While negative experiences are well-known to affect learning and stress resilience, the impact of positive experiences has been less studied. Julia Miller and colleagues (2025) sought to fill this gap by testing whether a short session of enrichment could improve resilience during a learning task.
Forty pet dogs were divided into two groups. The experimental group enjoyed a 15-minute session with walking, play, human interaction, and olfactory foraging. The control group remained quietly leashed indoors without stimulation. Both groups were then trained to nose-touch an experimenter’s hand. Afterward, they experienced a stressful disruption: a remote-controlled car moving in the room.
Surprisingly, while learning performance during training was similar across groups, dogs exposed to the positive session displayed higher stress levels during disruption. These dogs also sought comfort by spending more time near their owners, interpreted as reassurance-seeking behavior. The researchers suggest this unexpected outcome may be due to negative emotional contrast after the positive session ended, differences in arousal, or habituation effects.
The findings challenge the assumption that short positive experiences always build resilience. Instead, the study highlights the complex emotional dynamics in dogs, with implications for training, welfare, and enrichment practices.
Source: Miller, J., Cavalli, C., Azadian, A., & Protopopova, A. (2025). Exploring the impact of a brief positive experience on dogs’ performance and stress resilience during a learning task. Journal: PLoS ONE, Volume 20. Publication Date: June 23, 2025. Authors: Julia Miller, Camila Cavalli, Aria Azadian, Alexandra Protopopova.
