✨ When Training Feels Safe: A Field Guide to Arousal, Emotion, and Recovery (Part 2)

In our first blog, “Understanding Arousal, what it actually means for your dog” we explored what arousal really means for dogs—how it shows up in the body, how it affects learning, and why it’s not something we need to eliminate or fear.

This next part is about what to do with that understanding.

Because once we know that arousal isn’t the problem—and that calm isn’t the only goal—we can begin to design training that supports the whole dog: brain, body, and nervous system. Not just shaping behaviour, but shaping emotional safety, trust, and recovery too.

This is a field guide, not a recipe. It’s packed with science, real-life strategies, and practical ways to support your dog through the emotional arc of learning—from excitement to focus to rest.

Whether you're supporting a sensitive adolescent, a reactive rescue, or a joyful learner who’s just a little extra sometimes, this blog is here to help you build sessions that feel good—for both of you.

Let’s begin where all good training starts: Not with a cue. But with the nervous system.

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Why Arousal Strategy Matters

Arousal doesn’t just influence what dogs do—it shapes what they feel, perceive, and retain. This blog is about helping dogs stay emotionally safe during learning, and recover effectively afterward. It’s not about “calming them down” or preventing big feelings. It’s about working with the emotional arc of learning—supporting flexible nervous system states, not forcing stillness.

We know from research like the Yerkes-Dodson Law (1908) that too much or too little arousal can impair learning. But arousal isn’t just a performance variable—it’s a whole-body, whole-brain experience. It involves neurochemistry, interoception (how dogs feel their internal states), and emotional systems like SEEKING or FEAR (Panksepp, 1998).

So this blog isn’t a recipe. It’s a field guide—built from science, practice, mistakes, and reflection.

If Blog #1 was the brain, this one’s the body. Let’s go.

We’ll cover:

• How to help dogs regulate arousal in real time

• How training, environment, reinforcement, and your energy all interact

• What dogs show us when they need help

• And how to create learning that supports emotional wellbeing—not just behaviour

  
  

Building on the framework we explored in Part One, this post is about:

• Regulating with the dog, not at them

• Creating space for orientation, processing, and recovery

• Planning training as a whole-body experience—not just a series of reps

We’ll draw from affective neuroscience, behaviour analysis, and embodied learning. You’ll also hear from Jaak Panksepp, Stephen Porges, and Bruce McEwen, alongside lessons from real dogs in real fields.

Training doesn’t start with a cue. It starts with a nervous system.

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Letting Dogs Initiate Training – Consent, Not Compliance

Before we cue anything, the dog is already learning. And the very first lesson is: did they have agency—or were they simply complying? That answer shapes their whole emotional posture for the session.

🐾 What we do in practice: When dogs arrive at our field, we don’t launch into training. If it’s safe, we let them off lead. We let them sniff, move, toilet, and decompress. We wait. And when they approach us—when they check in—that’s when we begin.

This isn’t just kind—it’s strategic. It allows:

• The SEEKING system to activate without frustration (Panksepp, 1998)

• Orientation systems—like spatial awareness and multisensory scanning—to calibrate (Horowitz, 2009)

• Interoceptive regulation—toileting, thirst, gut tension, stress hormones—to settle (Cussen & Mench, 2022)

• You to observe how the dog feels, not just how they behave

And perhaps most importantly:

• The dog to offer behavioural consent—which influences the emotional tone of the whole session (McGreevy et al., 2018)

  
  

🏠 In indoor classes: We no longer run indoor classes for various reasons, but when we did we used to enter through one door, let the dogs explore, then leave through the back before we started. That created a reset point. When they returned, they chose it. Even small rituals can carry big emotional weight.

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🧠 The Science: SEEKING, Safety, and Starting

Letting dogs initiate taps into Polyvagal Theory—the science of how the nervous system shifts between states (Porges, 2011). When a dog is allowed to arrive, orient, and offer engagement, their system is more likely to move out of defensive modes and into one of social connection and curiosity.

It’s also a form of emotional pacing. By observing those first few moments, we learn:

• Is the dog engaged or shut down?

• Are they sniffing for information—or avoiding pressure?

• Are they safe enough to play, explore, or just breathe?

“I mean, who turns up at work and starts working straight away? Most of us scan the room, find the kettle, maybe check for biscuits. Dogs are no different.”

⚠ Compliance ≠ Readiness

A dog who complies under pressure can look like a dog who’s engaged. They may:

• Take food

• Follow the cue

• Stay near you

  
  

But their tail is still, their eyes are wide, their breathing shallow. They’re enduring—not participating.

This is what pain-informed practitioners like Judy Luther call false fluency: when dogs perform behaviours without emotional readiness, often suppressing subtle signs of stress or discomfort.

