Does Your Dog React ‘Out Of Nowhere’?

Reactivity In Dogs: Understanding ‘Trigger Stacking’

 As a dog owner, especially if you have a dog who sometimes reacts ‘out of nowhere’ to things, it's crucial to understand the concept of trigger stacking. This term might not be as widely known as others in the field of dog training, but it's a fundamental aspect that can significantly impact your dog's emotional well-being and behaviour. In this article, we'll dive into what trigger stacking is, how to recognise it and most importantly, how to manage it.

What Is Trigger Stacking?

Trigger stacking occurs when a dog is exposed to multiple stressors, or ‘triggers’ that build up over a period of time (triggers ‘stacking’ on top of each other). This can be all within the same day or even over a longer period of time.  Each trigger, on its own, might not be enough to cause your dog to react to something. But when triggers are combined, they build up and can lead to a situation where your dog feels overwhelmed, anxious, fearful or even angry.

Think of trigger stacking like filling a glass of water. Each stressor (or ‘trigger’) adds a bit of water to the glass. If your dog experiences numerous triggers in short succession, it doesn’t take long for the glass to fill.  Each of these triggers on their own haven’t caused your dog to react, but they have decreased your dog’s ability to cope. It now only takes one extra trigger to make the water overflow and it is the water overflowing that causes the dog to physically react. Their ability to cope has become less and less over time until the point where they just can’t deal with it anymore.

Think about days where everything seems to go wrong for you; you lose the car keys, the car won’t start, you’re late for a meeting, you forget your wallet. All of these things have been stressful, but you have held it together in the main. But as each one occurs, you’re feeling more and more stressed about the day. Then, you get home, go to relax with dinner and drop your plate on the floor. You scream. It took that one incident on top of all of the others that day to make you scream, whereas dropping your plate on the floor without any of the other stressors having happened that day is unlikely to have resulted in the same behaviour from you.

It is the same with our dogs and this is what trigger stacking is. If you find yourself asking why your dog reacted to something ‘out of nowhere’, it is always important to consider whether it is the result of trigger stacking.

They don’t always start the day with an empty glass either. If they haven’t had a really good break from previous stressors, the glass always keeps a little bit of water in it. It might be a quarter full, or even half full at the start of the day and it therefore doesn’t take much more water to cause it to overflow. It is a tipping point where they can no longer cope and it nearly always comes out in strong behaviours from your dog.

A Common Example of Trigger Stacking When it Comes to Other Dogs

Commonly, people say that there is no pattern to the types and kinds of dogs that their dog reacts to.  Some dogs they go crazy at and some they don’t at all and it all seems quite, well, random.  What could be happening is trigger stacking.  The one dog they do react to on that day might simply be the dog that made the glass overflow. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the felt fine with all of the other dogs they saw that day and didn’t react to, it’s just that those other dogs were simply filling their glass up. 

Common Triggers for Dogs

Of course, every single dog is individual and what triggers one dog will be different to the next. Some common examples of potential triggers can include:

  • Pain: illness, injury, medical conditions or even things like collars/harnesses being too tight

  • Noises: thunderstorms, fireworks, traffic

  • Strangers: unfamiliar people or other animals

  • New environments: visiting the vet, moving to a new house, busy walks/environments

  • Frustration: numerous reasons depending on each dog, their personality, breed and their lifestyle

  • Previous stressors/triggers: negative experiences earlier in the day/week

Recognising the Signs of Trigger Stacking

Identifying when your dog is experiencing trigger stacking is key to preventing an overwhelming reaction from them. Some common signs include:

  • Increased anxiety: pacing, whining, or excessive panting

  • Avoidance behaviours: trying to escape the situation, hiding or refusing to engage

  • Heightened reactivity: barking, growling or lunging at seemingly small triggers

  • Changes in body language: stiff posture, pinned ears, tucked tail, wide eyes

It’s important to note that these signs might not be obvious at first. Dogs are often subtle in their communication, so learning to read your own dog's body language and behaviour is crucial. When they physically react, their glass is overflowing and so recognising what has been topping up the glass can be key in reducing reactive behaviour.

How to Manage Trigger Stacking

Managing trigger stacking involves both prevention and intervention.

  • Learn Your Dog's Triggers: The first step in managing trigger stacking is knowing what stresses your dog. Keeping a diary is always extremely helpful in being able to work things out, noting when your dog seems stressed or anxious and what the potential triggers were or what was happening around the time of each one.

  • Limit Exposure to Triggers and Give Them a Break: Once you know what sets your dog off, do your best to limit their exposure to those triggers whilst you work with a professional trainer to help them cope around them. For example, if your dog is anxious around other unknown dogs, take them to walks where you are able to give them plenty of space and at times when there are unlikely going to be lots of dogs around. It is usually best to avoid the post-work 5.30pm (ish) walk!  Giving your dog a break from outside stressors can be really helpful too. Now, in reality, we can’t take out all minor stresses a dog encounters every day because that would mean never exposing some dogs to anything which just isn’t realistic. But what we can do, if a dog has had a particularly stressful event or day, is give them a break from as many stressors as possible.  For example, you might not walk your dog for a day or two if they have had a bad experience.  There is nothing wrong with giving them a break and a bit of time off so that we can empty the bucket as much as possible.

  • Create a Safe Space: ensure your dog has a place where they feel secure and relaxed. This can be their retreat when they feel overwhelmed.

  • Provide Mental and Physical Exercise: Enrichment activities and home-based training to work their minds is an amazing way of helping dogs to de-stress without (as long as the home environment isn’t triggering them). However, be mindful of not over-exerting them, as this can also contribute to stress.

  • Desensitise them to triggers: Gradual exposure to triggers in a controlled environment can help your dog become less reactive over time. This should be done carefully and ideally under the guidance of a professional trainer.

  • Seek Professional Help: If your dog’s trigger stacking leads to severe anxiety or aggression, it’s definitely time to consult a professional dog trainer or behaviourist. They can provide personalised strategies to help you and your dog cope better.

Trigger stacking is an important concept in understanding and managing your dog’s behaviour. Most behaviour doesn’t occur ‘out of the blue’.  By recognising the signs and implementing strategies to minimise and manage the things that trigger our dogs, you’ll be well on your way to helping their behaviour and how they feel. Remember, every dog is unique, so it’s essential to get to know your dog, work out what makes them tick and make a plan of action accordingly.

Need help to train your dog? Head to the Book Now button to get in touch.