How Moods and Feelings Change a Dog's Behavior

Happy one minute and grouchy the next...what's that about?

We all experience mood shifts and can recall that our reactions to the same event can change dramatically when circumstances change. For example, remember the last time you were stuck in traffic? If ten things had already gone wrong for you that day, a traffic jam just might put your mood into a downward spiral.  But what if you were having a great day, in no hurry, and took the opportunity to listen to your favorite music or a great audiobook? How would your behavior be different in each scenario?  Why?

Dogs also have mood shifts that affect their behavior. Changes happen for dogs for many of the same reasons that our human moods shift.  Why does your dog pass by a neighborhood dog with only a minor acknowledgment on one day and another day, the same dog triggers an over-threshold reaction?

To better understand your dog's mood shifts, feelings, and behavior changes, consider three of the many factors that influence mood:

• Circumstances
• Context
• Your dog's baseline mood

Circumstances.  How does the environment affect the dog's sense of safety?  Did something unexpected startle the dog?  Did he recover? Did the dog perceive a known trigger in his surroundings? Did he have a safe exit or did he feel trapped? [Think about being stuck in standstill traffic with nowhere to go!]

Context.  What did the dog experience before the triggering event? Did visitors make him vigilant? Was there an unpleasant encounter with a neighbor's dog through the fence? Was his water bowl empty? Did unfamiliar noises upset him: sirens, shouting, construction, thunder, fireworks, etc.?  

A series of triggering experiences with no time to recover between them is called trigger stacking. An individual nervous system will reach its limit of tolerance.  Even the gentlest dog will melt down.

Your dog's baseline mood. Would you describe your dog's outlook on life as optimistic?  Or does your dog lean more toward being pessimistic? A word of caution: don't rush to judgment before looking at how your dog reacts when something new appears in the environment.

An easy way to assess your dog's baseline mood as either optimistic or pessimistic is to set up a simple test and observe how your dog reacts:

1. Choose a time when the dog's circumstances are neutral and nothing stimulating, exciting, or distracting is going on.
2. Be sure the context is comfortable.  The dog is not recovering from a stressful experience.
3. Select an ordinary neutral (not scary) item that's unfamiliar to the dog. You can also use a familiar item placed in an unusual location. Don't use food or one of the dog's toys for this test.
4. With the dog not present, place the novel item in an obvious but unexpected place.
5. Allow the dog into the location and observe his reaction to the novel item. IMPORTANT: Do not direct, guide, or assist the dog in any way. You are testing the dog's response to the item, not his willingness to obey directions.

What you can learn from the test.  An optimistic dog will show curiosity about the novel item. He'll approach it either quickly or slowly, investigate it by sniffing, licking, nudging, barking, pawing, or just by looking at it. Some dogs will try to carry the item away with them.  When his curiosity is satisfied, an optimistic dog will move on.

A dog with a pessimistic baseline mood will view the novel item with caution. He'll hesitate to approach because he expects new things to be unsafe.  Do not coax the dog! His anxiety is real.  He may growl and retreat, bark, freeze, or show other signs of distress. If you observe this behavior, calmly remove the item and give the dog a chance to recover. Change the activity to something you know he enjoys.

Optimistic dogs bounce back from unexpected experiences more quickly than dogs who view novelty as unsafe. Dogs who are more readily stressed need to be heard and acknowledged.  More exposure to fearful experiences will not "cure" fear. 

You can help your fearful, pessimistic dog become more optimistic and resilient by meeting him where he is, acknowledging and accepting the truth of his emotional experience, and benevolently leading while allowing autonomy.  You'll find more in this month's newsletter about how you can accomplish those three goals.