Tuesday Prompt: Finding Your Own Triggers
Yesterday, we looked at how your own nervous system can influence your dog.
Today, I’d like you to think about something slightly different…
When and where do you start to feel the tension build?
For many owners, it isn’t when their dog reacts.
It starts much earlier.
Maybe it’s:
- As soon as you leave the house.
- When you spot another dog in the distance.
- When someone walks directly towards you.
- When an off-lead dog appears.
- When a cyclist, runner or child suddenly comes into view.
- Or perhaps when you’re walking in a place where your dog has reacted before.
There’s no right or wrong answer here.
The aim isn’t to judge yourself either, it’s simply to recognise the situations that make your stress levels rise.
The more aware you become of your own triggers, the easier it becomes to prepare for them instead of simply reacting to them.
Reflection
Take a moment to think about your walks and answer the question below:
What situation/s causes you to feel the most anxious or tense when you’re out with your dog, and why do you think that is?
Share your answer in the WhatsApp Group. You’ll quickly realise you’re far from alone, and recognising these patterns is the first step towards changing them.
When I see a dog walking in our direction. I guess I then have to make calculations about how much space I have / where I could go / how big the dog is / what is the temperament of the dog / is the dog barky (as all these will factor into how my dog reacts). It’s actually quite a lot to think about and process in a short time scale; I think this mental cataloguing can cause me to feel stressed even if I don’t feel it.
I also recognise when I’m tired after a long day or a bad night’s sleep; this is made worse because my mental capacity seems to be weakened.
I also will add that I do find a slight heightened stress when I see people esp with children…. However, my dog doesn’t seem to react to passer by’s so not sure why I’m heightened here.