I haven't generally found a great deal of focus on the issue of stress and anxiety experienced by dogs when training. The focus has been more about the level of engagement and the level of distractions. I was therefore really surprised when I came across an article by Neil Sattin: How to relax your dog about how to watch for signs of stress when training.
After I read the article by Neil Sattin I wondered why I haven't seen more written about how stress affects a dog's training, and performance and the importance of relaxing your dog. It made perfect sense to me that I should be aware of whether my dog is stressed during training and exactly what is creating the stress: I have learned over the years from working with my Morgan horse, Dande, in harness how I need to read the movements that he makes when we are training and to be tuned into the smallest of movements; an ear movement, a head toss, or the unevenness of the gait: These body movements might indicate how a situation is changing and tell me whether the horse is beginning to feel stressed or to relax more. Although I have applied these principles to my horse, understanding that relaxation is paramount if the horse is to perform at its best and also for the correct muscles to develop, (in the back, the neck and in the quarters), I have taken only a very generalized view of stress in dogs. It really surprises me now that I have not made this connection before. Even as I read Sattin's notes on the signs of tension in dogs, I cannot readily identify many of the things that Lusi does. Things that I know that Lusi does:
- When meeting other dogs she sometimes gets nervous, (muscles tremble) or sometimes she gets over excited so that she jumps. So there is clearly a continuum of stress from nervousness at one extreme to hyperactivity or overexcitement, at the other.
- It is frequently difficult to get Lusi's attention when we are in a strange new environment or one with a high level of distractions. Her attention becomes completely focused on her surroundings and she appears not to be aware of me or of my voice, calling, talking, commanding. (Lusi shows primarily a visual interaction with the world)
- Lusi pulls on the leash when there is a high level of distractions- these distractions rank from other dogs,(10) to people(7). She is hardly bothered by vehicles!(2)
- Lusi gets hyper in the house if she doesn't get her regular walks or hikes. She starts to pace the floor (or very occasionally trot or even run the floor!), and she will knock the blinds on the patio doors to get attention. This, I think, is a case of stress building because she cannot do what she would naturally choose to do, which is run. The containment is in itself definitely a stressor; so while there is nothing obvious or tangible to pinpoint as a stressor, it is clearly there.
Notes from Neil Sattin's article:
Signs of tension in a dog:
"Do you see muscles trembling? Hair standing on end? Tail quivering? Body wiggling out of control? Spinning around in circles, or manic jumping? Anxious panting? Primarily visual interaction with the world (staring intently)? Shallow breathing? Seeming to be head-oriented, instead of body-oriented?"
Signs of relaxation in a dog:
"A relaxed dog might have an intensity about them, but it will be a calm, focused intensity, not a building-to-a-flipout kind of intensity. Muscles will be supple, and the dog will be more interested in your contact with their body. A relaxed dog tends to sniff the environment (instead of relying primarily on sight), and will be able to hear you despite whatever else is going on in the world around them. Breathing will be regular, and moments of stillness will be balanced with moments of fluid motion."
I seem to be forever saying that we will start training with the carriage soon! Training Lusi to run at axle is a long term endeavour, and in fact we have been working towards starting with the carriage in a number of different ways. I thought that I would list these as a way of identifying where we are in the process and what we have to do next in our training program.
