When Old Stress Becomes New Behaviour: Why Your Dog’s Past Still Matters
- Deb from Busy Pawz
- 39 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Just when you think things are going well - your dog’s settling, they’re calmer, you’ve seen progress - bam. Out of nowhere, a behaviour you thought you’d moved past rears its head again.
It’s easy to feel discouraged and confused. Wondering if you did something wrong.
But this kind of backslide doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
It often means your dog’s body is still holding onto stress that their brain has long since forgotten.
Why Old Stress Sticks Around
Dogs, like us, store stress physically. Even after the “event” is over - whether it was a traumatic experience, a rough puppyhood, or just a build-up of little stressors - their body can hold onto that tension.
Sometimes the brain says, “we’re fine,” but the body remembers.
We see the same thing in people. Many adults in their 40s and 50s start revisiting childhood trauma - not because they’re suddenly more fragile, but because the body has carried that stress for decades. As life slows down or changes, there’s more space for that unresolved emotion to surface. Hormonal shifts, new stressors, or a change in pace can stir up what’s been quietly sitting there the whole time.
The same thing happens to our dogs. Just because they aren’t consciously “thinking” about past events doesn’t mean those experiences are gone. Behaviour is how their body tells the story.
Kip: Living With a Nervous System That Won’t Forget
My own dog Kip is a perfect example.
Kip came to me with trauma, and while we’ve worked through a lot of it, there are still some things he just can’t let go of. He’s safe, he’s loved, and he knows he belongs here but his nervous system doesn’t always get the memo.
Certain things still send him into a stress spiral, especially if life’s already been a bit noisy or unpredictable. It’s not stubbornness nor is it bad training. It’s a body that’s still holding onto layers of old stress that never really got to leave.
So we work with it. We don’t push. We support him where he’s at, even when it’s frustrating. And we celebrate the progress he can make without demanding perfection.
What to Watch for (and What to Do)
If your dog suddenly starts:
Barking at things they used to ignore
Resisting something they were fine with before
Struggling to settle or rest
Showing signs of separation stress again
…it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve gone backwards.
It might just mean their stress bucket is full, and some of that stress has been there for a long time.
So instead of thinking “I thought we were past this,” try asking:
What support does my dog need right now?
That might mean:
Shortening walks or giving them a break from busy environments
Bringing back structure and predictability
Reintroducing games that build confidence and calm
Supporting your own nervous system too - because your dog is tuned in to your stress as well
These moments are invitations to reconnect, not reasons to feel defeated.
Final Thoughts
Progress in training isn’t a neat, upward line. It loops and twists and doubles back. And behaviour isn’t always about what’s happening today - it’s often shaped by everything that came before.
Your dog’s past might not define them, but it can absolutely influence how they respond to the world.
That’s why understanding your dog’s behaviour matters so much. When you know how stress works, how it builds up, and how it lingers in the body even after the moment has passed - everything starts to make more sense.
You stop seeing "bad behaviour" and start recognising unmet needs, overwhelm, or unprocessed emotion. And that shift in perspective changes everything.
Because when you can see the why, you can start to change the how.
Thanks for reading!
And as always, throw your dog a treat from us!
Deb & the Busy Pawz Crew xo
P.S. Need help figuring out the “why” behind your dog’s behaviour?
Book a one-on-one consult and let’s take the guesswork out of it
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