CORTISOL

The reason dog trainers and guardians should be interested in cortisol levels is because it can greatly influence the emotional state, physical state, activity and reactivity of our dogs.

WHAT EXACTLY IS CORTISOL?

Cortisol is a hormone that mammals produce via the adrenal gland. It is often referred to as the ‘stress hormone’ because of its measurable involvement with stress-related activities and events.

WHAT DOES CORTISOL DO?

The purpose of cortisol secretion lies in its role in making energy available to a body. It is involved in metabolism, immunity, and stress responses. Cortisol secretion helps mobilize energy stored as glucose, providing the body with readily-accessible energy.

DO ALL DOGS HAVE THE SAME CORTISOL LEVELS?

No; there is huge variability in the baseline cortisol levels of dogs (i.e. how much cortisol is measured in their bloodstream without any external stress). Some dogs have much higher levels of baseline cortisol than others. These dogs are often described as ‘stress-prone’ by their guardians, being ‘set off’ more easily than other dogs, and less able to cope with novel situations. This can be due to a huge range of factors including past experiences, a perpetually stressful environment (remember, what our dogs consider stressful might not be obvious), genetics, and underlying health issues among others. If you are concerned that your dog is always ‘at the end of their tether’ regardless of what is going on, do seek professional advice.

WHAT ‘TRIGGERS’ CORTISOL SECRETION IN DOGS?

Stress can trigger cortisol secretion, therefore any potentially stressful events or environments can trigger its release. ‘Stress’ refers to both positive and negative events or triggers, whether that be something scary happening, or going for a really exciting happy walk.

Specific triggers for cortisol secretion will vary from dog to dog; while Maisey has a cortisol response to a passing cat in the driveway, her brother Buster might not. Maisey however might just go to sleep in the car when you go on trips while Buster thinks it’s the best time to bark incessantly out the window! In this instance, Buster is very likely having a surge of energy due to cortisol secretion from the excitement (stress) of going in the car. You learn a dogs' specific triggers by paying attention and taking note of their behaviour in different contexts.

Broad triggers for cortisol secretion include feeling threatened, and feeling isolated.

Feeling threatened can occur for innumerable reasons, and it will vary from dog to dog. Whether it be a strange dog barking at the fence while you walk past, an unknown person walking a bit too close for comfort, or somebody yelling at their guardian, cortisol will be secreted in order to provide your dog with accessible energy should they need it.

Feeling isolated is also dog-specific. If a dog has another dog companion living at home with them, and they are suddenly left alone without that dog, they will have a cortisol response. While we aren’t exactly sure yet why this is, there are some interesting thoughts to be had! Interestingly, if another random dog is paired with them to give them company, their cortisol levels don’t drop; however, if a person is to give them company during this time and stroke them, their cortisol levels *do *drop.

Dogs who have never had to be alone feel incredibly stressed when suddenly isolated, so it is important that you *gradually *build up the time you are leaving a dog alone to reduce that stress.

HOW WILL I KNOW MY DOG ISN’T COPING?

Different dogs use different coping mechanisms when dealing with the big feelings that come along with cortisol secretion. In very simple terms, we have our Bold responders, our Shy responders, and our Ambivalent (mixed feeling) responders. Most dogs will use a mixture of the following.

Our Bold responders are active players, and tend to go head-first; if they are threatened, they are lunging and barking; if they are positively excited, they are barking and running straight into the middle of things. If they feel isolated, they are going to let the world know!

Our Shy responders are passive players, and tend to hang back or hide; if they are threatened, they have their tails between their legs trying their darnedest to be small or to get away; if they are excited and happy, they may jump around on the spot or circle around the outside rather than go in head-first; if they are feeling isolated, they may go find somewhere to curl up and cry.

Our Ambivalent responders are unsure players, not quite knowing what to do; if they are threatened, they might pretend to sniff the grass and glance up to keep an eye on things; if they’re positively excited, they might not know exactly what to do and end up picking up something to prance around with rather than engage; if they are feeling isolated, they might try a few different things rather than have a set pattern of behaviour.

All of these behaviours let us know that there is likely cortisol at play, whether it be due to positive or negative emotions. What kind of responder do you think has the higher levels of cortisol? Although it might surprise you, it is the Ambivalent response that betrays the most stress, so it is important to keep an eye on those ‘pretending to do something else’ behaviours (called displacement behaviours) to avoid putting your dog into increasingly stressful situations when they ‘seemed fine’!

HOW LONG DOES CORTISOL STAY IN MY DOGS SYSTEM?

When our dogs experience a surge in cortisol, it can take around an hour for those cortisol levels to reduce to about half of the amount released in the surge.

However, if our dogs are subject to 'trigger stacking' (being exposed to lots of stress in succession without decompression), the natural mechanism of cortisol reduction cannot work properly; instead, cortisol keeps increasing, rather than reducing. This can cause our dogs to experience cortisol levels 4x that of their baseline levels!

For dogs who have been continuously exposed to cortisol surges without reprieve for long periods of time, it can take ~72hrs for cortisol levels to reduce to similar-to-baseline levels, so long as they aren't exposed to anything during that time that would cause them cortisol-releasing stress.

It is important to remember that dogs are individuals. Each dog will have a different baseline, and this will be affected by many factors, including their natural temperament, relationship with their siblings and mother, their genetics, and their experiences. Long-term stress (whether it is positive or negative) can affect can influence brain development and changes; like us, they are dynamic and adaptive! For cases where long-term stress is a factor, it will take more decompression and time to help them recover.

HOW CAN I REDUCE CORTISOL IN MY DOG?

Learn your dogs’ signs. Every dog is an individual, and nobody has as much experience with your dog as you do! Pay attention to them when things are happening so you can figure out what makes them tick, and organize your activities to accommodate for calm, enjoyable experiences.

Take a ‘cortisol holiday’! If your dog has had a really stressful day, consider just chilling out at home tomorrow and breaking out the mental stimulation toys instead. Give your dog all the cuddles they want to help reduce their cortisol levels.

Make time for quiet time, every day. Whether it’s just laying on the sofa together, or they get a quiet Kong in their crate, make sure your dog gets quality quiet time.

On that same note - make sure they are getting enough rest. Rest time is time for our bodies to wind down, recuperate and reset. It is really important that you ensure your dog has had enough quality rest and recovery before being exposed to more stress, even when it’s good stress.

There is a lot going on underneath all that fur! Cortisol is just one more piece to the puzzle.