Exploring the parallel between dog behaviour and Internal Family Systems

Dogs, like humans, exhibit complex behaviours, linked to social structure and emotional inner world extremely similar to that of humans

This is our first guest post, continuing our initiative Beyond IFS, to bring you more content and resources about what inspire us and that we find useful linking IFS and other practices.

This article is by Siobhan Bale at

Jefferson Dog Training

, bringing together a deep experience with dogs and wisdom in dealing with parts.

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Dogs, like humans, exhibit complex behaviours. Science has taken the dog training world away from dominance theory and has proven that dog social structure and emotional inner world is extremely similar to that of humans. The behaviours of dogs are now understood through psychological frameworks.

I propose that one such framework could be the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, which states that the mind is composed of various sub-personalities or “Parts” that interact like a family. In this piece, I will try to demonstrate that by comparing dogs behaviour with IFS, we can better understand both canine and human psychological dynamics.

What is internal family systems?

IFS, is the brainchild of Dr Richard Schwartz. This model views the mind as a system of Parts, each with its own feelings, thoughts, and behaviours.

These Parts can be categorised into:

• Managers: Parts that try to control and organise our lives to protect us.

• Firefighters: Parts that react when other Parts are triggered, often through impulsive actions.

• Exiles: Parts that hold pain and trauma, these Parts are often pushed away by other Parts to avoid distress.

Adding into the system, IFS talks about the “Self”. This is an energy which is characterised by qualities such as calmness, compassion, and curiosity. There are many different opinions within the Internal Family Systems community and indeed within my own system about what constitutes “Self energy”. Is it a separate energy from the other Parts in the system? I’m not sure that’s true, as I feel that Parts also hold Self energy. For this piece of writing, I would say the basic element of being “in Self” is when the system in its entirety is in balance and harmony.

Do dogs have parts?

I believe that dogs display behaviours that can be analogously understood through the IFS framework.

1. Manager- like behaviours:

Dogs often exhibit behaviours aimed at maintaining order and stability in their environment. For instance, a dog might coerce or threaten other pets to maintain physical and emotional safety, or guard its territory to secure its basic needs are met, such as shelter. These behaviours are similar to the Manager Parts in humans, which drives to keep things under control to prevent such outcomes as distress or loss of resources.

2. Firefighter- like reactions:

When faced with sudden stress, dogs might engage in actions like destructive chewing or aggression. These are comparable to Firefighter Parts in humans which seek to distract from the pain or protect from further pain through immediate, often drastic actions, such as; fighting and shouting.

3. Exile-like responses:

Traumatised or anxious dogs may exhibit behaviour such as excessive barking, cowering or aggression. These responses are similar to the Exile Parts in humans that carry pain and trauma, manifesting in ways that signal underlying distress.

4. The Canine Self:

Dogs also have a balanced state, where they are calm, curious, friendly, and responsive. This can be licensed to the Self in IFS, representing the dogs natural, harmonious state; unburdened by stress or trauma.

The dog training world is slowly changing from a task based (teaching behaviours), to a more emotion coaching ethos. We recognise that disruptive behaviour is in response to internal distress and we are now encouraged to address the root cause rather than just the symptoms.

In using Internal Family Systems, it will allow us to break down behaviours into different Parts, and therefore meet the needs of each Part of the dog. This is especially important when working with dogs with conflicting emotions and complex needs.

Case Study: Rufus

Rufus, a 14-month-old Golden Retriever, came to me with resource guarding issues, (previously known as protective aggression).

Rufus had a habit of stealing items that didn't belong to him and would become extremely aggressive if his owners approached him. Over time, this aggression extended to any object Rufus considered his own and he would spend hours guarding areas or objects.

Breaking Down Rufus's Behaviour:

Exile: As a puppy, Rufus had an innate need to explore, chew, and gain attention from his owners. However, he wasn't given enough opportunities for safe chewing and exploration and did not understand the difference between a dog toy and his owner’s favourite shoe. When he stole items, Rufus was chased by his owners, which was initially fun and gained him the entertainment and attention he desired. Very quickly, stealing items became a "game" for this part of Rufus, fulfilling his need for new objects and attention. Unfortunately, this game often ended with Rufus's prized possessions being taken away and him being chastised, leading to this Part feeling fear, confusion and distress at his owner’s presence around objects he had taken.

Firefighter Parts: At 7 months, Rufus’s aggression, or "Firefighter" Part behaviour, emerged as a way to protect his stolen items and make his owners back away and cease their own aggression towards him. His Firefighter Part learned that aggression often allowed him to keep his items, and reduce fear of his owners; thus soothing the younger Exiled Part.

Manager Part: As Rufus grew, a Manager Part of Rufus felt responsible for controlling his environment and safeguarding items he considered important, such as his bowl, toys, the sofa, shoes, and even his owners underwear! He would lay down near certain objects and guard them, not allowing anyone to approach.

This behaviour was a way of preventing his Firefighter Part having to work so hard and his Exiled Part from feeling the upset and confusion around its owners and items.

