PCT part 2. The Dog’s Inner Lens: Mapping How Perception Shapes Behaviour

Oliver Ringrose
Jun 6
6 min read

If you're new to Perceptual Control Theory (PCT), start with Your Dog’s Not Misbehaving—They’re Regulating Reality—a foundational blog that introduces how dogs act to control their experience, not merely respond to commands or cues. This second piece expands on that framework, diving into the many layers of perception dogs work to regulate every moment of every day.

Introduction: When Behaviour Isn’t What It Seems Three dogs.

One garden. Three entirely different realities. One’s shivering beside the shed, unwilling to move. Another’s lost in the olfactory poetry of last night’s hedgehog trail. The third is stationed by the gate, ears high, tail low—watching the neighbour's every step. Same space. Same moment. Completely different worlds. Why?

Because perception, not environment, drives behaviour.

Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) tells us that behaviour is the control of perception—not a response to stimuli, but an act of trying to bring the world into alignment with internal reference points.

While direct studies applying PCT to canine behaviour are limited (Marken, 2020), the theory provides a valuable lens for interpretation. But what PCT doesn’t fully map out is how those perceptions are formed, layered, and filtered in the first place. That’s what we’re exploring here: not just what dogs do, but how they build their sense of what’s happening, what matters, and what to do next.

Reference Setpoints: What Are Dogs Trying to Match?

In PCT, every behaviour is an attempt to reduce the difference between what is perceived and a desired internal condition—called the perceptual reference or homeostatic target. Think of it as the dog’s perception of "normal." It’s a kind of homeostatic anchor: the state in which their world feels just right.

These setpoints aren’t always about visible goals. They reflect internalised values that shape how the dog wants the world to feel. Some are practical—"I want to be near my person," "I want the room quiet." Others are emotional or sensory—"I want to feel safe," "I want this pressure off my body," "I want to move freely."

Setpoints aren’t fixed. They evolve with learning, development, trauma, and healing. And they aren’t always rational or conscious. But they’re real. When dogs act, it’s not just to do something—it’s to make their world feel more like that setpoint again.

Understanding this reorients us from a lens of obedience or correction to one of regulation. When a dog is barking at the window, clinging to your leg, or ignoring your cue, the question isn’t "why are they misbehaving?" It’s "what has knocked them away from their normal—and how are they trying to get back there?"

The Hidden Mechanics: Reorganisation and Perceptual Tuning In PCT

When a system can't reduce the error between its current perception and its reference state, it reorganises. That is: it changes its internal structure—gradually, chaotically, or creatively—until it finds a configuration that restores equilibrium.

Dogs do this all the time.

A pup who can't get your attention by whining might try nudging, then barking, then finally sitting quietly until you notice. Not because someone trained them to do that, but because reorganisation nudged them toward something that worked.

But what exactly are they trying to control?

Layers of Perception: The Dog’s Sensory Universe Let’s break it down.

🐾 Layer 1: Sensory & Bodily Perception These are the foundational inputs. They shape how a dog feels the world—and themself—before they do anything else.

Visual perception: Contrast, motion, shape—not detail. Dogs see fewer colors but pick up on movement brilliantly.
Olfactory perception: Their primary lens. Dogs follow scent the way we follow narratives.
Auditory perception: Acute high-frequency hearing and sound localization shape vigilance and social responses.
Gustatory perception: Subtle, but tuned to detect safety, nutrition, and sometimes novelty.
Tactile perception: Skin, paws, whiskers all receive texture, pressure, and temperature.
Proprioceptive perception: The dog's awareness of its own movement, posture, and balance.
Vestibular perception: Governs balance and spatial orientation—essential for play, chase, and agility.
Interoceptive perception: Hunger, thirst, heart rate, gut sensations—all inform comfort and decision-making.
Fatigue and muscle tension perception: Likely valid internal states, though not usually labeled as distinct systems in literature.
Breathing perception: Panting, holding breath, sighing—each a signal.
Posture perception: Dogs adjust their body to change outcomes or communicate states.

🐾 Layer 2: Emotional & Arousal Perception These shape how the world feels—not just what it contains.

Emotional tone perception: Is this safe? Dangerous? Warm? Tense?
Arousal level perception: Am I activated or calm? Too fast or too slow?
Stress perception: Is something unresolved inside me?
Comfort/discomfort perception: Is this okay for my body, mind, and heart?
Relief perception: Has the tension passed?

