Dopamine and Dog Training Methods - Positive Reinforcement Training and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - is Dopamine the Surprising Connection?

For those who have listened to my podcast, or watched my TEDX Talk or interviews,

you will know of my keen interest in the impact of brain development on cognition,

emotion and related behaviors, especially in the adolescent stage.

Recently, I have noticed an increase interest by dog trainers in the impact of dopamine

on behavior. I recall speaking of this in an interview in 2019 and receiving a less-than-

convinced look from the interviewer. This response motivated me to study brain

development, neuroscience and other topics to a greater level, so that, while I am not

an expert in these fields, have a broader understanding in relation to dog training

methods and psychotherapeutic practices.

What is dopamine?

Dopamine is a hormone that transmits messages neurologically in the brain and body.

Dogs produce and utilize dopamine. Dopamine impacts their emotional stability,

perception, behavior, and over-all well-being.

What is relationship between Dopamine and “dog training” methods?

1) Positive Reinforcement Training: Dopamine relates to the reward system. When

we feel pleasure from rewards, dopamine is released. Dopamine motivates dogs

to seek out rewarding experiences that bring them pleasure, and in doing so,

dopamine is stimulated in the system. In this respect, we can see a type of

cyclical or symbiotic relationship.

2) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Dopamine is an essential component influencing

cognition, memory, learning, decision-making, self-regulation and motivation, and

more recently it has been connected to fearful or stressful memories (Nature

Molecular Psychiatry, 2021), all of which are components and factors connected

with CBT (this is discussed later in the article).

Can there be too much or too little dopamine in the system?

Yes. It is important to have a healthy balance.

Too little dopamine can lead to a lack of motivation and feelings of emotional discontent.

When this happens, they are less likely to be stimulated by rewards, often leading to

decreased effectiveness of positive reinforcement training. Due to the symbiotic

relationship, this leads to a further deficiency of dopamine.

Too much dopamine can lead to hyperactivity. When dogs become hyperactive, it is

human-nature to respond in ways to discourage the behavior, which can lead to

frustration and behaviors described, or perceived as, aggressive by both the human and

the dog. While increased physical exercise and enrichment activities can be beneficial,

especially as short term solutions, they can increase the levels of dopamine, leading to

increased hyperactivity and more challenging behaviors in the long-term.

How does this relate to the adolescent stage?

Studies and statistics show that puppies respond well to positive reinforcement training;

however, as these dogs enter the adolescent stage (approx. 7 months to 24 months)

they are less inclined to respond to this method. Why? Brain development.

As with humans, changes in brain activity, particularly in the amygdala and pre-frontal

cortex, can impact decision-making, emotions, memory, motivation, focus and attention,

and other functions associated with cognitive skills which, in turn, impact behavior.

Qualitative studies using Canine Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CCBT) in the

adolescent stage show a higher success rate in addressing behaviors associated with

aggression and anxiety, behaviors deemed “adolescent-like” or described as bratty or

stubborn, while also showing significant positive change in the human-dog relationship,

which may have been strained in the early adolescent period.

Why is Canine Cognitive Behavioral Therapy successful?

CCBT is perfectly designed to support the changes happening in the brain by

harnessing neuroplasticity to reorganize itself. Cognitive exercises encourage adaptive

thinking which strengthens prefrontal cortex activity, which is associated with cognitive

skills and decreases fear and stress by stabilizing the amygdala.

As these changes occur, dopamine function is enhanced leading to improved attention,

emotional regulation, motivation, self-regulation and focus.

How does this process impact “dog training”?

Qualitative studies show that switching from conditioning methods to CCBT has multiple

positive effects; however, the increase in dopamine resulting from CBT results in

conditioning methods which were effective during puppyhood, then ineffective during

adolescence, are, once again effective.

Not only is CCBT an effective method in addressing behaviors associated with anxiety

and fear, and ones common in the adolescent stage, but the increase in dopamine

enables positive reinforcement training to regain traction.

Can CCBT compliment medications?