Letting the dog start the session creates true engagement, not conditioned suppression. It respects their nervous system, their emotional state, and their ability to say “not yet.”

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Not All Reinforcers Are Emotionally Equal

Reinforcement doesn’t just change behaviour—it modulates emotional state.

Each reinforcer interacts with the dog’s current arousal level, underlying emotional system, and reinforcement history. That means a “reward” can either settle the nervous system, spike arousal, or even tip into frustration—depending on how and when it’s delivered.

So we have to ask: “What is this reinforcer doing to the dog’s nervous system?” Not just: “Is it making the behaviour more likely?”

🍖 Food ≠ Calm

Food is often assumed to be a down-regulator. But food is not inherently calming—it’s contextual.

• Chase-based food delivery (e.g., throwing treats) can activate the SEEKING system, spiking dopamine and elevating arousal (Berridge & Robinson, 2003).

• Delayed delivery builds anticipation and can lead to frustration behaviours.

• Inconsistent or unpredictable delivery can create emotional noise.

• Large, novel treats can drive high arousal, especially in high-drive dogs.

  
  

But food can regulate if:

• Delivered slowly

• Paired with stillness

• Embedded in sniffing (which activates parasympathetic tone)

• Offered in familiar, predictable ways

  
  

This is about more than preference. It’s about how the brain processes reward in different arousal states.

🎾 Toys ≠ Play

Play is often used as reinforcement—but “play” isn’t a single emotional system.

In affective neuroscience, reinforcers activate different primary emotional systems (Panksepp, 1998).

What looks like play could actually be driven by:

• SEEKING – focused, goal-motivated pursuit (e.g., chase or tug)

• PLAY – social, loose, reciprocal joy

• RAGE/FRUSTRATION – protest or control-seeking, especially when outcomes are blocked

That means a ball toss isn’t always joyful—it might be overstimulating or even agitating.

It may:

• Elevate arousal rather than discharge it

• Require post-play regulation before more training

• Be emotionally functional, but not emotionally fun

🧠 Emotional State Becomes Part of the Behaviour

This is where Conditioned Emotional Responses (CERs) come in.

When a reinforcer consistently follows a certain cue or event, it doesn’t just build the behaviour—it builds an emotional expectation. Over time, the reinforcer becomes part of how the behaviour feels.

• If the cue is always followed by high-arousal delivery, the cue itself becomes arousing.

• If a dog feels frustrated after reinforcement (due to confusion, delay, or mismatch), they may begin to resist the behaviour that earns it.

Your reinforcement isn’t just “a treat” or “a ball”—it’s an emotional experience. And the nervous system remembers how it felt.

“If it doesn’t help the dog feel better or more regulated, it may be a reward—but it’s not a strategy.”

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The Energy of Reinforcement – It’s Not Just What, But How

Reinforcers have energy. So do trainers. And your delivery communicates just as much as the reinforcer itself.

This matters—especially for dogs sensitive to tone, movement, or emotional intensity. How you deliver a reinforcer can support regulation—or disrupt it.

🧘‍♂️ Handler Regulation = Dog Regulation

Dogs are social mammals with nervous systems tuned for co-regulation—the ability to emotionally sync with others in their environment (Porges, 2011). That means your breathing, tone, and body language aren’t just background noise. They’re part of the training.

If you’re erratic, rushed, or tense—your dog may mirror it. If you breathe, pause, and move with intention—you become a source of nervous system safety.

This isn’t just about “energy.” It’s neurobiology.

• Dogs don’t just observe our states—they often feel them. Research into emotional mirroring and vagal tone suggests our emotional posture can shape theirs (Huber et al., 2020; Csoltova & Mehinagic, 2020).

• Dogs trained with a co-regulatory approach often show more stable arousal, quicker recovery, and fewer stress-based errors.

“Training doesn’t start with the dog. It starts with the nervous system holding the lead.”

🧠 Delivery Style Changes the Emotional Experience

Not all reinforcers feel the same to the dog—and how they’re delivered can shift the emotional tone of the entire session.

Examples:

• A tossed treat activates orienting and motor systems—especially if it mimics chase or prey behaviour.

• A hand-delivered treat encourages stillness and social engagement.

• A loud “YEAH!” spikes arousal and activates SEEKING.

• A soft “yes” soothes and steadies.

Even small changes like delivery location, timing, and voice tone can flip a reinforcer from calming to chaotic—or vice versa.

⚠ Reinforcement Gone Wrong

Handlers often inadvertently create:

• Hyper-vigilance by being unpredictable

• Frustration by delivering reinforcers erratically

• Emotional shutdown by using delivery styles that mismatch the dog’s state

And if a reinforcer adds stress, confusion, or intensity—it may be a “reward,” but it’s not a strategy.

