Blog — Canine Body Language

  State Before Story: Creating Autonomic Flexibility In behavior work, we often focus on what a dog is doing and what we want them to do instead. But underneath every behavior is something more fundamental: the dog’s nervous system state. Before there is behavior, there is state. And before there is “story” or interpretation, there is physiology. This is the foundation of autonomic flexibility—the ability for a dog to move fluidly between different nervous system states without becoming stuck in any one pattern. Without this flexibility, behavior becomes rigid. The dog may appear either overly activated and reactive, or shut...

  I really wish I had some fancy training techniques for you. I wish I could impress you with some sharp obedience and lots of down-stays around chickens (impulse control). I wish making your dog "wait" for his dinner and then telling him "okay" was the quick and easy fix to all your training problems. But let's look on the bright side... What we do have is the built-in technology of the nervous system to detect threat and safety. What we have is the fascia, the living matrix of the body. We have neuroception, co-regulation, and somatic resonance. We have your...

What Is Leash Reactivity, Really? Leash reactivity is one of the most commonly discussed behavior challenges in dogs, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. People often use the term as a diagnosis or label for barking, lunging, growling, or over-excited behavior on leash. While these are the visible expressions, they are not the root of the issue. Leash reactivity is not a single behavior pattern, and it is not a personality trait. It is a nervous system response that emerges under specific conditions. To understand leash reactivity, we have to look beyond what the dog is doing...

Dog training isn’t a six-week class you complete and move on from. It’s not a quick fix for behavior, and it’s not about getting your dog to obey commands perfectly in every situation. At its core, dog training is an ongoing study of relationship. That’s why I don’t just see myself as a trainer. I see myself as a student—of dogs, of behavior, and of the subtle ways dogs communicate and interact with the world. The more time you spend observing and working with dogs, the more you realize how much there is to learn. Dogs are incredibly honest in...

Your Dog’s Mental Health Your dog’s mental and emotional well-being rests on many of the same foundations as your own. At its core, we’re looking at three primary pillars: movement, nourishment, and connection. But none of these can truly take root without a baseline of safety. A dog cannot regulate in an environment that feels threatening. If your home provides consistent shelter and is relatively free from chronic stressors—such as yelling, unpredictability, or physical correction—then the nervous system has the opportunity to settle. From that place, we can begin to support deeper balance. Movement as Regulation (Not Just “Exercise”) Exercise...