We have all had one of those days, where the smallest problem suddenly feels like it is the end of the world, and everything is just too much. That is not about the broken plate or misplaced phone —it is trigger stacking, and your dog experiences this too.

We can think that when a dog bites, snaps, lunges or growls as examples, that it is because of the one thing happening in that moment. In reality though, it is usually the result of a full mental bucket.

Think of it this way:
6.30am: We go for a walk, and it’s all going well until we meet someone in a high vis coat and the dog barks and gets stressed about it
7.00am: We are rushing around getting ready to leave work, running late and our stress heightens the emotions the dog feels
8.00am: The dog settles down, we have left and someone tries to leave a parcel
9.00am: The dustbin lorry is collecting rubbish
11.00am: A member of the family is back home, dog is happy to see them
1.00pm: A neighbour’s dog barks in the garden off and on for a few hours
5:00pm: Everyone is home and you go for a walk, the dog seems to be pulling more and barking at everyday things
6.30pm: You decide to brush the dog and it snaps and tries to get away

To us, it could suddenly look like the dog now dislikes being brushed. To the dog however, the brushing was just the final thing that made the mental bucket overflow.

Stress hormones like cortisol can stay in a dog’s system for up to 72 hours. Think about it, if your dog had a scary situation on a walk or a trip to the vets on Saturday, they might still be on edge, or not quite fully coping with life on Tuesday.

Give your dog Decompression Duvet Days. After a situation or experience, change things around and create a long sniffy session in the garden or some mental enrichment at home. It is so important to let their mental bucket reset again, exactly as it is for us.

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