“If it doesn’t help the dog feel better or more regulated, it’s just payment—not partnership.”

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Reward-Specific Markers – Predictability Creates Clarity

Most trainers use a marker to say, “Yes, that’s it!” We take it a step further.

Each of our markers tells the dog:

• What kind of reward is coming

• Where it will appear

• And how to prepare their body and brain to receive it

This system gives dogs more than reinforcement. It gives them clarity.

🧠 Why It Matters

Predictability reduces emotional and cognitive load. When dogs know what to expect, they don’t have to guess. That means less frustration, more fluency, and smoother transitions between behaviour and reinforcement.

It also supports motor preparation—the dog can align their body, balance, and visual attention based on where the reinforcer will arrive. That’s proprioceptive clarity—and for many dogs, especially those who are anxious, excitable, or clumsy around rewards, it makes a huge difference.

But perhaps most importantly, predictability creates safety.

Dogs are constantly scanning for cues about what happens next. When those cues are consistent and meaningful, they become emotional anchors—telling the dog not just that they got it right, but that they’re safe, seen, and about to receive something that matches their emotional state.

Predictability frees up cognitive capacity. Clarity lowers emotional noise. And clarity is kindness.

🧠 The Science Behind It

• Cussen & Mench (2022) found that predictable reinforcement schedules help reduce interoceptive noise—especially in sensitive dogs

• Porges (2011) describes how consistent, low-effort cues support neuroception of safety, helping the nervous system shift toward regulation

• Predictable markers also reduce reaction time latency, as dogs don’t need to decode what’s coming—they already know

🗂 Our Marker System – What Each One Means

Marker	What It Tells the Dog
“Ready”	Anticipation cue – high-arousal reward incoming
“Catch”	Reinforcer will arrive through the air – prep to grab mid-motion
“Find it”	Sniff the floor – engage SEEKING system + ground hunt
“Treat”	Reward will be delivered off my side (e.g. for heel)
“Yes”	Reward will come directly from my hand – often still or low-arousal

By using specific markers consistently, we reduce uncertainty—and that creates space for deeper learning. You don't need to use our system, you can create your own one if you like, but consider it in training.

The marker becomes part of the reinforcement—not just a signal of success.

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“Try Again” – Clarity Without Frustration (Hopefully!)

I use a soft “Try again” cue as a kind of non-reward marker (NRM). But it’s not a correction. It’s feedback. A way to say:

“That wasn’t quite it... but the game is still on.”

It’s a signal of clarity—not failure.

🧠 Why It Works – From Loops to Learning

A well-timed “try again” acts as a loop reset—interrupting the cue-behaviour-reinforcer chain before the wrong behaviour gets reinforced or emotional friction builds. It creates space for a clean repetition (Rosales-Ruiz & Hunter, 2019).

This strategy is grounded in:

• Operant learning theory (Skinner, 1957), where feedback shapes fluency

• Loopy Training principles (Rosales-Ruiz & Hunter), which prioritise clean repetition and clear communication

• Compassionate behaviourism (Friedman, 2009), which reminds us that how we give feedback matters as much as what we reinforce

  
  

When used with intention, “try again” helps:

• Interrupt messy or arousal-fuelled behaviour chains

• Prevent reinforcement by induction (more on that in the next section)

• Maintain engagement without pressure

🧠 Emotional Safety and Learning

Used well, this cue builds more than fluency—it builds confidence.

Errors don’t feel risky. They don’t trigger shutdown or frustration. The reinforcer isn’t cancelled—it’s just delayed. And the emotional tone of the session stays light, clear, and co-regulated.

This is how we build:

• Resilience – the ability to keep going without spiralling

• Agency – because the dog still feels in control of outcomes

• Predictability – reinforcing the belief that learning is safe and consistent

In choice-based learning, predictability creates motivation. And confidence grows when mistakes are part of the loop, not punishments at the end of it.

💬 What It Sounds Like in Real Life

• “Let’s have another go.”

• “That wasn’t quite it—try again.”

• “The reinforcer’s not gone—it’s just waiting for the clean rep.”

It gives the dog information—and information reduces frustration.

🧠 Why It Really Matters

Many training sessions fall apart not because of the behaviour, but because of the emotion underneath it. A dog who feels uncertain or unsafe during mistakes may start to shut down, escalate arousal, or disengage entirely.

A soft “try again” helps protect:

• Emotional tone

• Session momentum

• The trust between you and your dog

It’s not about making dogs right all the time. It’s about making errors safe.

💡 Final Reflection

This isn’t a correction. It’s clarity. And clarity builds confidence.

When the loop stays safe, the dog keeps trying. That’s not just good behaviour. That’s good emotional learning.

