Dogs: Masters of Regulation

If there was a disposition worth copying for both performance and emotional well-being, look no further than a seasoned house dog. These four legged friends spend most of their day in a state of relaxation any human would envy. These veteran house dogs are professional nappers, world-class lay-arounders, and I promise you they are not stressing over what’s on the news or in their inbox. 

But, the moment the mailman comes: instant action!

The way these seemingly lazy pups “turn it on” into attack mode is impressive. Depending on the type of dog, “attack mode” might be purely theoretical (SEE: chihuahua), but it’s the intent that counts. 

Frankly, this isn’t the most impressive part. You and I would likely “turn it on” from zero to hundred if we awoke in the middle of the night by what we assumed was a threatening intruder. The magic of the house dog’s ability to regulate is specifically in how quickly they can downregulate. 

They will go from “Death to USPS” mode to complete relaxation just as quickly as they ramped to 100 and that’s where humans struggle. One rude driver cutting us off is enough to make the next 45-minutes a little testy. We will ride a passive aggressive email in our inbox for four days of frustration. 

A true master of his/her nervous system can meet any moment with the proper state of arousal. After all, that’s what little Bowser does so well in his dog bed. If you’re going to ramp up and ramp down on demand, you’ll need both expert level awareness of your current state (in any given moment) and the tools to change your state. 

Curious? We teach people these very tools and train these abilities in Breath + Exposure every week.