Be kind to yourself

Following the recent theme of focusing on the wellbeing of the reactive dog guardian, given how much information is available to help us help our fearful dog, I want to use a short entry to make an important point.

So much of the literature that focuses on reactive dogs and improving their thresholds etc discusses the biological processes of stress and what it does inside and outside of the dog. There are countless books and websites that tell us about the stress hormones and how they affect dogs on both a short and long term basis, with the associated mental, physical and emotional health risks that come to a dog that is living with long term, constant stress.

What doesn't seem to get mentioned is that the way the fear and stress response works in dogs is the same for all mammals. This is the same whether you are looking at a dog, a cat, a horse, a dolphin or... and here we reach my point... a human.

Despite the fact that we are (allegedly 😄) an advanced species, we still occupy a spot in the animal kingdom, we are still mammals. This means that all of the information concerning stress hormones, adaptation diseases and the drastic results long term stress can result in, applies to us as well.

This is not rocket science, and I'm sure there are people wondering why I am pointing out the obvious. As discussed in the previous two entries What just happened? What do I do now? and The Emotional Toll of Reactivity owning, living with or walking a reactive dog is a difficult emotional process. We need to remember that those very same stress hormones are going to be affecting us as well. Given how sensitive dogs are, and how good they are at sensing emotions, there is no doubt that our dogs are going to know that we are stressed. This can turn into a vicious cycle - dogs and handlers that go out in a state of stress are going to be almost looking for problems, which hugely increases the chances of encountering one.

This is where the concept of a cortisol vacation can be so very useful, and not just for the fearful dog. Yes, our dogs need exercise, and preferably in the outside world where they can explore and investigate new scents and see the world. However, in the case of the utterly stressed dog and handler, some time out can hugely change that initial feeling before leaving the house. By giving time for those stress hormones to leave the body, we can start from a more neutral position if sadly not an entirely clean slate. Ensuring that the cortisol has had time to leave the body gives us a window to work with in trying to change the fearful dog's view of the world, and in altering our perception of how a walk is going to go so that we are not anticipating problems and can start to enjoy the time spent walking with our canine friends.

This may mean a few days of not leaving the house. This doesn't mean that your dog is not going to be exercised though, as this is where brain games come in. I've looked at mental exercise and games you can play at home in previous entries. Coming up with and finding new ideas to work your dog's mental capabilities will stretch your brain as well, and it gives a great chance to work on the bond with your dog, and increasing the positive hormones that will stimulate. I'm planning to try Finn on some very basic scentwork soon, which I'm really looking forward to trying with him.

Brain exercise doesn't have to be expensive - a cardboard box, a lot of toilet roll tubes and a couple of handfuls of quality kibble. Much fun was had tearing up the card when the food had all gone 😄

I have spent a chunk of today reading this book, Dog Professional's Survival Guide by Sally Gutteridge. It is no secret I am a huge fan of Sally's work, both in her books and the courses from Canine Principles, but I really think that this one is the most important of her works that I have read. It's a great read, and you don't have to be a dog professional to get a huge amount from it. It is filled with concepts and methods of thinking about the world that can very much help a stressed mind in need of help with dealing with the negative emotions and thoughts that can so easily overwhelm us on a bad day with our fearful dogs. I really recommend having a read. I saw a lot of things in there that I relate to and a lot of things that I can do to help my positive mindset, both in working with my reactive dog and the path my life is taking.

The message to take away from this blog entry is to remember that you shouldn't just be kind and sympathetic to your fearful dog when they are clearly stressed, but remember to be kind and sympathetic to yourself as well. Remember to be kind to yourself. Make sure to look after yourself - your dogs are depending on you 😊