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Reinforcement by Induction – When Arousal-Driven Errors Get Baked Into the Chain

In applied behaviour analysis, reinforcement by induction occurs when a reinforcer strengthens not only the intended behaviour, but also adjacent, preceding, or emotionally linked behaviours that weren’t meant to be reinforced (Pierce & Cheney, 2017; Cooper, Heron & Heward, 2020).

In dog training, this often looks like:

You’re trying to reinforce a recall… But what actually got reinforced was: ➝ hesitation ➝ sniff ➝ charge back ➝ treat

And now the dog has learned that whole messy sequence as the behaviour. That’s reinforcement by induction.

🧠 What Is It, Really?

Put simply:

Reinforcement by induction happens when the entire moment, not just the clean behaviour, gets reinforced.

This includes:

• Fidgeting

• Displacement behaviours (like sniffing or scratching)

• Emotional states (anticipation, frustration, urgency)

• Movement patterns that precede the “correct” response

This doesn’t mean you messed up. It means the dog’s emotional state shaped what got reinforced. And when arousal is high, those patterns get sticky.

🎯 A Real-World Example

You cue your dog to come. They

Hesitate

Sniff the ground

Sprint back toward you

Get reinforced

What did they actually learn?

Possibly: “Hesitate ➝ sniff ➝ charge ➝ reward”

That’s induction. The whole chain—including the indecision and elevated arousal—got folded into the reinforcement loop.

🧠 Why This Happens – And Why Arousal Plays a Role

Induction is especially likely when:

• Behaviours in a chain aren’t fluent yet (Rosales-Ruiz & Hunter, 2019)

• Reinforcement is delayed, or feedback is ambiguous

• The dog is in a heightened arousal state—anticipating reward, or coping with stress

• Training continues without pausing for regulation

• Pattern prediction creeps in—dogs begin to shortcut or rush sequences (Bailey, 2004)

When arousal is high, dogs often rush to the outcome. And if the reinforcement lands after an error or messy moment, it glues that moment into the behaviour.

🚩 Where It Commonly Occurs

• Adolescents chaining arousal-driven behaviours into cue responses

• Duration behaviours (e.g. down stays) where breaks go unmarked

• Reactive dogs rehearsing sequences like: alert ➝ tension ➝ recall ➝ treat

• Dogs in freeze/shutdown who re-engage and get reinforced before emotional reset

• Group classes where handlers reinforce messy reps due to flow pressure

Even when the final behaviour looks “right,” the emotional tone underneath may be messy, anxious, or over-driven. That tone becomes part of the learning history.

🧩 What We Do Instead – Prevention & Reset

To reduce reinforcement by induction:

• Break behaviours into micro-skills, and build fluency first

• Don’t chain until each element is solid under light arousal

• Use a clear 'try again' cue to interrupt before reinforcing an error

• Pause before repeating a cue—let the emotional state settle

• Reinforce only when the behaviour is clean and the nervous system is ready

When the behaviour is messy, it’s not just the movement that’s unclear— it’s the emotion underneath it.

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Predictability vs. Novelty – Balancing Safety and Motivation

One of the most nuanced decisions we make in training is whether to lean into predictability or novelty.

Both have value. Both influence arousal. And both shape how dogs process information, regulate emotion, and stay engaged.

The question isn’t “Which is better?” It’s: “Which is better for this dog, in this moment, given their emotional state and learning history?”

✅ Predictability: The Foundation of Emotional Safety

Predictability creates certainty. And certainty reduces emotional load.

• It supports neuroception of safety—the nervous system’s unconscious ability to detect when connection and calm are possible (Porges, 2011)

• It reduces allostatic load—the accumulated cost of managing stress across time (McEwen & Wingfield, 2003)

• It frees the brain from scanning for risk, allowing cognitive and emotional capacity to shift into learning mode

• It promotes smooth interoceptive regulation, helping dogs manage internal signals like hunger, tension, or heart rate (Cussen & Mench, 2022)

This is especially important when:

• The dog is anxious, dysregulated, or shut down

• The environment is already novel or chaotic

• You're teaching fine motor skills or stationary behaviours

• The emotional goal is safety, confidence, or recovery

“Predictable reinforcement doesn’t make training boring. It makes learning possible.”

⚡ Novelty: A Tool for Engagement and SEEKING Activation

Novelty isn’t the opposite of safety. Used well, it’s the partner of curiosity.

When novelty is gentle, structured, and delivered in a way the dog can predict or control, it activates the SEEKING system—a dopamine-fueled, feel-good state of exploration and motivation (Panksepp, 1998).

