05/12/2025
Fabulous article 👍
The Dopamine Loop: Why Your Dog Does What It Does (And Why It Sometimes Looks Like Madness)
Dogs don’t do things “just because”. They don’t leap onto the kitchen counter for philosophical reasons. They don’t bark at pigeons because they’re debating politics. And they certainly don’t spin, zoom, chew, chase, or chaos-their-way through life because you “haven’t said the command clearly enough”.
They do it because of dopamine.
Dopamine is the brain’s little motivational spark plug. It drives desire, behaviours, repetition, and habits, good or bad. And once a dog gets caught in a dopamine loop, you end up with patterns that repeat themselves faster than a Spaniel spotting a tennis ball.
Let’s take a deep dive into how this loop works in dog training, why it influences so much of your dog’s behaviour, and how you can use it for you rather than spending your days yelling “Oi! Get off that!” while your dog pretends it’s never heard English in its life.
1. Stimulus: The Spark That Lights the Fuse
Every behaviour begins with a trigger. A stimulus.
For your average dog, this could be:
• A squirrel doing the world’s worst attempt at being sneaky
• Another dog existing within a five-mile radius
• The lead appearing
• The postie daring to breathe near the front gate
• You opening a packet of crisps (which obviously means treats for them)
This spark activates the anticipation of pleasure. The moment that little brain says, “Something brilliant might happen here!”, dopamine wakes up like a Labrador hearing a fridge door open.
And then the chase begins…
2. Dopamine Release: The Brain’s “Ooh, Lovely!” Moment
Once your dog has been triggered, the brain produces a dopamine hit.
This is not the pleasure itself.
This is the motivation to get the pleasure.
It’s the reason your dog can go from “lying peacefully like a furry throw pillow” to “launching across the room like a buzz saw” in 0.3 seconds.
This chemical surge fuels the behaviour:
• Chase the squirrel
• Bark at the window
• Charge towards the ball
• Nick the sandwich
• Jump on grandma
Whatever the expected outcome… dopamine tells them it’s a grand idea.
3. Pleasure: The Reward That Seals the Deal
Then comes the payoff.
Your dog does the thing, and the brain says,
“Yes, that was tremendous. Let’s do that again. Preferably immediately.”
That payoff might be:
• Successfully chasing something
• Getting a toy
• Receiving your attention (even if you’re shouting)
• Snatching food
• Winning control of a situation
• Relieving stress through barking or movement
Even negative behaviours can feel rewarding because the dog gets something from it, dopamine doesn’t judge. It’s simply along for the ride.
This is why a dog who gets reinforced by self-rewarding behaviour (chasing, scavenging, fence-running, herding children, etc.) can be an absolute pain in the backside unless you build your own reinforcers that compete.
4. Desire for More: The “Again! Again!” Phase
This is where trouble starts.
Once your dog has experienced pleasure from a behaviour multiple times, the brain begins to anticipate it earlier and more intensely.
That anticipation releases more dopamine.
More dopamine leads to more motivation.
More motivation leads to faster, stronger behaviour.
And suddenly you’re wondering why your dog has turned into:
• A window-barking alarm system
• A squirrel-obsessed park missile
• A lead-biting crocodile
• A ball addict who stares at you like you owe them money
The brain now wants more. And more. And more.
5. Reinforcement: The Glue That Hardens the Loop
Behaviour repeated becomes behaviour reinforced.
Behaviour reinforced becomes behaviour learned.
Behaviour learned becomes behaviour expected.
This is where owners often unintentionally add petrol to the fire.
Examples:
• Dog pulls → owner follows → dog learns pulling works
• Dog barks → owner shouts → dog gets attention
• Dog jumps → owner pets → dog learns jumping = contact
• Dog guards → owner backs off → dog wins space
Every action has an outcome, and if the outcome feels good or avoids something bad, the behaviour strengthens.
You cannot negotiate with dopamine.
You can only train through it or against it.
6. Habit Formation: The Behaviour Becomes Automatic
After enough repetition, the behaviour becomes hard-wired.
At this point, your dog isn’t thinking.
They’re not choosing.
They’re not evaluating your training cues.
They’re simply following a loop their brain has carved out like a hiking trail.
This is why:
• Reactive dogs rehearse reactive behaviour
• Pullers pull
• Jumpers jump
• Ball-obsessed dogs become ball addicts
• Barkers bark for reasons even they probably can’t explain anymore
Habits don’t need dopamine, they’re just automated.
Breaking them requires deliberate, structured training.
So What Does This Mean for Dog Training?
Now we get to the good stuff: how to use this loop properly.
1. Control the Stimulus
Stop giving the dog access to the behaviour you’re trying to fix.
If the dog rehearses it, they strengthen it.
Simple as that.
This is why management tools, leads, long lines, anchors, boundaries, crates, structured environments, aren’t “restrictive”. They’re educational.
They stop the loop from running until you’re ready to re-programme it.
2. Create New Dopamine Pathways
You must make yourself more rewarding than:
• The squirrel
• The jogger
• The noise
• The environment
• Their own internal chaos
This is where play, food, engagement, markers, obedience, scent work, and structured routines come in.
You aren’t fighting the dog.
You’re competing with dopamine.
3. Reinforce the Behaviours You Want, Not the Ones You Don’t
No more rewarding jumping.
No more rewarding pulling by moving forward.
No more rewarding barking with attention.
No more rewarding chaos by giving freedom.
Reward calm.
Reward focus.
Reward clarity.
Reward boundaries.
Reward neutrality.
You must feed the behaviours you want to grow.
4. Break Old Habits with Repetition, Structure, and Consistency
Changing a habit requires:
• Interrupting the old loop
• Replacing it with a new loop
• Repeating the new loop until it becomes the default
Humans struggle with this.
Dogs are brilliant at it, once you give them the path.
But you must be consistent.
If you change your rules every day, you will drive your dog insane and not in a fun “Spaniel zoomie” way.
Final Thoughts: Train the Brain, Not Just the Dog
Your dog’s behaviour is not random.
It is not malicious.
It is not stupidity.
It is not defiance.
It is chemistry.
Once you understand how dopamine drives your dog’s urges, behaviours, and habits, you stop taking their actions personally and start training with strategy instead of emotion.
You teach the dog how to win in ways that work for both of you.
You build new habits that actually serve everyday life.
And you stop old habits before they become a lifetime hobby.
Remember:
If you don’t guide your dog’s dopamine…
The environment will.
And the environment rarely trains dogs well.
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