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@jenz – You said:

lacking impulse control during this state of mind.

This implies that the level of impulse control is contingent on a dog’s state of arousal.

I whole-heartedly agree. The ability to access that part of the brain which helps dogs make informed, wise choices is not always present. If they are in an agitated state, it’s only though learning that they can come to inhibit their automatic, visceral, emotion-based behavior.

This reminds me of what Viktor Frankl wrote:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

I think this is true for humans and dogs. We can work to help dogs find the pause, by providing feedback, by setting up learning opportunities safely, by managing variables like distance, duration, intensity, and many other factors.

Isn’t this what we do, all the time, working with dogs who are “reactive?” We help them expand the pause between trigger and behavior so that they have a moment to regulate their emotion and make better choices.

Thanks for pointing this out!