Novelty:

• Encourages movement, sniffing, and sensory exploration

• Sparks dopaminergic engagement—energizing learning through curiosity

• Helps re-engage dogs stuck in over-rehearsed patterns

• Provides low-level stress inoculation, supporting emotional resilience (Westgarth et al., 2020)

It’s especially helpful when:

• The dog is under-aroused, distracted, or disengaged

• Motivation has dropped due to repetition

• You’re shaping dynamic behaviours like recalls, play, or targeting

But novelty isn’t neutral—it’s sensory. For dogs with sensory sensitivities, even mild novelty can spike arousal unexpectedly. That’s why it should always be introduced with awareness of the dog’s breed, history, environment, and arousal baseline.

⚖ How I Use Both in Practice

In my sessions, I often start with predictable patterns—rehearsed cues, known markers, familiar reinforcers.

This helps establish:

• Arousal stability

• Emotional readiness

• A rhythm of communication

Once the dog is engaged and regulated, I may layer in novelty:

• Change delivery location

• Introduce a new object

• Use a surprise cue

• Switch reinforcement type

• Add movement or environment shifts

If I see arousal spike—or accuracy drop—I return to predictability to recalibrate.

🧠 Predictability ≠ Boring. Novelty ≠ Chaos.

This isn’t a binary. It’s a balance. Predictability helps the nervous system land. Novelty helps it reach.

But a nervous system can’t do both at once. That’s why arousal observation becomes your compass.

When we use both intentionally, we help dogs:

• Learn more deeply

• Respond more clearly

• Regulate more fully

• And recover more gracefully

“Predictability stabilises. Novelty activates. And knowing when to offer each? That’s where the art lives.”

It depends.

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Planning Training Sessions for Regulation – Building the Emotional Arc

Training doesn’t just shape behaviour. It shapes emotion. Each session becomes a neurochemical narrative—a rise, a peak, a pause, and a return. And how we plan that narrative affects not just what the dog learns, but how they feel about learning at all.

We’re not just building fluency. We’re building emotional flexibility.

🧠 Why the Emotional Arc Matters

Dogs don’t arrive at training as blank slates. They carry with them:

• Emotional residue from the car ride, environment, or last session

• Internal states (hunger, tension, stress hormone levels)

• Social expectations

• Breed-specific sensitivities and coping strategies

Each of these shapes how the nervous system responds to arousal—and how well the dog can stay regulated through the process.

When we ignore this, we risk pushing dogs past their emotional threshold.

But when we honour it, we create sessions that build resilience, not just results.

🌬 A Regulated Training Session Has a Shape

Think of a good session like a breath.

• Inhale: Engagement builds. Motivation rises. Dopamine spikes.

• Exhale: We pause. We recover. We process. The parasympathetic system engages.

This means intentionally planning for:

• Emotional arrival (orientation and decompression – see Section 2)

• Escalation points (new skills, high-arousal rewards)

• Loops of regulation (sniffing, chewing, calm reps, pause cues)

• Exit and recovery (a landing space for the nervous system at session end)

Each of these moments activates different parts of the autonomic nervous system. The goal is not constant calm—but flexibility between states.

🧠 Polyvagal Perspective – State Shifts in Action

According to Polyvagal Theory (Porges, 2011), dogs move between three primary nervous system states:

• Dorsal vagal: shutdown, freeze, disconnection

• Sympathetic: mobilization, arousal, action

• Ventral vagal: connection, engagement, social learning

When we build a session that gently cycles through activation and rest, we support ventral vagal tone—the foundation of safe, focused engagement.

Regulation isn’t about keeping the dog “calm.” It’s about helping them move flexibly between emotional states—without getting stuck.

🧠 What Arousal Disruption Looks Like

When dogs become over-aroused, the signs aren’t always dramatic—but they are readable.

We often see:

Motor signals

• Delay in response to known cues (cue latency)

• Loss of fine motor control (sloppy sits, fumbled targeting)

• Muscle tension, exaggerated motion, over-targeting (e.g. slamming onto a mat)

Interoceptive & sensory signs

• Excessive panting

• Yawning, shaking off, sudden drinking

• Change in gait or coordination

• Pausing to toilet, sniff, or stare blankly

Behavioural signals

• Sudden disengagement or wandering

• Repetitive behaviours (e.g. circling, pouncing)

• Brief shutdown or freezing

• Increased vocalisation

Many of these are self-regulatory behaviours—attempts to process arousal, reset sensory systems, or buffer emotional load. They’re not distractions. They’re data.

To the dog, these aren’t interruptions. They’re requests for regulation.

💬 What It Really Means

When a dog sniffs between reps, stops to drink, or wanders for a moment, we don’t need to “fix it.” We need to listen.

