Resilience is the ability to recover from and resist the negative effects of stress, or “bounce back” after being in a shelter or any stressful environment.
It’s possible to enhance a dog’s physiological ability to recover from stress by affecting their resilience. Even dogs who already have good levels of resilience benefit from a buffer against the effects of future stress by using the following seven processes.
1. Wellness
Health, nutritional, and physical wellness must be supplied first. Any possible medical, nutritional, or health factors are addressed, and a sufficient and comfortable physical environment is provided.
2. Decompression
Decompression is releasing or reducing mental pressure after the stress of being in a shelter or even the good stress of being adopted into a new home from their previous environment. Decompression depends on the individual; an activity that is decompressing for one dog may be stress-inducing for a different dog. Measure a decrease in breathing and heart rate, a decrease in muscle tension with a soft facial expression, or reduced vigilance (scanning).
The Art of Doing Nothing
Most dogs decompress best with relaxation activities like massage, duration sniffing, sleeping, and relaxing with their person on the couch. Teaching your dog the art of doing nothing by creating an environment where they are comfortable to lie down when they choose, and reinforcing them calmly when they are lying down and relaxed.
Decompression Walks
A walk in nature off leash (where reasonable and safe) or on a long line where the dog can experience choice and autonomy while they sniff and explore is one of the best sources of stress reduction.
3. Safety and Comfort
Loss of safety and comfort, experienced by any newly adopted dog, often causes escape behavior and defensive behavior. Decreased reinforcement promotes increased arousal, scanning, and vigilance, whereas reward-based training using positive reinforcement intensifies attention and interest, promoting fearless seeking and exploratory activities.
Allowing time for feelings of increased safety and comfort to be established, combined with ongoing positive counter-conditioning to achieve positive conditioned emotional responses sets up our dogs for success in their new home.
Safe Zone
Designate a space or room to be your dog’s safe zone where they can decompress and avoid stressors such as children or other pets, or take a break from experiencing the new larger environment all at once.
Create a mobile safe zone out in the world. Reduce the chance of people disturbing your dog by increasing distance between your dog and other people and dogs. Reinforce calm behavior on a “place” mat to indicate to your dog that is their zone of comfort and take their special mat with you when you take your dog with you on outings.
Desensitization and Conditioned Emotional Responses
Make a strong commitment to practice counter-conditioning, desensitization, and conditioning positive emotional responses every day. Create safety and comfort while walking your dog in busy areas by being vigilant about managing the walking environment so your dog does not have to be hypervigilant.
Assertively protect your dog from unwanted advances by not allowing people or their dogs to interact with or approach your dog until your dog is socialized enough to tolerate interaction and approaching.
The more time that goes by that the dog is prevented from encountering triggers in an uncontrolled way, the more the dog feels secure while on walks. Use counterconditioning ahead of time to modify fearful or reactive behavior by associating the trigger with a new positive emotion.
4. Exercise
Regular and sufficient time-and-place-appropriate physical exercise is paramount. Sniffaris (roaming nature walks where your dog is allowed to follow their nose) are excellent exercise.
A snuffle mat, tug toy, retrieving a ball or other toy, racing around (zoomies), chasing a flirt pole, and playing with a social partner are all examples. Exercise should be routine, ongoing, and sufficient to meet the dog's needs.
5. Predictability
A predictable home life and schedule add resilience. Pattern games, described by Leslie McDevitt and others, like the up-down game, “place” game, the look-at-that game, and ongoing rituals of reinforcement increase predictability and choice for the dog.
Your newly adopted dog needs at least three months to fully decompress, learn the house routine, continue counter-conditioning, form positive emotional responses to everything new around them (which you are facilitating with positive reinforcement), and begin the bonding process with you.
6. Social Support
Secure attachment, experiencing positive emotions, and having a purpose in life are important building blocks of resilience. Especially for social species, providing social support by simply being present and available without the need to force or control enhances resilience.
Kneel near your dog and physically support them with petting in your lap or a firm embrace (only if your dog likes this—many herding dogs do) if your dog is fearful in a new environment like the park or vet’s office. Have a calm, confident dog accompany an anxious dog on a walk.
7. Choice
Dogs should be offered as much control and agency as possible. Off leash walks in nature are best, and the Sniffspot app is a great resource for finding secure off-leash opportunities. Allowing dogs to use their own mind and muscles to make choices about their speed and direction while exploring adds to longevity, agency, and resilience.
Allowing your dog to use their own mind and own muscles to make choices about their speed and direction while exploring adds to longevity, agency, and resilience. A long line is a great alternative if walking off leash isn’t possible.
Each dog is an individual and should be treated with respect and awareness of their personal nature, preferences, abilities, and needs.
Navigating Resilience
In the exploration of resilience, whether a behavior professional, a dog sports competitor, or a pet dog home, we should understand the intricacies of decompression and building a foundation of safety and comfort to create an environment that fosters recovery and resilience to help our newly adopted friends navigate their new lives.
Citations
Bhambree, B. & Murphy, K. (2023) A framework for behavior modification and training plans to help build and maintain resilience: The Resilience Rainbow. The IAABC Foundation Journal
Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive (LIMA) Effective Behavior Intervention Policy. (2019) Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers
"Control Unleashed" (2007) by Leslie McDevitt
B. P. F. Rutten,et al (2013) Resilience in mental health: linking psychological and neurobiological perspectives. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
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