Stress and Arousal in Dogs: The Silent Catalyst Behind Behavioural Issues

Stress and arousal in dogs are natural emotions that they will experience in everyday life, just like us humans. The problem is that if a dog struggles to regulate or stays in this state of arousal too long, they silently escalate into significant behavioural, health and even mental issues.

This deep dive guide will go into the silent dangers of stress, how they can impact your dog and their behaviour, reveal early warning signs to look for, and a few effective strategies I’ve used to reduce stress and arousal in dogs that could be the key to transforming your dog's behaviour

Stress and arousal in dogs is one of those topics that many people are aware of but they don't fully understand how much it can affect our dogs. I think because as humans, we go through a lot of stress in our lives and we can generally deal with it. Dogs on the other hand have a shorter fuse, maybe it's because they haven't had the time we have to learn to cope with it or maybe it's because we force them to adapt to a society that they hardly understand or can communicate in. Whatever the reason, this barrage of daily stress when not dealt with is dangerous for our dogs!

To understand your dog's emotional health, it's essential to recognise the roles of stress, arousal, and frustration—what I call the "Unholy Trinity."

Imagine these three as a pot of water boiling. Arousal is the heat of the water, frustration rapidly adds more water, and stress happens when the pan boils over. When left unmanaged, these emotions build up, silently creating significant behavioural issues and impacting your dog's health.

Trigger stacking in dogs is one of the biggest reasons stress and arousal in dogs can spiral out of control. It happens when multiple triggers occur in a short period, stacking on top of each other until your dog reaches their breaking point and they stack topples over.

Think of it like a volcano. Each trigger adds more pressure, pushing your dog closer to an emotional explosion. A single trigger—like seeing another dog—is not enough to cause a full-blown reaction, it is about the buildup that happens beforehand. When that happens after a loud noise, an overwhelming vet trip, unwanted interactions, or a frustrating walk on a tight leash, stress just keeps building. If the pressure is never released, the volcano eventually explodes—leading to reactive outbursts, impulsive behaviours, hyperactive behaviour, anxiety spikes etc.

Stress and arousal don’t just disappear once a trigger is gone—they linger in the body, in the nervous system. If your dog doesn’t decompress or gets the time to recover and regulate between triggers, these levels remain high, making them more sensitive to the next trigger. Over time, this leads to chronic stress, where even minor events cause big reactions.

Understanding how stress stacks over time can help you prevent unnecessary reactions, chronic stress and problem behavior.

You can discover more in my blog post that dives into trigger stacking in dogs.

The key to preventing trigger stacking is managing your dog’s arousal levels and ensuring they get proper recovery and decompression time between events. Here’s how:

When dogs are constantly overwhelmed by stress and high arousal, it starts to show in their daily behaviour—sometimes in ways that seem sudden or unpredictable, but it's a ripple effect, these behaviours aren’t random! They're often the overspill of that emotional build-up that may have been silently accumulating for days, weeks, or even months!

What looks like “out of nowhere” barking, lunging, or snapping is usually the result of a dog who’s been on breaking point for way too long. Their nervous system has had no chance to recover, and the smallest trigger finally tips them over the edge!

This is your dog’s way of saying “I can’t cope…” and the longer the Unholy Trinity is left to fester, the more intense and frequent these behaviours can become.

Understanding the root causes of behaviour—not just reacting to the ripples—is the first step toward helping your dog feel safer, more balanced, and in control.

Just like humans, over a long period of time, stress takes a toll on both body and mind. When a dog lives in a heightened emotional state for too long, it disrupts their ability to regulate, think clearly, rest properly, and feel truly safe. Over time, this can lead to both physical and psychological consequences.

On a physical level, chronic stress causes a continuous release of hormones to flood their system and when they stay elevated for too long, they begin to wear the body down…your dog’s immune system can weaken, digestion can become disrupted, and proper restful sleep becomes harder to achieve.

While it may not directly cause disease, we know that in humans, long-term stress can contribute to hormonal imbalances, chronic inflammation, and things like cancer! When dogs are exposed to chronic stress they may face worsened health conditions, delayed healing, and increased vulnerability to illness.

Mentally, the toll is just as serious. Your dog might begin to show signs of burnout: becoming withdrawn, more reactive, or more anxious over time. Without getting to the root of the problem they can tamper with their ability to cope with everyday situations.

The longer your dog stays in this state, the more it chips away at their walls. Recognising the signs and making the right changes early can protect your dog from years of avoidable struggle.

Understanding dog body language is so important. Dogs constantly communicate with their body, when it comes to stress, dogs don’t always show their struggles in ways we expect.

While some signs are obvious—like barking or lunging—others are so subtle and often mistaken for excitement, stubbornness, or even being naughty. The key is to learn and recognise these early warning signs.

Here are some common signs that your dog may be experiencing stress:

Many of these signs are so easy to miss—or misunderstood. For example, a dog panting and pacing around the house might be labelled as energetic or bored, when in reality, they’re struggling to regulate their arousal levels. A dog barking at the window might not be “protective,” but overstimulated from hours of built-up triggers. A dog that struggles to settle due to noises may just be overwhelmed and sensitive to noises now.

