.png)
We are obsessed with wanting and knowing that our dogs are happy. Understandably so – as a completely different species to us, we want to know everything about how they think and what they feel, especially if they are happy. That knowingness however runs deep – it’s also perhaps the knowingness of their happiness with us. And so we look for “signs” of happiness – behaviours that give us this confirmation.
It just so happens though that often these behaviours are characterized by frenzy – think zoomies, playing fetch and, other hyperactive behaviours that seem to classify a dog as a “happy” dog. But do these behaviours tell us if our dogs are really happy or is there something else going on?
Shifting the focus from behaviours to the nervous system
As a holistic canine behaviour consultant, I approach dog behaviour with a biosociopsychological (of the body, environment and mind) context. A big part of this approach is helping dog caregivers and parents understand the workings of the nervous system (specifically, the autonomic nervous system & its branches – the sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous systems) and how they impact behaviour.
Bear with me as I take you through some sciency stuff.
The autonomic nervous system has two branches – the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is a network of nerves that helps the body activate the “fight or flight” response (the ability to distinguish between danger and safety by the body is called neuroception). The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) activates the “rest and digest” mode of the body and is focused on energy conservation. These two share an inverse relationship with each other – so if the SNS tone is activated, the PSNS tone is low; if the PSNS tone is activated, the SNS tone is low (very simply put). The activation of each of these tones is accompanied by physiological changes – in the case of SNS tone activation, it is increase heart rate, pupil dilation, increase in blood pressure, stalling digestion etc. The PSNS activation involves slowing down the heart rate, reducing blood pressure, returning breathing to normal rate and so on.
"If the SNS tone is activated, the PSNS tone is low; if the PSNS tone is activated, the SNS tone is low."
The SNS tone gets activated in the body when the brain perceives something dangerous/stressful/excitement. Unlike humans, dogs don’t have the meaning making ability to classify events as exciting or stressful – the nervous system responds in the same way to either event. A big part of this activation is the “flash flood” of hormones and neurotransmitters in the body, including adrenaline and cortisol, the latter often called as the “stress hormone”. ‘This response occurs so quickly that people often don't realize it's taken place, according to Harvard Medical School.’ The example used to describe this in the article is a good one –
'For instance, a person may jump from the path of a falling tree before they fully register that it's toppling toward them.’
I think we don’t realise how some of our day to day activities can be consistently and chronically activating the SNS tone in our dogs. Even some of our most well-intentioned interactions with our dogs can distress their nervous systems. For instance, we know that not all dogs liked to be hugged. It isn’t natural in their world and can feel like their space is restricted, often creating a sense of feeling trapped. For a lot of dogs, even though this human act comes from a place of extreme love and affection, it can be experienced as stressful by our dogs. Their experience of this is valid and meaningful.
The same can be said for games like fetch and tug that caregivers often describe as “loved by their dogs” – we don't know whether that's actually the case. Fetch however is a topic to deep dive inot for another day.
Unfortunately, behaviours resulting from stress/excitement can often look the same, making it difficult for us to pinpoint the exact emotion.
Can dogs be happy without being excited?
I recently wrote an article on overexercising our dogs that evoked a lot of emotions amongst readers. I briefly explained the impact of the activation of the sympathetic nervous system (that high intensity exercise for dogs like running, fetch, brisk walking etc can often result in) on our dog’s behaviours, the importance of recognizing that and focusing on bringing the dog back to a state of regulation or allostasis.
One of the comments I received was – “I can’t expect my dogs to live a neutral life without excitement”, suggesting that we remove all sources of excitement from our dogs’ lives. This is a big misunderstanding that comes with talking about regulating the nervous system. And I’d like to talk about this a bit.
"It means we are creating an environment for them to be calm, thoughtful and aware"
When we talk about regulating the nervous system and managing the environment to decrease stressors, it does not mean that we are taking away moments of joy from our dog. It means we are creating an environment for them to be calm, thoughtful and aware. When I look at the definition of calm, I read “peaceful, quiet, tranquil – without worry or disturbances; without hurried movement or noise” – it does not show up as an antonym for happy.
