The Omission of Flux: A Missing Transition State in Polyvagal Applications to Canine Behaviour An Addendum to Impulse Control in Canine Behaviour – Beyond Fight, Flight, or Freeze
- Jun 19
- 4 min read
June 2025
License: CC BY-NC 4.0
Core Thesis Summary for Addendum
In the original paper, Impulse Control in Canine Behaviour – Beyond Fight, Flight, or Freeze & the Missing State of Flux, the White Pathway was proposed as a critical yet overlooked neurobiological state of uncertainty—a transitional moment between instinctual reaction and potential reflection. This addendum advances that proposition by empirically grounding the White Pathway as a measurable, functional expression of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in diagnostic mode. Drawing on foundational neurobiological work (Sapolsky, 2004; McGreevy & Boakes, 2011) and Polyvagal Theory (Porges, 2011), we now demonstrate that behavioral hesitation (e.g., delayed vocalization, low-frequency orienting) reflects an embedded ANS "pause-and-check" mechanism. This pause is an adaptive, self-regulatory process where the ANS assesses sensory input, metabolic resources (e.g., glucose availability), and relational safety before committing to fight, flight, or freeze.
By integrating systems thinking and Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs), this addendum further reveals the White Pathway’s role as a systemic leverage point, a threshold condition that determines whether stress-reactive loops escalate (Reinforcing Loop R1) or interventions like HLCPM[1] stabilising behavioural regulation (Balancing Loop B1).
These insights redefine impulse control in traumatized dogs as a dynamic interaction between neurobiological systems and system dynamics, offering a roadmap for targeted, biologically-aligned interventions.
Addendum: Theoretical Alignment and Advancements
The "state of flux" (White Pathway) introduced in this paper aligns with Polyvagal Theory’s concept of neuroception and the ventral vagal brake, providing a mechanism that momentarily inhibits sympathetic mobilization to allow for environmental assessment. Drawing on foundational neurobiological work (Sapolsky, 2004; McGreevy & Boakes, 2011), this paper reframes behavioral hesitation as an embedded autonomic nervous system (ANS) function: a "pause-and-check" response that is adaptive, not passive. This pause serves as a diagnostic window for the ANS to evaluate safety, metabolic resources, and relational cues before committing to fight, flight, or freeze.
However, this paper advances beyond traditional models by:
1. Explicitly Naming the White Pathway
The Polyvagal framework describes ventral vagal modulation of arousal but does not designate flux as a distinct autonomic state. Here, the White Pathway is operationalized as a transitional threshold where the ANS withholds binary responses to integrate conflicting inputs—a concept supported by stress physiology (Sapolsky, 2004) and ethological studies of conflict behavior (McGreevy & Boakes, 2011).
2. Behavioral Markers of ANS Diagnostic Function
Dogs in the White Pathway exhibit observable signatures of neurobiological assessment:
Behaviour | ANS Mechanism | Supporting Literature |
A freeze distinct from dorsal collapse (no limbic shutdown) | Ventral vagal brake active; dorsal vagal not engaged; maintains cortical awareness | Porges, 2011; McGreevy & Boakes, 2011 |
Hesitation before escalation (ventral vagal braking of sympathetic surge) | Vagal tone delays sympathetic activation, enabling sensory check-in | Porges, 2011; Sapolsky, 2004 |
Low-frequency orienting (slow ear/head movements signaling sensory scanning) | Orienting response governed by parasympathetic modulation of cranial nerves | Porges, 2011; McGreevy & Boakes, 2011 |
Delayed vocalization (limbic reactivity suspension) | Limbic system temporarily inhibited; prefrontal structures assess threat salience | Porges, 2011; Sapolsky, 2004 |
These behaviors reflect the ANS actively withholding action to assess sensory load, caregiver engagement, and metabolic readiness—a process mirrored in human stress-response research. (Sapolsky, 2004).
3. Systems Thinking Alignment: Flux as a Stabilizing Loop
From a systems dynamics perspective, the White Pathway functions as a critical threshold condition in the Causal Loop Diagram (CLD) framework:
o Reinforcing Loop (R1): Stressors amplify impulsivity, driving escalation (e.g., barking → arousal → more barking).
o Balancing Loop (B1): HLCPM interventions disrupt R1 only if the system enters the White Pathway first. The pause acts as a leverage point (Meadows, 2008), allowing B1 to activate and stabilize the system.Without this pause, the system remains trapped in R1; with it, interventions gain traction. This explains why traditional command-based methods fail—they ignore the system’s need for a diagnostic delay.
Figure 1 illustrates these dynamics, showing how the White Pathway gates systemic stress responses.
Key Insight for Practitioners
The White Pathway’s pause is not merely biological. It represents a trainable window of neurobiological indecision. HLCPM supports this pause by offering structured, prosocial paralanguage to help the dog resolve uncertainty in favour of calm engagement. Causal Loop Diagrams (CLDs) suggest that the timing of HLCPM’s application during this state of flux contributes to its behavioural stability outcomes, in contrast to post-escalation command-based re-direction interventions.
Figure 1. The White Pathway Gate mediates between stress-driven escalation (Reinforcing Loop R1, red) and HLCPM-driven stabilization (Balancing Loop B1, blue). Stressors propagate downward from macrosystem to microsystem; successful pauses enable upward calibration of behavior.
Scientific and Practical Implications
By integrating Polyvagal theory, neurobiological systems, and systems thinking, this work:
· Validates flux as a measurable state with behavioral and autonomic correlates,
· Positions HLCPM as a systems-compatible tool that targets the White Pathway’s unique intervention window,
· Clarifies trauma recovery challenges: Relapse occurs when pauses are too brief/unstable to activate B1. HLCPM lengthens these pauses, enabling Green Pathway access.
Invitation for Further Research
This framework invites collaboration to:
1. Quantification (EEG/vagal tone studies to validate biomarkers).
2. PVT Comparison (Head-to-head trials to isolate HLCPM’s added value).
3. Cross-Species (Human PTSD parallels to broaden impact).
Limitations:
While HLCPM’s case studies are compelling, generalisability may vary by breed, handler skill, or trauma severity. Future work should control for these confounders.
Glossary
Co-regulation: Dyadic adjustment of autonomic states between caregiver and dog to achieve stability
Neurobiological systems: Integrated systems (e.g., autonomic, limbic, prefrontal) shaping behavioral response in dogs
[1] The Human-Led Canine Paralanguage Method (HLCPM) is a structured communication model in which the caregiver employs coordinated beyond its narrow human linguistic usage to encompass non-verbal, affective communication cues and vocal elements (tone, pitch, and frequency) to signal relational safety. This multimodal approach supports the dog’s neurobiological stability and facilitates the conditions necessary for behavioural regulation and trust formation (Balancing Loop B1).
About the Author
Sparky Smith is a Canine Psychologist and researcher in system science as applied to canine behaviour. Her work focuses on trauma, reactivity, and chronic stress in dogs, with a particular emphasis on how behaviour arises through neurobiological processes, environmental influences, and human-canine relational patterns.
She is the developer of Canine Neurobiological Systems Science (CNSS)—a systems-based framework for understanding canine behaviour—and the Human-Led Canine Paralanguage Method (HLCPM), a structured communication method used by caregivers to support behavioural regulation through tone, posture, and presence.
This article was authored by Sparky and later augmented with AI to enhance clarity and structure, while maintaining the integrity of the original thinking and authorial voice.
Explore her research: