Understanding Dog Thresholds: How to Manage Reactivity & Build Resilience
Read, Respond , & Raise Your Dog’s Emotional Limits
When working through fear, reactivity, or overstimulation, a dog’s threshold is one of the most important concepts to understand. A threshold is the point at which a dog begins to shift from a state of calm to a state of stress, reactivity, or shutdown. Think of it as your dog’s emotional sensitivity dial—and learning how to read it is critical to successful behavior change.
What Are Thresholds?
At its core, a threshold is the tipping point where your dog goes from “okay” to “not okay” in response to a stimulus.
A low-threshold dog reacts quickly to small triggers.
A high-threshold dog can tolerate much more before reacting.
Types of Thresholds in Training
1. Stress Threshold
This is the level at which your dog begins to show visible signs of stress—panting, pacing, lip licking, yawning, whining, etc. Below this threshold, your dog can function, think, and learn. Above it, the body shifts into survival mode (fight/flight/freeze).
2. Reactivity Threshold
This threshold marks the line between awareness and reaction. A dog might notice a trigger (another dog, skateboard, child) and remain calm—but if the trigger gets too close or intense, they might lunge, bark, or growl.
3. Tolerance Threshold
Also called a “frustration tolerance” or “stimulus tolerance,” this is the edge of what your dog can handle emotionally or physically before shutting down or escalating. It’s especially relevant with phobias, grooming, or vet handling.
4. Training Threshold
This is the sweet spot for learning. If a dog is too far over threshold (due to excitement, stress, fear), they can’t focus or process information. Knowing when your dog is in the right state to learn is key for timing sessions.
Thresholds Are Fluid, Not Fixed
A dog’s thresholds can change—moment to moment, day to day, depending on factors like:
Sleep
Environment
Hunger
Trigger stacking
Prior success or trauma
Handler behavior
This means thresholds are trainable. By gradually working near (but not over) a dog’s limits, and reinforcing calm responses, we can help the dog build emotional resilience and raise their thresholds over time.
Threshold Work
Behavior modification—especially for fear, reactivity, or aggression—is most successful when done below threshold. A process focused on raising (or lowering depending on training goals) these behavioral shift points.
Threshold training is a systematic process focused on:
Identifying your dog’s current threshold level
Working just under it with controlled exposure
Reinforcing desirable emotional and behavioral responses
Gradually increasing exposure while maintaining calm
Over time, the goal is to shift the threshold upward, meaning the dog can handle and process more, with less stress.
When doing any type of exposure therapy, distance is one of your most powerful tools. Getting too close to a trigger can push a dog over threshold—from calm (green) into reactive or shutdown (red). By working at a distance where the dog remains under threshold, you create a safe space for learning and emotional change. Gradual, controlled exposure—paired with positive associations—is what builds long-term confidence and resilience.
If we constantly push dogs over threshold:
Learning shuts down
Stress chemicals spike
Reactivity becomes reinforced
Trust in the handler erodes
But if we learn to work within a dog’s current capacity:
Learning accelerates
Emotional regulation improves
Confidence builds
Reactivity decreases
Thresholds are the gateway to change. Mastering them gives you the roadmap to more thoughtful, humane, and effective training.