Helping Rufus:

To help Rufus, I worked with his owners to change his environment and fulfil the original needs of his "Exile" Part. We showed Rufus's "Firefighter" Part that positive outcomes could occur when his owners were present with his triggers. Finally, we helped the “Manager” Part of Rufus that liked to control his environment by introducing more calmness and structure into his home life.

Using Parts to Help Dogs with Conflicting Emotions

Just as in humans, dogs can have Parts that are polarised. For example, a stray dog might desperately want to take food from an offered hand but also be too fearful to approach. This conflict can trigger other Part responses, such as freezing, fleeing, or fighting. In helping such dogs it is important to show the dog’s Parts, (both the hungry/lonely Parts, and the fearful Parts), that they have choices without pressure, and those choices are made small and safe.

Another example is fearful dogs that become aggressive and chase cars. Initially driven by fear of cars, these dogs can start to enjoy the adrenaline rush of the chase. They might feel empowered as the car drives away, leading them to seek out more opportunities to chase cars for the thrill and confidence boost. They may well also have Parts that recognise the upset that such behaviour causes it’s owner, creating further stress and conflict within the system.

To rehabilitate these dogs, we need to understand and help the fearful Part, work with the Parts that enjoy the behaviour and its outcomes, and show the Parts needing to please or chase, other, more “human acceptable” behaviours.

As a dog owner who may be finding that you have some challenging behaviours with your dog, I invite you to take time to think and write about the different Parts that maybe at play within that behaviour and your dogs’ system. It’s also worth noting the Parts in your own system that may be involved, (I write more about why this is important below).

My hope is that it gives you some insight into the different emotions and needs within that behaviour, and therefore aid the development of a solid plan on how to help your dog into a more harmonious future for you both.

The Dog, Owner, Trainer Triangle

Dogs are highly empathetic animals, sensitive to our emotions and constantly assessing and responding to how we feel.

Our own Parts emotional responses can directly affect our dogs; and if they are incompatible with the needs of your dog’s Parts, they may lead to miscommunication, conflict, and stress.

As pet owners, understanding the connection between our own emotional states and our dogs' behaviour can deepen our communication and relationship. Whilst working with dogs, if we can develop the ability to check our own systems and ensure that we are working from “Self energy” then we will also be in a prime position to be able to help the dog into harmony and balance as well.

Case study: Cooper

Cooper is a two-year-old German Shepherd with high fear reactivity (aggression) towards other dogs. After repeated bad experiences, Cooper’s owner had developed a Part that immediately became anxious when she and Cooper were in the presence of other dogs. Cooper’s fearful Exile Parts then felt and reacted to his owners anxious Parts, increasing their anxiety, thus bringing Cooper’s protective Firefighter Parts into play more intensely.

As a trainer, it is my responsibility to notice the owner’s Parts that may be adversely affecting their dogs, and by recognising and helping Cooper’s owner to relax her own Parts in such situations, we could help Cooper relax his Parts into calmness and security.

Cooper‘s case really demonstrates how recognising the interplay between the dog's and owner's emotions and responses (Parts), can lead to more effective and empathetic training.

Meeting dogs and their owners from Self energy as a trainer:

As dog trainers, using Internal Family Systems (IFS) allows us to check in with our own emotions so we can meet both the dog and the client with a calm, compassionate presence, (Self energy).

Case study: Bobo

Bobo was a 15 month old Pomeranian mix. This dog had been kept in a hotel in secret until the age of six months old. His first experience of the outside world was being placed on a plane by his owners to be taken to another country and into another hotel. Bobo’s security was his owners, they were his world and the only things that made him feel safe. Therefore, he understandably had Parts that were extremely protective over them. During the first session we were all sat on the floor with Bobo apparently asleep next to his owners. Whilst talking to Bobo’s owners, I had a Part come up that became frustrated at the unwillingness of his owners to change Bobo’s environment to suit his needs. In a flash, Bobo’s protective Firefighter Parts sensed my frustration towards his owners, and sprung alive rushing towards me, bearing his teeth within inches of my arm. If I could put his snarls into human words, then his Parts would probably have been saying “you F**** even think about hurting my precious owners, my security blankets, my queens, I will bite your f**** arm off!”

Luckily, I have Parts that when faced with such a situation will shut down and become completely non-combative. This meant that he was not further provoked and after a couple of minutes, Bobo’s protective Parts were reassured that they had made their point and he wandered back next to his precious owners to “fall asleep” once more.

Bobo taught me a valuable lesson in the importance of maintaining my own balance and Self energy when working with dogs!

Conclusion:

I hope in this small piece I have given insight that;

• By understanding dog behaviour through the lens of IFS, we can deepen our understanding of all canine behaviours.

• By understanding how our own Parts can interact and affect our dogs, we can meet our dogs from the Self energy needed to help their system into balance.

• As trainers, if we can understand and help both humans and canines with their Parts we can work more effectively and empathically.

• In embracing IFS within our human-canine relationships, we can develop more compassionate and effective approaches to training and caring for our canine companions; thus creating richer, more trusting relationships.

With huge thanks to Pau Wojnar and Alex Pedori at https://www.ifs-collective.com/ for bringing IFS to my Parts and your continued understanding, kindness and support. 🫶

Thank you for reading.

Siobhan Bale, Jefferson Dog Training