We already touched on some aspects of reactivity in the dog.

• It is an involuntary response not under your dog’s control
• It causes their hormone levels to spike which can take up to 3 days to come back down
• It affects many areas of their brain and body.
• Punishment will NOT fix it.
• Training alone will NOT fix it.
• It has NOTHING to do with Dominance or Alpha Theory.

So, what does fear & reactivity actually do to the dog?

If the dog is constantly subjected to stressors, their cortisol levels may never return to normal, causing the dog to live in a constant state of stress and arousal. This can lead to Chronic Stress in your dog.

Chronic Stress is never a good thing as it can cause a whole host of health and behavioral issues for your dog. Fear is meant to be a short term response to get the dog out of harm’s way. It is not meant to be something that your dog experiences over and over again on a daily basis, but that is exactly what happens in our fearful and reactive dogs.

Many of the body’s important systems are shut down when an animal is under stress including the digestive and immune systems. The constant state of stress will leave the dog tired and lethargic, but the elevated hormone levels will make quality sleep hard to achieve, further exacerbating the issues.

Dogs in this state will be hypervigilant, constantly scanning their environment for potential threats. This makes resting and relaxing a challenge for them. So, it is not hard to see how much of a health and well-being impact chronic stress can have on a dog. Health issues such as diarrhea and skin conditions can be seen.

This is why addressing the underlying causes of your dog’s fear is so important. We want them to learn that the world can be a fun and enjoyable place.