Over Stimulation
Do you know when your pet is over stimulated?
If you notice that your pet is over stimulated, what do you do about it?
I find that this is something that most people are unaware of. Our pets can easily get over stimulated from a variety of situations in daily life, especially if there has not been intentional training around that type of situation.
What does over stimulation look like?
Excessive barking
Destructive behavior
Excessive licking (paws, belly, etc) in dogs or cats
“Freezing” behavior, where the pet refuses to move
“High alert” constantly and not relaxing (high head and tense muscles in horses; jumpy, distractible behavior in dogs)
Panting without adequate physical exertion or warm temperatures
Whining/Crying
Inability to stand still in horses
Pacing or walking repeated patterns (in yard or pasture/stall)
Hiding or cowering
Many of these signs are pretty obvious and glaring. But what happens before it gets to this point?
Your pet will always display escalating reactions when they become over stimulated. But you have to be paying close attention to recognize it.
In a horse that may look like having their head up and neck tense without being able to go back to a relaxed posture. In a dog it could be beginning to breathe quicker, or starting to get restless. In a cat it might look like hiding or being over reactive to small things.
Being able to recognize these small signals will make a huge difference in working with your pet. If you are looking for the slightest change in their behavior, then you can make the decision to choose a different course of action in order to help them cope with whatever the situation is.
All too often I see people ignore the small warning signs that their pet is heading into being overwhelmed, and then they wonder why their pet can’t stand the sigh of another dog, or can’t handle any small changes.
Learn your pet’s signals, and teach them coping skills when the stimulus is small, which will help them manage their emotions when bigger things happen.
