The importance of your dog's emotions in behavioral training

Dogs are social creatures that experience a wide range of emotions, just like humans. While we might not always know what a dog is feeling, there are some clues we can look for to help us understand their behavior better. As a dog behaviorist and dog trainer, I have studied dog behavior in the field and in various countries to help owners provide the best possible lives for their dogs. Additionally, scientific research has shown that certain chemicals in the brain play a role in regulating emotions in both humans and dogs. By understanding the science behind your dog's emotions and working with your dog behaviorist, you can better understand the causes of your dog's behavior and address underlying behavior issues, such as excessive barking, separation anxiety, and aggression.

A dog's brain is an amazing thing with training, allowing dogs to learn complex tasks

The brain is responsible for an incredible amount of tasks, all of which are essential for survival. One of the most important functions of your dog's brain is to translate inputs from the eyes, nose, or ears into actions. For example, when your dog perceives a dangerous situation, the brain signals muscles to move out of harm's way or fight. Similarly, when your dog feels pain, the brain interprets this as a sign that action needs to be taken to avoid pain. By constantly evaluating the risks and rewards of different actions, the brain helps to make decisions that will maintain safety and survival.

But how does the dog translate from what is being perceived in the environment to actions? The important mediators are emotions.

The science of behavior problems

Signs of aggression include growling, snarling, and lunging

Just like humans, dogs experience a range of emotions, from happiness and excitement to fear and anxiety. These emotions are regulated by a variety of chemicals in the brain, including dopamine and serotonin. Dopamine is associated with excited states, such as when a dog sees its owner or a squirrel running through the yard. This chemical helps to motivate the dog and makes it feel good. Serotonin, on the other hand, is associated with more calming states of mind. This chemical helps to keep dogs feeling relaxed and content. In general, emotions shift the dog's activity level from either arousal to calmness. Like a seesaw, a balanced dog adjusts its emotional state to the environment. If we don't watch our dog's "mood", a mismatch of what's happening in the environment and how your dog feels inside evolves. For example, nervous behavior during walks. Puppies who are not capable of coping with all the inputs in new environments often feel anxious. Over-socializing can be the beginning of leash reactivity in some dogs. If this mismatch lasts for too long, we start to observe what we call "unwanted" behaviors such as lunging, excessive barking, growling, and aggression. The external environment is not aligned with the emotional state, leading to behaviors that seem out of place.

By understanding how these chemicals work that create emotions and behaviors, we can use that knowledge to better understand the inner lives of our furry dog friends. Dog trainers and owners often overlook the importance of the internal state and focus too much on the outcome, the animal behavior. However, the behavior itself started way earlier with what is being processed in the brain.

Behavioral training & medication

Anti-anxiety medication has pros and cons that owners, trainers, and behaviorists must weigh

Dogs suffering from anxiety and related behaviors are not able to balance certain brain chemicals, which leads to nervous energy. While medication can be helpful for your dog in some cases, it's important to be aware of the potential risks. Medication, like Fluoxetine, can have side effects like reducing motivation, which is important for behavior modification programs. As some drugs induce a calmer state of mind, they also turn down other parts of the brain activity including motivation, and cause medical conditions such as loss of appetite. It can be extremely difficult to work through a rehab program with a dog that is heavy on medication. Once found the right dosage, however, medication could assist with rehabbing behavior problems such as separation anxiety. I will discuss the various forms of separation anxiety in a separate post.

By definition, behavior modification is the implementation of techniques to train and change a dog's behavior. A reduction in motivation can be a significant barrier to accomplishing this goal. When dogs are less motivated, they are less likely to stick to learning and creating new memories. This can make it difficult to teach new behaviors or extinguish existing ones. In my next podcast episode, I will highlight how important a high activity level is for dogs to learn new behaviors. For this reason, it is important to consider the potential side effects of any medications before starting a behavior modification program.

An emotional approach to animal behavior

Dogs are just like us when it comes to emotions

Training a pet can be a fun and rewarding experience. Pets can provide companionship, love, and security in our lives. By training your pet, you can help ensure that they behave in a way that is safe and acceptable in your home and community. Dogs in particular hold a very special place in our lives. A dog's behavior is directly linked to emotions. As a dog trainer and animal behaviorist, I seek to combine education, research, and experience to provide a personalized training approach to all of our pets. The behavioral training and treatment that we prescribe to solve dog behavior problems are rooted in how dogs see and process the world. This is one of the foundations of our dog training approach as dog trainers and applied animal behaviorists at Canine Decoded.

Next steps for you as a dog owner

If you struggle with your dog's behavior, please join our free FaceBook group for more tips and tricks.

If you want to learn more about the biggest challenge in modifying dog behavior and how to find the right method that works for you, sign up for one of our free classes here.

Dr. Melanie Uhde
Ph.D. degree in Natural Sciences
Master's degree in Biology
Certification in Dog Behavior Modification
Member of the National Association of Canine Professionals