Calmness is important to me – and it should be important to all dog caregivers and parents. This blog post here talks about the benefits (paraphrasing and contextualizing wherever relevant):
“You can think straight”
You can think about resolution instead of a conflict
“You are aware & focused”
Gives you time to think
If our dogs can do this, I would say that’s pretty damn cool, wouldn’t you? I think about Mutton, one of my dogs who struggles with dog reactivity and anxiety. Seeing her achieve these moments of calmness, thoughtfulness and awareness (of herself, others and herself in relation to others) is so meaningful and the reason why I do what I do. We can achieve this when we think about parenting our dogs’ nervous systems, alleviating stress and helping them refocus and integrate with this calm state of mind.
Lessons from Luchi
My dogs don’t live “neutral” lives. They experience a ton of exciting moments – reuniting with my husband after he come back home from work, meeting my parents & in-laws, the anticipation of their & my food, sniffaris in new spots, car rides, the smell of baked goods,the sight of a bone – so many little moments that if I start to count, add up to a lot. However, the difference is in my recognizing which of these moments are likely to tip them over into a frenzied state and cause dysregulation.
My dogs can be excited/joyous/ecstatic/enthralled and all other synonyms of happy without losing their presence of mind – this to me is the crux of a happy dog.
Let’s take Luchi for example. Some events//moments are likely to make her excited (going to my in-laws after a long time, is one such event). When this happens, the excitement of it all is likely to spill over into her zooming around. Now, this is a cause for concern for me for two reasons:
In this frenzied state of zoomies, she’s likely to run around slippery floors (the flooring in my in-laws apartment, split/splay/sploot and unknowingly cause injury to herself – injury that she will fail to recognize in that adrenaline surge and that I too will perhaps fail to recognise if I don’t proactively watch out for. For a dog that struggles with muscoskeletal discomfort and a case of diagnoses spondylosis, this isn’t a safe situation to be in.
Apartments are usually restricted on space and cramped with furniture. This lack of space poses a problem for me. For one, it increases the risk of Luchi bumping into some furniture & injuring herself. Two, it leaves very little room for Mutton to walk away – something she does because Luchi’s zoomies feel unsafe to her. What this does is create a potential scenario where Luchi 'enthusiastically' (completely unknowingly and uncontrollably) bumps into Mutton, causing Mutton to react defensively.
There are moments that spill over, sending Luchi into zoomies. Outdoor spaces with natural terrain or grass of course act as some buffer but over time with consistent effort at regulating her nervous system, Luchi's zoomies are lesser and much shorter in duration.
This exact situation has played out for me on a couple of occasions and so, I truly value the lesson of bringing both my dogs to a state of emotional regulation rather quickly. Of course, this will differ from dog to dog.
My dogs can be excited/joyous/ecstatic/enthralled and all other synonyms of happy without losing their presence of mind – this to me is the crux of a happy dog.
Mutton expressing pure joy at the smell of cheesy garlic bread that has arrived at our table. Little did she know that it was for her - or maybe she did?!
A calm dog is a happy dog
We need to urgently rethink our definition of happy dogs because for most part, this definition describes wired up, hyper, over-adrenalised dogs with the potential to make poor choices for themselves and in relation to others.
Instead, we need to accept and embrace the idea of a calm dog. Yes, often, a calm dog will look like a dog who’s doing nothing. But that is the mindset to shift.
I love this photograph for so many reasons. This was at our recent holiday spot when the dogs found some alone time, away from us. You can see Luchi sitting on the cane chair, catching up on much needed sleep - her body's response that she's now able to lean into because of a calmer lifestyle; you can also also see Mutton on the mat observing, listening, sniffing and processing the environment around her, restfully.
This idea that only when one is constantly engaged in activity produces happiness is toxic, exhausting and deeply damaging – the growing culture of burn out, dissatisfaction and poor mental health amongst humans is an example of this.
Our dogs don’t need to be subjected to that – not on any grounds. Even when you think your dog is doing “nothing”, your dog is potentially processing truckloads of information because of their incredible and heightened senses of smell and sound – that right there is a lot of brain work but it’s also multiple moments of curiosity, excitement, cautiousness and more. Think of the last time when you had to assimilate and synthesize a ton of information – would you call that as “nothing”?
---
If this resonates with you and you'd like to understand your dog's behaviours in more depth or need support as you navigate your dog parenting journey, schedule a FREE 30-mins discovery call to chat more.
コメント