[nagdu] stress, how much is too much?

[Katrin Andberg]

Yes.  If the situation allows for general stress (not triggered by say an
oncoming dog or person, etc) I recommend giving the dog a de-stress break.
This can be as simple as taking off the harness and letting the dog sniff in
the grass or sidewalk for a little bit.  As you all are guide dog users what
I'd recommend, and what I do with my own dogs (guide or not), is when I
realize they need a de-stress break and I chose to let them sniff, I ask the
dog to sit, then give a verbal cue "ok go sniff" and encourage the dog to
release and take a little break.  By putting it on cue, it helps to teach
the dog that sniffing After a minute or two, I call the dog back and usually
do some deep pressure head to tail petting and deep breathing (always
amazing that if the owner does some deep yoga type breathing it can really
help get the dog breathing and more relaxed) and perhaps some T-Touch
(tellington touch) ear work to get back connected with the dog then get him
back in harness and back to work.  Depending on the situation I may likely
also do some basic sit and down low stress obedience for food rewards.  If
the situation won't allow safely for an off-harness sniff break, then
usually I'll find a place to sit be it the ground, a stone wall, a bench,
chair, etc, place my dog in a sit facing forward between my 2 knees and do
some deep pressure petting, ear work and deep breathing to help my dog get
grounded.  Usually with a bit of that as the dog starts to relax he'll kind
of melt into a down between my knees and/or I hear and feel him take a deep
sigh release breath and that's how I know he's really starting to relax and
we can likely get up and go back to what we were doing.    Sometimes the dog
needs a longer de-stress break and in that case I would give him a quiet
place to take a nap, probably put some Through a Dog's Ear music on (it's
classical music that has been specifically modulate to frequencies that help
relax and reduce stress in dogs) or other white/ambient noise and just let
the dog chill for a while.  A lot of time if I'm doing a long day with my
dog, I tend to whenever we are stopped and sitting somewhere automatically
do the ear work, deep pressure petting and breathing, find it helps me relax
and deal with the stress of a long day as well.  

 

If the dog is stressing over a specific trigger (such as a dog distraction),
I can chose to either manage the situation just to get past the trigger or I
can chose to do some training and/or behavior modification.  If I'm choosing
management, then 1st thing to do is increase distance between my dog and the
trigger if possible.  So this may mean crossing to the opposite side of the
street, going up a nearby drive way or even turning around and walking back
the way I came.  And 2nd with management I use food as a distractor.
Literally I just shove food in the dog's face to keep them eating until
either the trigger has passed or we are past the trigger.  Just like we
humans tend to eat when we are stressed for the 'feel good' hormones it
releases, when I've got a stressed dog if I can get them to eat I know I can
at least on some level reduce their stress, as well as prevent them from
practicing any more severe and/or dangerous behaviors that would lead to a
bigger behavior concern and problem down the line.  A dog who is so stressed
that he won't eat is in most cases very close to shut down and is being
mentally flooded (overwhelmed).   

 

If I'm choosing to do some actual training and behavior modification to work
on a specific trigger, depending on the situation I may do some classical
conditioning/systematic desensitization, or some behavior adjustment
training (BAT). 

 

Katrin  

 

Katrin Andberg

 <mailto:katrin at maplewooddog.com> katrin at maplewooddog.com

 

Do you have suggestions for handling the lower levels of behavior that you
describe as stress situations other than corrections?

 

Sheila Leigland