helps you recognise when their stress response is being triggered. It can be difficult to give examples of what a dog might do when the stress response is in action, because it can vary greatly between dogs. Usually, there is a visual or audible trigger that stimulates the dog’s alarm system, so you will likely see your dog paying attention to something or becoming more alert first.
If you notice your dog becoming more attentive or alert, you may also see some early stress signals, such as changes in ear or tail position, an out-of-context yawn, lip licking, lifting one paw, or the fur raising along their neck and back. At this point, your dog is likely to have an increased heart rate and dilated pupils, as the body has ‘readied’ itself to take action to stay safe. If we respond to our dogs at this point, helping them move to safety or encouraging a relaxing activity, we can often prevent a full-blown stress reaction from occurring.
But if the situation cannot be avoided, your dog may react, especially if the perceived threat remains or intensifies. Some dogs will bark or growl. Others may lower themselves and go very still while squinting their eyes. Some dogs may run away in a full-speed panic. Others may ‘play the fool,’ becoming erratic, mouthy, or jumping around.
Once the stressful event has ended, many dogs will have a ‘shake off’ to release tension or may show displacement behaviours, such as eating grass, chewing something, or urine marking, in an attempt to calm their nervous system.
Helping your dog
If your dog is easily triggered, there are ways to help:
- Reduce frequent stressors. Identify what is causing stress regularly and see if you can reduce or avoid these situations, or approach them differently.
- Increase enjoyable experiences. Play, walks, treats, or mental games release dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, creating a positive outlook and helping to switch off the alarm system.
- Check health and pain. Even physically fit-looking dogs may have discomfort, pain, or dietary sensitivities contributing to stress. A health check can make a huge difference.
- Create safe spaces at home. Dogs with sensitive alarm systems need areas where they feel totally safe, undisturbed, and can rest, which helps the nervous system recover.
- Allow recovery time. Dogs need time to reset after a stressful situation to prevent sensitisation of the alarm system. Calm, sniffy activities and gentle exploration are excellent ways to help.
If you or your dog are struggling, it’s important to seek professional help. A qualified behaviourist understands the science behind behaviour change and can create tailored exercises to help your dog feel differently about triggers.
Patience and progress
Helping a dog manage stress takes time Progress is often gradual and setbacks can happen. With patience, consistency and positive reinforcement, dogs can learn to feel safer and more confident .Every small step is a victory, and over time, their overall wellbeing improves.
Blog written by Claire Mcknespiey of Educating Paws