To them, that pause might be:

• A proprioceptive reset

• A dopamine recalibration

• A cortisol drop

• A micro-break that keeps the system from tipping into survival mode

“They’re not being stubborn. They’re regulating. And they’re telling you that you need to, too.”

🔁 How I Build Regulation Into the Session

In practice, here’s how we plan sessions with regulation in mind:

• Start with a warm-up: no cues, just orientation and decompression

• Use low-effort behaviours early: something fluent and rewarding

• Build in natural breaks: pauses between reps, scatter feeds, chewing

• Insert structured pause cues: mat settles, short sniffs, or licky mats

• Set repetition limits: 3–5 reps of high-arousal work before recovery

• Plan for recovery arcs: e.g. recall ➝ food ➝ chew ➝ sniff ➝ re-engage or finish

We’re not trying to make dogs calm all the time. We’re teaching them how to return to baseline—and how to do it with our support.

“The ability to return to baseline isn’t a by-product. It’s one of the most important skills we can teach.”

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Post-Training Recovery – The Part Everyone Forgets

The moment the session ends—when we unclip the lead, put the treats away, or close the clicker—the learning doesn’t stop.

The dog’s nervous system is still processing. Hormones are still circulating. Interoceptive signals are still active.

And what happens next might shape the emotional memory of the session more than anything that happened during it.

🦴 Chewing and the Recovery Brain

A 2025 study by Murai et al. demonstrated that chewing after a learning task enhances memory retention in dogs. But this isn’t just about being “relaxed.”

It’s about neurology.

Chewing:

• Activates the trigeminal nerve, which interfaces directly with parasympathetic pathways

• Enhances vagal tone—lowering heart rate and modulating cortisol (Mills et al., 2022)

• Supports interoceptive regulation (Cussen & Mench, 2022)

• Engages sensory pathways that promote calm focus and emotional closure

This makes chewing not just enrichment—but a neural bridge between effort and recovery. It marks the emotional “end” of the session.

We use:

• Chews

• Licky mats

• Scatter feeding

• Snuffle mats To support this bridge.

These aren’t just tools. They’re strategic nervous system support.

🧠 Why It Matters

“Emotions at the end of an experience shape how the brain stores that memory.” (Zanghi et al., 2013)

That means the dog’s last emotional state during or after training often colours how the entire session is remembered.

If the session ends with stress, frustration, or abrupt transitions—the emotional residue lingers. But if it ends with calm chewing, soft movement, or gentle stillness—the nervous system can land.

🐾 Movement, Sniffing, Stillness – The Natural Reset

Not every dog needs a formal post-training routine. Some will reset themselves—if we let them.

Look for:

• Sniffing the ground in slow loops

• Shaking off

• Drinking

• Sitting or lying in stillness

• Wandering away without urgency

• Rolling or stretching

These are self-selected interoceptive and proprioceptive recalibrations. They’re not distractions. They’re the dog saying:

“I need to land.”

In Polyvagal terms, these behaviours reflect a return to ventral vagal state—when the dog feels safe enough to soften, rest, or disengage.

💤 Sleep and Memory Consolidation – Learning While Napping

Sleep isn’t the end of training. It’s part of it.

During slow-wave sleep, the brain consolidates new information—connecting what was learned with the emotional context in which it occurred (Zanghi et al., 2013). This helps build not just memory, but resilience.

Dogs need 12–16 hours of sleep per day. Many—especially adolescents and anxious dogs—don’t get it.

Sleep supports:

• Emotional reset

• Memory retention

• Long-term behavioural flexibility

• Integration of learning into everyday functioning (Overall, 2013)

If your dog crashes into a nap after training, that’s not laziness. That’s neurology at work.

🧭 What Recovery Looks Like in Practice

After a session, we might:

• Offer a low-conflict chew in a quiet space

• Let the dog sniff their way back to the car

• Reinforce stillness with presence—not pressure

• Sit in silence while the dog rests nearby

• Avoid high-energy transitions (crate ➝ car ➝ walk) that disrupt recovery

This mirrors what we discussed in Section 9: The ability to return to baseline isn’t a by-product. It’s a skill.

And one that many dogs need help to build.

“Recovery isn’t the gap between sessions. It’s part of the learning loop.”

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It Ends When They Say It Ends

Many training plans focus on how to begin a session. Fewer talk about how to end one.

But the way a session ends—emotionally, physically, and relationally—matters just as much as what’s taught.

At Dog Smart, we don’t ask for behaviour as soon as the dog arrives. We let them explore. And we don’t force a final rep either. When the dog disengages, we respect it. We support it. And if they offer re-engagement, we start again. But if they don’t—that’s okay too.

That moment of disengagement is the dog exercising agency—communicating that their nervous system has reached a natural stopping point. When that choice is honoured, it reinforces safety, trust, and the idea that learning is a shared experience, not a one-sided demand.

