Trauma in dogs: Why some bad experiences have lasting effects and some don’t!

Every unpleasant experience has the potential to cause trauma in dogs. Find out why some bad experiences have lasting effects and some don’t in this latest blog!

Gazelle don’t suffer trauma!

When you think about, they probably should. As a prey animal, having to run for your life should be about the worst thing that can happen. But, the gazelle doesn’t escape his hunter and then go home to relive the horror over and over. He doesn’t have nightmares about it. And he doesn’t get so overwhelmed by anxiety that he can no longer function effectively as a gazelle. He finds himself a safe space, takes a deep breathe, and goes back to essential gazelle business. He’s glad to be alive, probably a little out of breathe, but otherwise he is emotionally unscathed.

In fact, it’s not just gazelle, most wild animals are spared from experiencing trauma. That is a unique experience that is mostly reserved for humans and domesticated animals – like dogs. That is because, wild animals aren’t prevented from responding to danger in an instinctive way.

Feeling trapped and helpless causes trauma in dogs

Normal responses to frightening experiences are to either avoid them, run away, or fight back. But crates, leads, social pressure/training, small spaces, physical restraint, sedatives, and illness can all make dogs feel trapped and prevent them from following their instincts. This leads to a feeling of helplessness which can translate into trauma, especially so if the dog is also lacking resilience.

Old fashioned training methods tell us that we shouldn’t avoid our dogs fears. In fact they say we should expose them as often as possible so they get used to them. But trapping them on leads, or even physically holding them, forces them to either fight back, or it makes them feel helpless.

Punishing a dog might stop them from being reactive to something they are afraid of. But the social pressure to please the owner, and avoid consequences, prevents them from showing fear and is another way to create a helpless feeling, and trauma.

Learned helplessness

When a dog is exposed to something that scares them for an extended period of time, they will eventually go into a state of learned helplessness. This means that the body has recognised that fight or flight responses aren’t effective at keeping the dog safe, and the dog goes into a numb emotional state instead. This might only take a few minutes, or it could be the result of a build up of helpless experiences. Either way, it’ happens’s there to protect the dog mentally and physically from whatever might come next. In this state, pain is numbed, and the dog is mentally shut down. This state is important because it protects them until they are in a position where fight or flight will work again. Essentially, the brain and body shuts down until an opportunity to run away or fight occurs.

Some trainers use this as a behaviour modification technique. When they place the dog in a fearful situation, and trap them in it, the dog goes into a state of learned helplessness. To the untrained eye, the dog appears to panic and then calm down as the fear apparently melts away. It appears the technique is working as the dog stops reacting and settles. In reality, the dog is mentally shutting down. They are blocking out the experience and protective trauma is setting in. Rather than get used to the fearful situation, and realise it wasn’t that bad, they are learning there is no point in trying to protect themselves and the brain shuts it out instead.

What’s the answer?

Controlled avoidance is a good place to start. Check out my blog about how to avoid triggers as a first step to a rehabilitation plan. This way, you can still expose your dog to his fears, but slowly and gradually, and without causing trauma. Find the things that scare him, and working one by one, expose him to a diluted version of each of them. This could mean moving away, slowing an experience down, or lowering the volume. For example, if your dog is scared of the hoover, running it a different room so the sound is muffled or playing a muted recording could be a good place to start as you build confidence.

Flight is usually the dogs first choice. So find a way for him to be near his fear, but not so close that he can’t easily cope. As the trigger becomes more threatening ie closer or louder, the dog will only then resort to his second choice – fight. If he often skips straight to fight mode, then it’s likely that he has learned to bypass avoidance behaviours and go straight to emergency self-defence mode. In this case, seek help from an experience behaviourist who can help you solve that. A trauma trained behaviourist will also show you how to lift trauma in a safe way too. Dogs that have suffered trauma don’t respond to behaviour training in the same way as others, so if you suspect that has already set it get help from a trauma specialist who can help you lift that first.