I broke my dog!

Last night, my adorable dog Dozer suddenly transformed into a completely different creature. He exhibited reactive behaviour, which is not typical of him at all. We were sitting in a pub, patiently waiting for our food, when someone walked past with another dog. Normally, this wouldn’t have fazed him, but this time he abruptly lunged forward, barking so loudly that it startled everyone around us. His barking persisted, and we had to remove him from the room and take him outside. This is completely out of character for our baby Dozer.

So, what caused this sudden change? The answer is trigger stacking. Our recent experiences have been quite eventful as we are currently staying in a hotel near Southampton. While it sounds lovely, the past few days have been filled with various stressors for Dozer. It all started five days ago when we were still in Waxham, in our caravan. Thomas, who Dozer loves left to go home, and our pup began searching for him during every walk. Then, during a lunch outing, a dog sitting at the next table stared intently at Dozer, making him feel unsettled. Following that, we experienced three storm fronts with thunder throughout the night, which is never pleasant when living in a caravan.

The next morning, strong winds with 30mph gusts caused our awning to start separating from the caravan. We had to frantically empty its contents and take it down in high winds, creating a lot of noise and chaos. While we were finishing packing away tables and chairs, Dozer was let out to investigate. Unfortunately, in the mess, I accidentally trapped my finger in a folding table, causing a painful injury to my finger and blood to pour everywhere. Dozer became stressed and began to jump up at me almost trying to climb up me after sniffing all of the blood. The following night brought another storm, and yesterday morning, we embarked on a long five-hour drive to Southampton through horrendous weather. Arriving late at the hotel, Dozer, who had never been in a hotel before, couldn’t settle down. He spent most of the night pacing and grumbling at every noise.

All of these stressors and changes have been too much for my sweet Dozer to handle and recover from. Sometimes life becomes difficult to control, and our dogs struggle to keep up with the fast pace. This is my apology to my beloved dog and my confession of feeling like a less-than-perfect caretaker.

So what exactly is trigger stacking?

Trigger stacking in dogs occurs when multiple stressors or triggers accumulate, overwhelming the dog’s coping mechanisms and resulting in an exaggerated or inappropriate response. Similar to humans, dogs can experience stress from various sources like loud noises, unfamiliar environments, changes in routine, and interactions with other animals or people.

When a dog faces multiple stressors in a short period, these triggers can accumulate and have a cumulative effect. For instance, if a dog is already anxious due to a thunderstorm and then encounters a stranger entering their home, their reaction may be more intense compared to experiencing only one stressor at a time. This is because each trigger adds to the dog’s overall stress level, making it challenging for them to remain calm.

During trigger stacking, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol, stress hormones that prepare the dog for a fight-or-flight response. It takes time for these hormones to return to normal levels, and the dog’s body to reach homeostasis. This is why it’s crucial to manage trigger stacking and prevent it from occurring in the first place.

Once we are back home, I will give Dozer a few days of normality to allow his cortisol levels to reduce (which can take up to 3 days). After that, I will gradually reintroduce him to pubs and cafes, taking small steps to ensure he doesn’t generalise his behaviour to all eating places. It is important to plan and organize this process carefully. If I miss the signs of him becoming uneasy and allow him to become overwhelmed to the point of reacting with an outburst, we risk creating a pattern.

Although trigger stacking led to this behaviour, in Dozer’s mind, barking and lunging were attempts to make the other dog go away. By removing him from the situation, this goal was achieved. I’m not suggesting that we should have moved him outside to calm down because we most certainly should have, but rather pointing out that mismanaging the situation could create a pattern where Dozer believes barking and lunging leads to the removal of the perceived threat.

This is often where reactive behaviour starts. Owners may either avoid the situation entirely, which means the dog never learns how to react appropriately other than barking and lunging, or they continue to expose the dog to the situation but in excessive amounts, resulting in a cycle of bark-lunge-removal. This can be incredibly frustrating for both the owner and the dog.

To visualize the situation, imagine it as a game of buckeroo, with the original trigger being the full load that causes the donkey to buck. To start, we need to have just one or two items on the saddle, then stop and give time between sessions to remove the items and allow your dog to process and recover.

Remember, each dog is unique, so it’s always recommended to consult with a professional dog trainer or behaviourist who can provide personalised guidance and support based on your dog’s specific needs