In nervous system terms, disengagement can be a sign of emotional saturation—the point at which regulation becomes more important than repetition. And when a dog feels safe enough to walk away without fear of pressure or consequence, something profound is happening:

The dog is saying, “I’ve learned what I can for now. I know I’m allowed to rest.”

That closing moment—when nothing more is asked, and everything is accepted—shapes the emotional memory of the entire session. It tells the dog: “You’re not just here to work. You’re here to be understood.”

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Final Reflection: It’s Not Just About Calm. It’s About Control.

This guide has explored how dogs move through arousal—before, during, and after training—and how their ability to stay regulated shapes not only what they learn, but how they feel about learning.

But it’s also about something deeper. It’s about agency. And about the emotional experiences we create every time we train.

Throughout this post, we’ve explored how to build sessions that are both strategic and emotionally supportive:

• How predictability creates safety

• How novelty, used intentionally, can spark engagement

• How markers and feedback create clarity and reduce emotional noise

• How recovery isn’t a pause between reps—it’s part of the learning

• And how respecting choice at every stage builds trust that lasts far beyond the session

Because training isn’t just about what the dog does. It’s about how the dog feels—and what they come to expect from the process.

Every choice matters:

• What’s reinforced

• How it’s delivered

• When we begin

• And when we choose to stop

These choices don’t just shape behaviour. They shape the emotional tone of the session— And the emotional life of the learner.

🎯 Final Words

“Training is simple. But it’s not easy.” —Bob Bailey

This isn’t fast work. But it’s the work that builds relationships based on consent, clarity, and calm. And dogs respond to that in ways that go far beyond behaviour.

They respond with resilience. With trust. With joy.

📚 References

A section-by-section guide to the science and sources behind this blog

✍ Section 1: Why Arousal Strategy Matters

• Yerkes, R. M., & Dodson, J. D. (1908) – The Yerkes-Dodson Law Describes the relationship between arousal and performance, forming the foundation for understanding optimal learning states.

• Porges, S. W. (2007, 2011) – The Polyvagal Theory Explores how the autonomic nervous system regulates social connection, arousal, and safety through vagal pathways.

• McEwen, B. S., & Wingfield, J. C. (2003) – Allostasis and Stress Introduces the concept of allostatic load: the cumulative stress burden carried by the body and brain over time.

• Panksepp, J. (1998) – Affective Neuroscience Identifies primary emotional systems in animals, including SEEKING, FEAR, RAGE, and PLAY—key to understanding emotional learning in dogs.

✍ Section 2: Letting Dogs Initiate Training – Consent, Not Compliance

• McGreevy, P., et al. (2018) – Agency and choice in animal training Emphasizes the importance of behavioural choice and autonomy in ethical learning environments.

• Panksepp, J. (1998) – Affective Neuroscience Basis for understanding how SEEKING behaviour and orientation systems prime dogs for learning.

• Horowitz, A. (2009) – Inside of a Dog Offers insight into how dogs orient to and perceive environments, supporting the concept of giving dogs time to calibrate before training.

• Porges, S. W. (2011) – The Polyvagal Theory Explains how nervous system state affects readiness for social engagement and learning.

✍ Section 3: Not All Reinforcers Are Emotionally Equal

• Panksepp, J. (1998) – Affective Neuroscience Outlines how different reinforcers activate different emotional systems (e.g., SEEKING, PLAY, RAGE/FRUSTRATION).

• Berridge, K. C., & Robinson, T. E. (2003) – Parsing reward Explores how dopamine-related systems affect motivation, arousal, and reinforcement processing.

• Bouton, M. E. (2007) – Learning and Behavior: A Contemporary Synthesis Provides an explanation of Conditioned Emotional Responses (CERs) and how reinforcement history affects future emotional states.

✍ Section 4: The Energy of Reinforcement – It’s Not Just What, But How

• Porges, S. W. (2011) – The Polyvagal Theory Connects human emotional cues (e.g., tone, breath, posture) to the co-regulation of arousal in social animals like dogs.

• Csoltova, E., & Mehinagic, E. (2020) – Emotional responses to human cues in dogs: A review Reviews studies on emotional mirroring and co-regulation between dogs and humans.

• Huber, L., et al. (2020) – Emotional contagion in dogs Demonstrates how dogs pick up and reflect human emotional states through behavioural and physiological mirroring.

✍ Section 5: Reward-Specific Markers – Predictability Creates Clarity

• Cussen, V. A., & Mench, J. A. (2022) – Predictability and stress in animal behaviour Highlights the importance of predictability in reducing stress and interoceptive noise in animals.

