“Get used to it” as a strategy
I was 25 years old when I was broadsided at a busy intersection in Portland when another driver ran a red light and flew into the passenger side of my brand-new car. Luckily, there were no physical injuries except major damage to my month-old vehicle.
I was “fine”, thank goodness, but it was a traumatic experience, nonetheless. It was jarring, inconvenient, and very stressful, not just for me, but for my three passengers who had been eager to ride in my shiny new Honda Civic hatchback (later lovingly christened “Pepe”) which barely survived.
For a while after that, I would involuntarily cringe and tense up whenever there was any motion coming from the right, wherever I was. Each time I went through that intersection I would tense up. For a long time after, I would say to myself, “that’s where I had the accident.” I still do, in fact, decades later. Initially, the more times I went through without incident, the less I tensed up, but it took multiple repetitions to diminish that response to a simple, neutral recollection.
I’m a resilient and I hope rational person, but not immune to the rules of psychology which tell us that we make strong mental connections between events, concepts, or mental states. We will even tie in other related aspects to those connections. That’s why I initially tensed up when there was motion from my right, no matter the source.
How would I have responded if subsequent experiences involved (non-injurious) accidents every time I went through that intersection? Or every so often, unpredictably? It’s highly likely my stress levels would be on a regular supercharge schedule and possibly increase in intensity. You bet, if I could, I would avoid that intersection altogether. But what if I couldn’t? What if I didn’t have the choice?
Humans and dogs share the same rules of psychology, but I would argue that dogs lack the “rational” part, which can make things more challenging and associations more difficult to predict. Understanding this helps us condition them to become more resilient if we take the time to work proactively. Unfortunately, we often employ the “get used to it” strategy, subjecting them to the same stressful situations again and again and again in an attempt to get them to deal with it, whatever “it” may be. A negative emotional connection to an event, situation, location, experience, object, etc. will not generally spontaneously get better. This is why dogs may continue to struggle with nail trims, being groomed, going to certain places, being handled in specific ways… In fact, repeat exposures can dramatically increase the likelihood for a negative response, possibly to the point of being dangerous. I think of groomers and veterinarians who have suffered serious bites or dog owners whose dogs finally feel the need to defend themselves out of fear and self-preservation even when the owner is simply trying to put a harness on their dog. The situations rarely involve physical harm to the dog, but emotional distress is a powerful motivator to go on the defense.
Let’s return to the scene of Pepe’s accident for a moment. Let’s say after the accident, each time I went through that intersection, I was magically delivered a pint of Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk, my favorite. At that time in my life, I would go through a whole pint of it in a sitting for a mere $2.36. How many repetitions of “intersection = ice cream” would it take to soften the blow, so to speak, of the negative association with it? Fewer than without, for sure. What if the magic ice cream happened a good number of times over the course of, say, weeks or months before the accident? How about both?
Emotion* is Directly Tied to Behavior
Emotions create physical responses in both us and our dogs… and other creatures, too, of course. These physical responses are behaviors. Emotions are neurobiological activities; dynamic and constant. We are perpetually experiencing them, and so are our dogs. We have an enormous influence on the type of emotions they are feeling; why not intentionally set their stage for good associations, for positive emotions linked to potentially troubling situations, before they have a chance to find them troubling? This applies, of course, to our training methods, too.
I hope you are getting my drift here. What’s your dog’s version of New York Super Fudge Chunk and how are you going to strategically tie it to something that the dog might find challenging?
I am curious: what are some of the situations or experiences your pup associates negatively? How about positively? What experiences have you had which created strong positive or negative associations?
*“Emotions are conscious mental reactions (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feelings usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body.” (American Psychological Association)
Happy Training!
Diana Logan, CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge-Assessed
Pet Connection Dog Training, North Yarmouth, Maine
www.dianalogan.com | 207-252-9352