Trigger Stacking in Dogs
Why can your dog's behaviour seem to change suddenly?
Do you ever have those days when the moment the alarm goes off in the morning, everything seems to go wrong? By the end of the day, you've lost your patience and taken it all out on someone you love?
A series of unfortunate events doesn't just affect us — our dogs can experience something similar too.
This is where trigger stacking comes in.
What is a trigger?
A trigger is something that causes a change in your dog's emotional state or behaviour.
For some dogs, a trigger might be another dog, a pram, the postman, loud voices or children running. Triggers don't have to be visual — they can be sounds, smells or experiences too. And they aren't always scary. Something exciting or highly stimulating can also increase your dog's arousal levels and make it harder for them to cope with what happens next.
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Triggers can be:
Triggers aren't
always scary!
Exciting or highly stimulating experience can also add to your dogs arousal levels.
Think of your dog's stress bucket
Imagine that every dog carries an invisible bucket. Throughout the day, different things can add water to that bucket. Each trigger might only add a small amount, but if lots of things happen close together, the water level gradually rises.
What is trigger stacking?
When your dog experiences something stressful or highly arousing, their body releases hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones don't disappear as soon as the trigger does.
Trigger stacking happens when your dog experiences multiple triggers or stressful events close together, without enough time to recover between them. Each experience can add to the last, gradually pushing your dog closer to their coping threshold.
Every dog has a different threshold
Every dog has a different coping threshold — the point at which they are no longer able to comfortably cope with the levels of stress, fear, excitement or arousal they are experiencing.
A dog's threshold can also change from day to day.
How can you help your dog?
The goal isn't to completely eliminate every trigger — that's rarely realistic. Instead, we want to help your dog stay under their threshold as much as possible, while giving them opportunities to recover when they've had a difficult experience.
Is trigger stacking affecting your dog?
Understanding trigger stacking can make a huge difference, but knowing what to do when your dog's bucket keeps filling up isn't always easy.
If your dog is regularly reacting to other dogs, people, noises or busy environments, or you're finding that their behaviour seems to get worse as the day goes on, I can help.
Through one-to-one dog training and behaviour support, we'll look at what's happening for your individual dog, identify their triggers and early signs of stress, and work out practical ways to help them stay under threshold.
Written by Jemma Milne
Reward-based dog trainer and behaviourist at Milne & Mutt
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Understanding your dog's triggers and threshold
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Recognising early signs that their bucket is filling
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Managing situations to prevent your dog becoming overwhelmed
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Building your dog's confidence and ability to cope
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Teaching practical skills that you can use in everyday life
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Helping you feel more confident knowing what to do when things don't go to plan
We'll look at things like:
Lets work on it together
You don't have to wait until your dog's behaviour becomes a bigger problem. The earlier you understand what's contributing to their reactions, the more effectively you can support them.
Book in a session
Get personalised support for your dog
We can work together online or in person if you're based in South East London.
We'll look at what's happening for your dog, help you understand their triggers and give you practical strategies to help them cope.
Not sure where to start? Book a free 15-minute discovery call.
