Stress and confidence are closely linked when it comes to your dog’s well-being. Just like humans, dogs need balance in their lives to thrive.
While some stress is natural and even beneficial in small doses, too much can have detrimental effects on their health and behaviour. On the other hand, when stress is managed well, it creates space for confidence to grow. In this blog, we will explore how avoiding excess stress can help build your dog’s confidence, and how you can foster an empowered and resilient canine companion.
The Harmful Impact of Stress
Stress moves quickly through the body and brain, and while short bursts of stress (known as eustress) can actually enhance performance, too much stress pushes a dog into a fight or flight mode. When this happens frequently, it can affect the dog’s health, as normal systems are repeatedly pushed into overdrive. Chronic stress can manifest in various ways, such as anxiety, digestive issues, or behavioural problems.
Not all dogs are stressed by the same things, but one common stressor is being touched without consent. If someone touched you unexpectedly and without permission, would you feel stressed? It’s a good idea to ask the same question when considering how your dog feels about physical contact. Touch, consent, and choice are all closely tied to stress levels.
How Stress and Confidence Are Linked
Stress and confidence are deeply intertwined. A dog that constantly experiences stress is unlikely to feel confident. On the other hand, a dog that feels empowered—through choice, consent, and positive experiences—will naturally grow more confident and resilient.
To better understand your dog’s experience, ask yourself:
Are they exposed to situations they can’t handle?
Do they always give consent before being touched?
Do they have enough choices in their life?
A dog that gets to make choices and has control over their environment will feel safer and more confident. By avoiding too much stress, you’re giving your dog the opportunity to thrive and build resilience, rather than live in constant defence mode.
Building Confidence: Small Steps and Successes
Confidence-building in dogs is much like it is for humans. When we take small steps, succeed, and are recognised for our efforts, we become more willing to try again. The same applies to dogs. Encouraging your dog to feel optimistic about their world will help them become more confident and capable.
One excellent way to build confidence is through clicker training. Clicker training encourages dogs to make their own choices and rewards them for it. The absence of hints or clues allows dogs to explore, make decisions, and succeed on their own terms. This sense of accomplishment is a powerful confidence booster and creates a more engaged and empowered dog.
Additionally, you can help your dog grow by setting up situations that gently push them beyond their current limits. For example, create puzzles or problems for your dog that are slightly more challenging than what they’re used to. Whether it’s opening a box to get a treat or finding food hidden in stacked pots, these small challenges, when met with success, build confidence.
The Role of Calm Environments
A calm environment is essential to both reducing stress and building confidence. A stressed dog will find it harder to feel empowered, and stress often comes from the environment. Ensuring your dog has enough space in unfamiliar settings, or providing them with calm, observational experiences where they can watch the world go by without interference, helps create a foundation of safety and trust.
The Importance of Social Understanding
Many people assume that social exposure will automatically build confidence, but this isn’t always the case. Some dogs are social butterflies, while others are naturally more reserved. Understanding your dog’s unique personality and preferences is critical to managing their stress and building their confidence. Over-exposure to other dogs or people can lead to stress if your dog is not naturally inclined to socialise.
Fear, Anxiety and Trauma
Fear, anxiety, and past trauma are deeply interconnected when it comes to stress in dogs. Fear is the immediate emotional response to a current situation, a survival mechanism. Anxiety, on the other hand, is the anticipation of something stressful or fearful happening in the future, causing dogs to live in a state of constant alert. Trauma is rooted in past experiences, such as harsh treatment, which leaves a long-lasting impact on the dog's nervous system, making it difficult for them to regulate emotions. This unregulated state causes stress to linger, affecting the dog’s ability to relax, trust, and feel safe in their environment.
There are ways to help and heal our dogs from this lack of regulation which causes them problems in the World. We must first make them feel safe then reinforce agency, autonomy and safety for them at every opportunity.
I'm running a webinar Trauma to Trust: Helping Dogs Heal from Fear and Anxiety you can join by clicking here or the image below.
(Live on the 23rd September 2024 - 7pm UK time)
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