Quick Tip: Start observing your dog’s daily behaviours and look for patterns. Do certain things set them off more than others? Do they struggle to settle after walks or in busy environments? How long are they sleeping for? What do they do when they're awake? Tracking these moments can help you catch stress stacking early.

Reducing the “unholy trinity” in dogs isn’t about suppressing behaviour—that can sometimes cause more problems—it’s about addressing the root causes and giving your dog the tools they need to cope and recover. While every dog is different, there are three core areas that almost always need attention: Sleep, Outlets, and Stimulation…

I call this the Holy Trinity (see what I did there), three pillars that support your dog’s emotional wellbeing, regulation, and help balance out the Unholy Trinity of stress, arousal, and frustration.

Each of these pillars deserves attention on its own, which is why I’ve created individual posts breaking down how to get them right. You can click through to explore each one in more depth and start building your dog’s path to balance!

Together, these three areas form the foundation of recovery—the holy trinity—helping your dog feel safer, more fulfilled, and better equipped to handle the world around them.

If there's one thing that’s often overlooked in dog behaviour, it’s sleep. Most dogs don’t get anywhere near the amount of rest they need—and it has a massive impact on their daily lives.

Dogs need a minimum of 16 hours of sleep per day—reactive, anxious, puppies and senior dogs may need even more. When they don’t get enough restful sleep, their nervous system doesn’t have time for decompression. That means stress and arousal levels stay elevated, making them more reactive, sensitive, and less able to learn or listen.

Creating a restful routine and sleep environment is key. Make sure your dog has a calm, low-stimulation area to sleep during the day. Crate training (when done properly) can provide a secure space for undisturbed rest, while place training is another powerful tool. You can also use seperate rooms, xpens, furniture. Just make sure the environment is low-stimulation (if you are the problem, put your dog somewhere else).

For now, we must put ourselves in control of encouraging sleep until it becomes a habit.

Outlets are activities that tap into your dog’s natural drives—sniffing, chewing, digging, chasing, tracking etc. These behaviours aren't “bad”—they're literally hardwired into your dog, they must do them, the question is will you find somewhere for them to do it, or will they have to take that upon themselves?

Without an appropriate way to release them, your dog is more likely to act out, become reactive, or develop destructive habits.

Providing daily outlets gives your dog purpose, focus, a reduction in obsession and the ability to self-regulate more effectively.

Mental stimulation is just as important as physical exercise—especially for dogs who are reactive, anxious, or prone to overarousal. But stimulation needs to be the right kind. Overloading your dog with intense activity or non-stop training can actually increase arousal and make stress worse.

The goal is to provide calming, focused enrichment that gives your dog purpose without pushing them into a frantic state of mind. Think slow, satisfying brain work—not fast, chaotic games that leave them spinning.

It’s easy to mistake stimulation for exhaustion—but just because your dog is tired doesn’t mean they’re regulated. A hyper dog who crashes out isn’t necessarily calm; they’re often just burned out. Proper mental stimulation helps your dog build resilience, confidence, and self-regulation skills over time.

When I first started properly working with my dog, Jasper, I didn’t fully understand how deeply stress and arousal were affecting him. He was reactive, constantly pacing, easily triggered, and seemed to go from 0 to 100 over the smallest things. I used to think it was just his personality—that he was “difficult” or “high energy.”

It actually took me a while before I learned about stress and by then it was too late. I was managing a chaotic ball of stress made of cement, he wasn’t just reacting to the world—he was living in a state of constant emotional overload. Triggers would pile up, and without enough rest, outlets, or decompression, he started reacting to everything and became a lot more withdrawn (mentally exhausted).

It wasn’t until I started focusing on sleep, outlets, and the right kind of stimulation that I began to see real change. The more we prioritised these things, the more regulated he became. He started to settle. He began to engage with the world instead of bracing for it. He felt safe—and that changed everything.

That’s why I share these resources, because I know what it’s like to feel lost, overwhelmed, and stuck in a cycle of reactivity and emotional exhaustion—both for you and your dog. The thing is it is possible for change, and honestly if I can get back from where I got back from with barely any help, you can definitely do it with the right kind of help, from someone who’s already done it wrong.

Stress and arousal in dogs are often the silent catalyst behind chaos—building beneath the surface until they show up in behaviour we don't recognise or know how to handle. The good news is you can change this simply by shifting your focus from “fixing” the ripples in behaviour to supporting your dog’s emotional needs and tackling the core, that's when everything starts to shift.

This isn't about perfection—it's about consistency and progress. It's about creating space for rest, purpose, and relaxation. The more we support what's going on inside, the better the outside begins to look.

If you're ready to start reducing stress and arousal, my FREE 5-Day Detox Protocol is the perfect place to begin. It's gentle, simple, and designed specifically for reactive, anxious, or overwhelmed dogs—just like Jasper used to be.

You’re not alone in this. And your dog doesn’t have to stay stuck in that cycle either.