Empowering Pet Parents with a different perspective

Does your dog ‘know’ recall—until they don’t? Maybe they come when called in the backyard or at the park when things are calm, but the second they see a squirrel, another dog, or something unexpected, they bolt like you don’t even exist. You’re left standing there, calling their name over and over, wondering why they suddenly "forgot" their training.

Here’s the thing—it’s not about training; it’s about brain function. When a dog experiences a surge of excitement, stress, or fear, their brain shifts into a survival state, activating the limbic system (responsible for emotions and instinctive reactions) and reducing access to the prefrontal cortex, which controls logical decision-making and executive function. This is why a dog who "knows" recall in a calm setting can’t seem to respond when they’re overwhelmed. It’s not disobedience—it’s biology. Traditional training methods that rely on repetition and rewards often fail in these high-stakes moments because they don’t account for how stress impacts a dog’s ability to think.

This is the same reason why, in humans, trauma and anxiety can make it hard to think clearly under pressure. When the brain perceives a threat (even if it’s just overwhelming excitement or stress), it defaults to fight, flight, or freeze mode. Dogs are no different. Instead of asking, "Why won’t my dog listen?" the better question is, "How can I help them feel safe enough to think?"

Sometimes, this happens in dogs from a rescue environment (due to trauma, breed drive, or genetics) and sometimes, this happens just because they never learned to self-regulate-- an easy fix!

For a deeper dive into how stress and trauma affect the brain, Dr. Bruce Perry’s work on the neurosequential model of the brain is a great resource. His book The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog explores how stress affects brain function in both humans and animals.