• Porges, S. W. (2011) – The Polyvagal Theory Supports the use of consistent markers to create feelings of safety and trust in learning environments.

✍ Section 6: “Try Again” – Clarity Without Frustration

• Skinner, B. F. (1957) – Verbal Behavior Foundational operant theory describing how feedback loops affect learning.

• Friedman, S. G. (2009) – What’s Wrong with This Picture? Advocates for clarity, kindness, and clean loops in behaviour feedback.

• Rosales-Ruiz, J., & Hunter, M. (2019) – Loopy Training Introduces the concept of “clean loops” and non-punitive error interruption.

• Kozlowska, K., et al. (2015) – Shut down and dissociation in stress states Describes how emotional overload impacts behavioural engagement and error recovery.

• Overall, K. L. (2013) – Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats Discusses emotional resilience and stress-related learning breakdowns.

✍ Section 7: Reinforcement by Induction – When Arousal-Driven Errors Get Baked Into the Chain

• Cooper, J., Heron, T., & Heward, W. (2020) – Applied Behavior Analysis Defines reinforcement by induction and related learning errors.

• Pierce, W., & Cheney, C. (2017) – Behavior Analysis and Learning Offers detailed explanations of operant concepts including induction and generalisation.

• Rosales-Ruiz, J., & Hunter, M. (2019) – Loopy Training Focuses on behaviour chain fluency and how error patterns become embedded.

• Bailey, B. (2004) – On chaining and clean criteria Highlights the importance of maintaining precision when teaching behaviour chains.

• Fanselow, M. S. (1994) – Emotion, learning, and behaviour regulation Connects emotional state with reinforcement and memory consolidation.

✍ Section 8: Predictability vs. Novelty – Balancing Safety and Motivation

• Porges, S. W. (2011) – The Polyvagal Theory Explains the nervous system's response to predictability and novelty through neuroception.

• McEwen, B. S., & Wingfield, J. C. (2003) – Allostatic load and resilience Explores the cost of chronic stress and how predictable environments support recovery.

• Panksepp, J. (1998) – Affective Neuroscience Provides the foundation for understanding how novelty triggers SEEKING and dopaminergic activation.

• Cussen, V. A., & Mench, J. A. (2022) – Sensory overstimulation in dogs Discusses the emotional and behavioural effects of environmental and sensory novelty.

• Westgarth, C., et al. (2020) – Resilience in adolescent dogs Highlights novelty’s role in building emotional tolerance and flexibility.

✍ Section 9: Planning Training Sessions for Regulation – Building the Emotional Arc

• McEwen, B. S., & Wingfield, J. C. (2003) – Allostatic load and adaptive thresholds Supports the concept that training arcs must accommodate cumulative emotional and physical stress.

• Beerda, B., et al. (1997) – Displacement and stress behaviours in dogs Documents behavioural signs of emotional arousal and regulation in training contexts.

• Cussen, V. A., & Mench, J. A. (2022) – Interoception and behavioural regulation Explains how internal states disrupt behavioural fluency and why breaks are necessary.

• Friedman, S. G. (2009) – Compassionate behaviour analysis Highlights the value of emotional pacing in successful training sessions.

• Porges, S. W. (2011) – The Polyvagal Theory Provides the neurological model for understanding arousal cycles and regulation strategies.

✍ Section 10: Post-Training Recovery – The Part Everyone Forgets

• Murai, E., et al. (2025) – Chewing and post-training memory retention in dogs Demonstrates that chewing improves emotional processing and memory retention after training.

• Mills, D. S., et al. (2022) – Parasympathetic regulation and recovery in dogs Explores how behaviours like chewing and sniffing enhance vagal tone and recovery.

• Cussen, V. A., & Mench, J. A. (2022) – Predictability and interoceptive signalling Connects structured routines (like recovery arcs) with better emotional regulation.

• Zanghi, B. M., et al. (2013) – Sleep and memory consolidation in dogs Establishes the connection between sleep, learning retention, and behavioural resilience.

• Overall, K. L. (2013) – Clinical behavioural recovery and sleep cycles Emphasizes the importance of post-training rest in dogs with arousal challenges.

✍ Section 11 & Final Reflection

• Porges, S. W. (2011) – The Polyvagal Theory Validates disengagement as a regulatory cue and emphasizes the emotional importance of session closure.

• McGreevy, P., et al. (2018) – Agency and autonomy in animal learning Highlights the role of consent and control in building safe, ethical training environments.

• Zanghi, B. M., et al. (2013) – Memory and emotional salience Supports the idea that emotional states at the end of a session influence memory formation and retention.

• Bailey, B. – Quote: “Training is simple. But it’s not easy.” A succinct reminder that ethical, emotionally intelligent training requires thoughtful planning, not just technique.