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Trigger Stacking

A potential adopter was interested in Ransom recently, claiming she had experience working with abused dogs. We explained to her that Ransom wasn’t abused. His issues are complicated, mostly based on the fact that he is a very smart little dog and tries to be in charge. When allowed to be in charge and overstimulated, Ransom has episodes of aggression.


We had several such episodes over the course of a week which made us sit back and examine why. What had changed that triggered his behavior?

We know that his rear leg issues, luxating patellas, cause him pain. He is being treated for that, so probably isn’t the cause.


What else? Being that Ransom is a “young senior,” only about 8 or 9 years old, he likes to be active. We gave him a stuffed toy to play with and he loves it! Well, maybe a little too much. He gets hyper-excited when playing with his toy and can be difficult to calm down. While playing, he likes to come over and sit on our laps with his toy. And if one of the other dogs approaches, he snaps at them. Ransom becomes “top dog” when he sits on us.


Ransom also likes to sit at the front window and watch everything passing by – joggers, rabbits, squirrels, deer, delivery people, etc. He stands guard over his “kingdom” and raises hell if any of the above enter into his territory. Again, he gets hyper-excited and it takes a while for him to calm.


We put all of this information together and determined that Ransom was trigger stacking as well as protecting what he decided was his. Ransom’s “top dog” personality causes him to think he’s in charge if he is allowed to take over.


And what is trigger stacking? It’s when a dog experiences a succession of triggers close together without giving the dog a chance to recover. Arousal is given the opportunity to build up, causing the dog to react. What is a trigger? It can be any signs, smells, or experiences that raise a dog’s arousal or stress level.


What did we do for Ransom to prevent more aggressive incidents?


First, we limited his play time. We watched him for signs of overstimulation and arousal. When he seemed to be getting too stimulated, we stopped playtime and took him outside for a potty break. Walking around and letting him sniff outside helps to calm him.


Second, we are not allowing Ransom to sit on us unless invited to be held. When we invite him onto our laps, he must be calm and it has to be our initiation, not his.


Next, we do everything possible to ensure that Ransom remains calm because he can get overstimulated. We still allow him to sit in his little chair in the front window but we monitor his behavior. If we see he is reacting too much to outside stimuli, we give him a timeout from the chair. Luckily, he loves to just sleep there most of the time.


Finally, we have become very adept at reading Ransom’s body language. When Ransom doesn’t want to do something, like go outside at bedtime for a last pee, we do not force him. We can tell by his body language that he will react.


Learning about what arouses your dog, how to read body language, and knowing how to manage all of it is crucial in dealing with a dog who has behavior issues.



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