Yes! Pharmaceuticals that are commonly prescribed to address fear and anxiety target

dopamine levels. By incorporating the CCBT program with medications, pet parents

have alternatives to medications and/or can wean off medications sooner.

Client Example:

Lali is a responsible and caring dog-dad. He and his wife got Asha as a puppy. Asha is

a yorkie mix and is, at the time of working together, just over a year old. They live in a

busy, suburban community. His wife did not participate in the program but was

supportive.

Lali had no experience with dog training, so he applied based positive reinforcement

during puppyhood and that went well as far as socializing and house-training and basic

training.

As Asha entered adolescence (approx. 7 months old), she became reactive to people

and dogs. She would hide and bark when friends or family came over. They struggled

on walks with reactivity to people and dogs, whereas this did not occur during

puppyhood.

Lali used negative reaction simply because that is human nature. They also tried

crating, holding, removing her from the area, distraction with treats, and consoling.

They contacted me when Asha was just over a year old. We began with the

foundational cognitive exercises. She hid less and was more responsive to both Lali and

his wife. We continued, applying the exercises on their corner lot, which was very busy

with walking and cycling traffic. This was a great practice opportunity, and we saw quite

a bit of improvement. The first major success was walking – Lali could walk around the

community lake on the walking path! Lali was able to apply the techniques, and Asha

chose to greet people. This was 3.5 weeks into the program.

There were changes with her behavior when they left the home. Asha decided to go to a

window to look out and was not reacting to the neighborhood activity. She was happier,

or less hesitant, when Lali and his wife came home, indicating her emotions were not

heightened or stressed.

We now were ready to address guests coming over.

For some unknown reason, Lali decided to stop the program. He just stopped

communicating and went dark on me. I know he struggled with the method because, as

he said, he works with computers, and designs programs for his clients. Canine CBT is

not black and white – it requires creativity and adaptability and seeing the larger picture,

of which Lali admitted was not in his natural comfort zone.

Just over three weeks later, he informed me he had been working with a different trainer

who uses positive reinforcement training. He said he resonated better with the male

trainer and with the method. He said they had success on walks (less reactivity), and

Asha was more comfortable in their home and neighborhood.

I reminded him that we had already addressed those challenges, of which he replied

that there was a regression in behavior which is why he hired the other trainer. I asked if

the regression occurred when he stopped working with me and perhaps stopped doing

the exercises.

Surprisingly, Lali admitted he had stopped applying the exercises and that led to the

regression.

I asked how it was going with friends and family coming in the home. He informed me

they had not got to that stage yet.

So, what we can conclude is that Asha responded well to the CCBT program and when

it was removed, she became uncomfortable, viewed Lali as no longer providing calm

guidance, and was unable to emotionally regulate. The goal of CCBT is to lead to self-

regulation, which we could see in the home at the window when left alone, but without

further repetition of the exercises (think brain plasticity), self-regulation on walks had not

yet occurred, thus we needed to advance the exercises, which we did not get the

opportunity to do.

We can also see that methods grounded in positive reinforcement training became

effective when they were limiting in their effectiveness a few weeks prior.

Let’s look at some of the variable affecting these changes: 1) the inclusion of a certified

trainer may have improved the outcome; however, Lali admitted the techniques were

very similar to what he had tried prior to hiring me, 2) since we had already

accomplished overcoming reactivity on walks and on her lawn, as well as decreased

anxiety in the home alone, Asha may have been more prone to pick those back up, and

3) CCBT exercises stimulated dopamine, which increased the effectiveness of reward

based practices.

Conclusions:

While Conditioning methods benefit from CCBT, CCBT does not need conditioning

methods; however, I would still suggest that the methods hold a positive relationship.

It is essential to encourage dog trainers and behavioral veterinarians to take a multi-

disciplinary approach by learning and applying different methods at different stages

based on neuroscience and psychology.

NOTE: much of the information in this article comes from multiple sources, including

papers, internet info, courses, books and articles. For a deeper understanding, I

suggest taking the course by Dr. Alexandra Angelova at the Institute of Canine

Psychotherapy, which is also part of the full Canine Psychotherapy Diploma program.