What Do Dog Trainers Mean By "Arousal"?

In the dog world, arousal means something different than the human world.

When a dog trainer talks about high arousal, they are referring to increased activation of the dog's nervous system. It's a rise in energy or excitement. That excitement can be happy or unhappy or a mixture of both.

Happy arousal can look like a bouncy, wiggly dog with a loose body and tail, with soft eyes and an open, relaxed mouth who is so happy you're home. It could be the smiley rocket that comes barreling into the kitchen when he hears you open the cheese package.

Unhappy arousal can look like a dog with a stiff body, an upward pointed tail that is wagging fast, eyes are wide, ears are up, and barking is rapid and sharp. The dog who wants you to get the heck away from his property. Unhappy arousal could also be the tense energetic stillness of a dog hovering over their food bowl. Her body is tight, tail low, head low, and ears are back. She wants you to back away now!

Arousal can ALSO be both happy and unhappy at the same time. It could be a dog that loves to meet new people but is really nervous about having that new person around his favorite resources. You might see a variety of the above body postures with things like jumping up or mouthing. It's important to remember that dogs can have conflicting emotions just like we do!

In training, we want to soothe and change unhappy arousal. We USE happy arousal to help a dog to learn. BUT, even happy arousal can be too high or too low for proper learning to take place. When the excitement is too high, the thinking brain shuts off. When the excitement is too low, the dog isn't motivated to learn.

It's complicated and takes trial and error because every dog is motivated differently. The things we use to motivate the dog (food, toys, play, praise) may need to vary from task to task as well as from dog to dog. So, it's all about finding that golden spot of excitement where the dog in front of you is happy, motivated to learn, and not conflicted.

To give an example: hot dogs are the perfect treats to teach my hound dog. She is happy and focused and ready to work.

For my Jindo mix, that is not the case. She is a resource guarder, so when I bring out hot dogs she is very excited but also nervous about getting that food before her sister does. Her arousal is so high that her thinking brain stops working. Just getting her to sit in that moment is a challenge. Biscuits are too low value to motivate her so I have to use soft mushy treats that are just valuable enough for her to participate. It's all about finding out what works for the dog in front of you.

Looking closely at your dog's arousal patterns can really help unlock your dog's training. And when in doubt, seek out a positive reinforcement trainer who can help you along.

Happy Training!

A joyful Pitbull bounds through the air in a sunny park.