Diving into Triggers and Trigger Stacking in Reactive Dogs.

If you have a reactive dog, chances are you’ve heard the word “trigger.” But have you heard of “trigger stacking”? If not, this blog is for you. Before we dive in, let’s define a few important terms that will make the rest of this topic easier to understand.

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  An example of training dogs around triggers. Salem, Oregon

1.      Trigger: A trigger is an object, person, animal, sound, or situation that causes your dog’s anxiety to increase.

2.      Threshold: Threshold is the point when your dog moves from calm and able to learn into anxious, stressed, or reactive.

3.      Recognizing your dog’s threshold: Learning your dog’s body language is key. A loose, relaxed body usually means your dog is under threshold and in a better

state for learning. A stiff body, pinned ears, or rigid tail can mean your dog is at threshold and learning may slow down. Barking, growling, lunging, or pulling often means your dog has gone over threshold. At that point, learning stops, and the best response is to create distance.

4.      Bubble: Your dog’s bubble is the distance at which they can safely and calmly observe a trigger while staying under threshold. Just like people, dogs need personal space.

5.      Cortisol: Cortisol is a stress hormone. Understanding cortisol matters because it can help you recognize when your dog needs a break from training and when they may be ready to try again. In reactive dogs, cortisol can rise after even brief or prolonged exposure to stressors.

6.      How long cortisol levels take to drop: This depends on your dog and how long they were in a heightened state of stress. If the exposure was short and mild, sniffing and decompression may help your dog return to baseline within about 24 hours. If the stress lasted longer, it can take up to 72 hours for cortisol levels to normalize.

7.      How to tell when cortisol levels may still be elevated: Watch your dog’s body language. If your dog reacts to things they normally ignore, their stress level may not have returned to baseline. If their ears are tightly pinned before the walk even starts, that can be a sign they are already stressed and the walk may be difficult.

Now that we’ve covered the key terms, think about your dog. Do they have more than one trigger? If so, you are not alone. Many reactive dogs—and even some non-reactive dogs—have one or more triggers. The next step is identifying which trigger creates the strongest reaction. It might be off-leash dogs, squirrels, cars, people, children, or something more specific.

Finding Your Dog’s Biggest Trigger or Stressor

Take a walk with your dog and pay close attention to their body language. Notice how they respond to different people, animals, objects, and sounds.

o   What happens when you pass another dog on leash?

o   What happens when you encounter an off-leash dog?

o   What happens when you see a child?

o   What happens when you see someone walking or jogging?

o   What happens when a car passes by?

If your dog can calmly pass one trigger but whines, barks, or lunges at another, you may have found one of their triggers—or possibly their biggest one. For my dog Ginger, the biggest trigger is off-leash dogs. I’ve also worked with a dog whose strongest trigger was men wearing baseball caps. Once the cap came off, the dog settled more quickly. Looking closely at these patterns can help you understand not only what your dog reacts to, but why.

On another walk, observe the same triggers again. Is the trigger the same? Is your dog’s reaction similar? If so, you’ve found an important puzzle piece in understanding your dog’s reactivity. Taking notes can help. Record what your dog reacted to, how far away the trigger was, what their reaction looked like, and how long it took them to return to a calm state. This information will help you better understand your dog’s body language, patterns, and training needs.

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  Allowing a reactive dog to get close to a trigger all while remaining calm.

What Is Trigger Stacking?

Trigger stacking happens when your dog experiences multiple stressful events in a short period of time. Each event adds another layer of stress. For example, your dog might calmly pass a barking dog, then hear a loud noise like a car backfiring, and then have an off-leash dog rush into their space. Even if your dog handled

the first two events, the third may push them over threshold.

Trigger stacking can also happen during reactivity training. Your dog may calmly allow four dogs to pass but react when the fifth dog appears. That does not mean the training failed. It may simply mean the stress has built up, each trigger adding more stress.  Keep sessions short—no more than about 10 minutes—and end on a positive note. Give your dog opportunities to learn without pushing them past their limits. Once your dog becomes too overwhelmed, learning stops.

To close, remember three things: you are not alone, your dog needs you to advocate for them, and exercise does not always have to mean a walk. If your dog is already overwhelmed, they may need time away from triggers. Try indoor training, enrichment games, or yard work if you have a safe outdoor space. Pushing your dog too far will not help them learn; it may cause them to react to even more stimuli. Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for the next two blogs: Reading Your Dog’s Body Language and Rainy Day Games.