True or false - if an activity causes your dog pain they won't do it.

Johnny Knoxville and Steve-o made a career out of getting seriously, even traumatically injured, for fun. Lots of sports are people voluntarily getting the shit hit, kicked, and choked out of them, for fun.

Even you and I have decided to forge ahead with an activity knowing damn well it's going to hurt, for fun.

Getting tattoos and piercings.
Hang overs.
Hiking on a sprained ankle.

And we have advanced cognitive processes. Dogs do not share these cognitive abilities.

• Moment-by-moment pain is a competing motivator. Bend neck to drink water or stay thirsty. Seek social contact on the couch or stay alone on the floor. Basic needs will supersede avoiding pain until they're in severe pain.

• Pain and dopamine have a complex relationship. TLDR; dopamine plays a pivotal role in motivation. Dogs are going to do The Thing if it leads to dopamine. Over time, chronic pain leads to decreased dopamine activity. When a dog loses interest in an activity, the value of it is unchanged. Their motivation system to do things is dysfunctional.

• Stress Induced Analgesia - under stress (a trigger or from high impact exercise like fetch), the brain releases cortisol and adrenalin. These brain chemicals temporarily decrease pain sensitivity.

• The painful consequences often don't rear their ugly head until hours later. Far too disconnected from the activity for the dog to make an association.

• Humans train their dogs to hide pain. As evidence-based professionals we're familiar with pseudoscience practitioners using prong, choke, and shock to shut down dogs. However, using positive reinforcement to teach a dog to hide pain is every bit as sinister. For example, reinforcing a picky eater for eating, without thorough investigation into pain.

Your dog's willingness to participate in an activity is not a reliable indicator of their pain state.


​Ambron, R. (2022). The brain and pain: Breakthroughs in neuroscience. Columbia University Press.

Heath, S., & Capon, H. (2020, April 28). CAM Live: Pain & behavior. Youtube (Unlisted). Canine Arthritis Management.

Jarcho, J. M., Mayer, E. A., Jiang, Z. K., Feier, N. A., & London, E. D. (2012). Pain, affective symptoms, and cognitive deficits in patients with cerebral dopamine dysfunction. PAIN®, 153(4), 744-754.

Murphy, K., & Capon, H. (2021, November 17). Pain and neuroscience. Canine Arthritis Management https://www.facebook.com/CAMarthritis/videos/361425985734208

Murphy, K., & Capon, H. (2019, September 19). The issue of ball throwing!. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/CAMarthritis/videos/490402398182831

Murphy, K., & Capon, H. (2019, September 12). All about dopamine!!: “they wouldn’t do it if it hurt..” yes they would!! and this is why! Facebook. Canine Arthritis Management. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=622331888174881

Taylor AMW, Becker S, Schweinhardt P, Cahill C. Mesolimbic dopamine signaling in acute and chronic pain: implications for motivation, analgesia, and addiction. Pain. 2016 Jun;157(6):1194-1198. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000000494. PMID: 26797678; PMCID: PMC4866581.