Can I relax again? These lenses often gain up when a dog is dysregulated. Think of the dog who can’t eat a treat during a thunderstorm—their sensory lens is maxed out, and their emotional tone lens is all red alert.

🐾 Layer 3: Motivational & Goal-State Perception These reflect what matters to the dog in the moment.

Need fulfillment perception: Am I hungry, thirsty, lonely, bored?
Resource perception: Where’s the toy, food, water, human, exit?
Agency perception: Can I change this? Do I have influence?
Control perception: Is what I’m doing making a difference?
Success/failure perception: Did that work? Should I try again?

🐾 Layer 4: Cognitive & Temporal Perception This is where memory and expectation shape reality.

Anticipatory perception: What’s coming next? Will this escalate?
Novelty perception: Is this new? Do I need to investigate?
Predictability perception: Can I rely on this happening again?
Rhythmic perception: Is this moment part of a larger pattern?
Causality perception: Did that bark cause the door to open?
Spatial orientation perception: Where am I in relation to my world?
Temporal flow perception: Is time passing fast, slow, or frozen?

This layer often kicks in when dogs start “pre-responding” to events—a leash picked up, a bag rustled.

🐾 Layer 5: Social & Relational Perception These are the lenses of connection.

Social perception: Who’s in my space? Friend, stranger, unknown?
Relationship quality perception: Do I trust this person? Are they reliable?
Affiliation perception: Am I part of a group? Alone? Supported?
Status perception: Where do I fit in this dynamic?
Empathic perception: Are they upset? Can I help? Should I move away? (Note: Speculative; dogs show social referencing, but direct evidence of empathy remains limited.)
Social referencing perception: What is my human doing? Can I check in with them?

🐾 Layer 6: Environmental & Spatial Perception The world, seen through context.

Safety/danger perception: Am I safe here?
Territory perception: Is this mine? Familiar?
Barrier perception: Can I reach what I want? Am I trapped?
Acoustic landscape perception: Is it quiet, echoing, overwhelming?
Olfactory landscape perception: Who’s been here? What changed?

🐾 Layer 7: Sensory Modulation & Sensitivity Perception How much is too much?

Threshold perception: How quickly do I react to this stimulus?
Intensity perception: Is this loud/bright/smelly/rough?
Contrast perception: Did something change suddenly?

In fear states, these lenses gain up. Dogs can become hyper-alert to flickering shadows, tiny creaks, or movement at the edge of vision.

🐾 Layer 8: Aesthetic & Enjoyment Perception The lenses of joy and engagement.

Pleasure perception: Does this feel good?
Curiosity perception: What is this? Can I explore it?
Boredom perception: Is this repetitive, unstimulating?
Awe/wonder perception: Is this magical, surprising, fascinating? (Note: These are speculative and anthropomorphic; use with caution.) These often re-emerge when safety and regulation are restored—when the dog can shift from coping to exploring.

Perceptual Interactions: The Gain Effect in Action In real life, these lenses gain and fade in dynamic interplay.

A dog terrified of thunder may not notice your voice, the cheese in your hand, or the open crate beside them. But they might feel your gentle touch—and that becomes the point of entry.

Fear gains up some lenses and mutes others. Curiosity does the opposite. Arousal acts like a volume knob on the entire perceptual system.

Understanding this helps us choose where to intervene. Should we offer a cue? A pause? A snack? Or just sit quietly nearby?

From Reaction to Reorganisation When perception and reference don’t match and the dog can't fix it, they reorganise. They experiment, adapt, try new strategies. Sometimes it’s conscious trial and error. Sometimes it’s messy, even chaotic.

This is not failure. This is learning. It’s how problem-solving, healing, and growth happen.

Why It Matters: Living in Their World Dogs are not just behaving. They are perceiving, predicting, adjusting. They live in layered perceptual systems that shape how they feel, act, and learn. Understanding these systems doesn’t mean we abandon training—it means we ground it in empathy and insight.

When a dog doesn’t respond, we can ask: what are they perceiving? What lens is loudest right now? Where might they be stuck?

And most importantly: how can we help them reorganise toward peace, toward partnership, toward ease?

Conclusion: Beyond Behaviour When we understand dogs as perceptual beings—not just behavioural ones—we shift from command to connection. We stop managing symptoms and start supporting systems.

Because perception isn’t just how they see the world. It is their world.