Eustress, what?!

Some people suggest that we should avoid stressing out our dogs ever, that we should stop training if we notice signs of stress, that we should avoid allowing our dogs to experience stressful things. I would argue however, that stress is a natural part of life and that it's not only unavoidable, but also necessary.

Not all stress was created equally.

Eustress is categorized as, "good stress". Eustress is defined as, "moderate or normal psychological stress interpreted as being beneficial for the experiencer." Eustress is a beneficial and necessary stress for learning. Eustress teaches the brain how to respond to stress in a healthy way.

On the other hand, there is also distress. Distress is defined as, "extreme anxiety, sorrow, or pain". When a dog is in distress, learning isn't happening.

When we are training dogs, it is important to be able to recognize signs of stress and distress in our individual dogs. Triggers can be different for each dog, so it can be challenging to determine what particular thing causes stress, or distress for our dogs.

An example of this might be, a well trained Malinois would experience eustress from heeling with their owner, or being asked to perform throughout the day. On the other hand, a dog whose never been trained before might experience distress from being asked to perform the same tasks because they do not have the skills, knowledge, or confidence to perform the tasks being asked of them.

As trainers, it is our job to challenge our dogs enough that are able to develop skills, confidence and knowledge while being mindful of not pushing them into distress where they'll be unable to effectively learn.