Hi! My name is Soneca, which means “Nap” in Portuguese. I am originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and born in 2014 to a street dog from the thought outskirts of RJ living in constant stress. It was a very bad situation, and I could feel her stress already in her womb. I spent 30 days with her and my siblings – so little time! And then I was adopted by Maria. I was already a very restless dog by then. To be honest, I do get easily stressed and react to noises very easily. I am almost always sensing danger around, specially around cars, big dogs or strangers. Also, since I was 5, I have this pain on my hip that makes me a bit grumpy. But I am also happy-like! I do trips to the beach, the forest, I get 3-4 meals a day, treat-hunt walks, and enrichment in and out of the house, which keeps me always active!
Recently we moved to a new place. It seems fine but cars look scarier, louder, and bigger. My instinct tells me to be afraid of large scary things that might kill you. Now, on walks, my heartbeat rises, and I bark at them which works because they go away. On a trip to this mountain in Austria (my mom called it that) we are going for a walk after breakfast and I am feeling good inside, positive. I am wearing a long leash so I can smell around as far as I want. Suddenly I hear something, I know that sound, it’s a car! Memories of that sound came pouring, I remember that cars are scary, and my heartbeat starts rising going into fight or flight mode. The car is coming so close I must choose what to do: I can ignore it hoping it might go away but I don’t think it will work. I can approach it, but it is scary for me or attack it to preserve me and my family. I choose to attack as I expect it will make the scary car go away. The result: the car attacks me back, and I feel extreme pain. Spent a day at the vet clinic to get stiches in my paw. Now, after this experience, my mood is mostly down and when I see a car from afar, I whine and shiver, I freeze and refuse to walk at all! My mom is helping me overcome this: every time I hear a car, I get a very SPECIAL tasty treat so that I am less scared around cars on walks. Now, I know now not to attack but rather avoid cars.
Final thoughts
This really happened to us in April 2024! While studying how emotions influence decision-making, I wanted to understand how my dog sees the world using Mendl and Paul’s model (2020).
How animals make decisions? They mainly base their choices on the following (Mendl and Paul, 2020):
- Mood (Core Affect) – Do they have a baseline mood that leans towards a positive or negative valence?
- Internal State – Are they hungry, scared, excited, or anxious?
- Memory & Evolutionary memory – Past experiences help them predict outcomes, and instincts guide them too.
- Sensory Information – What they hear, see, or smell in the moment.
Using these, the dog comes up with action options (e.g., run, avoid, ignore, attack, approach) that are directly influenced by action values (positive or negative valence outcomes) – this is called affective options (Mendl and Paul, 2020). Dogs compare their current emotional state with past experiences to decide what’s safe or risky. The action with the most positively-valenced affective option will be selected. If their choice leads to a good result, they are more likely to repeat it. If it leads to something bad (like pain or fear), they will avoid it next time. Over time, this shapes their general outlook—whether they become more confident or cautious.
Why does this matter for dog owners?
- Emotions Shape Perception – A dog’s general mood (optimistic or pessimistic) influences how they see the world and make decisions.
- Balance is Key – Too many positive or negative experiences can create problems. Even too much optimism can lead to risky decisions. Dogs need some freedom and choice to learn and develop confidence.
- Stress Affects Brain Function – Stress, especially early in life, can impact brain areas responsible for attention, emotional regulation, and memory (Dr. Kristina Spaulding. 2025). This is most likely impacting decision-making in dogs.
- Dogs Have Highs and Lows – Just like humans, they can have good or bad days, and pain can heavily influence their behavior, since pain shares many brain areas with emotions! (Dr. Kristina Spaulding. 2025).
A dog’s current situation not only includes the here and now but also the dog’s internal status, memories, affective coding of past rewards and punishment, and incoming sensory information. Recognizing these links is important not just for humans but also for understanding and improving animal welfare. As dog owners, it is important that we inform ourselves to better understand our dog’s decision-making processes and what may be impairing it.