Blog — canine somatics

Recently, I was caring for a very sensitive and anxious dog staying in my home. He was struggling to settle and seemed to be carrying a great deal of tension in his body. Rather than asking anything of him or trying to interrupt the behavior, I decided to focus on slowing myself down first. I became quiet and still, softened my posture, slowed my breathing, and began using slow blinks and soft eyes in his direction. Within a few moments, his body language changed noticeably. His expression softened, he turned away peacefully, and then chose to go lay down on...

There is a profound difference between a dog who is regulated and a dog who is chemically restrained. If we do not understand that distinction clearly, it becomes very easy to mistake nervous system suppression for healing. One of the things I see often in behavior work is dogs being described as “doing better” on medication because they appear quieter, slower, less reactive, or less outwardly expressive. From the outside, it can look like progress. But sometimes, underneath that quieter presentation, the nervous system is actually carrying more distress, not less. This conversation becomes especially important when multiple sedating or...

Somatic Safety & Consent Checklist Use this checklist to monitor the "Window of Tolerance" for both yourself and your dog during somatic sessions. 1. The "Opt-In" Signals (Green Light) These indicators suggest the nervous system is regulated and open to learning or connection. The "Soft Eye": Pupils are normal size (not dilated) and the gaze is relaxed rather than fixated. The Shake-Off: A full-body shake (like drying off from water) after an intense exercise; this signifies the successful discharge of arousal. Weight Shift: The dog shifts its weight into its hindquarters or leans its body weight into your touch. The...

Many dogs are living with nervous systems that are simply carrying far too much activation for far too long. What often gets labeled as “high energy,” “behavioral,” “reactive,” “needy,” or “difficult” is very frequently a nervous system that has lost access to true rest and recovery. These dogs are not choosing intensity. Their bodies are operating from a chronic state of vigilance, and once that becomes the baseline, the entire world starts to feel like something they need to manage, monitor, or survive. One of the hardest things for people to wrap their minds around is that more stimulation is...

Most dog training focuses entirely on the dog. This conversation with Bianca Low Kum takes a different approach and looks at the relationship between the dog’s nervous system and the human’s nervous system. One of the biggest takeaways is that dogs are not just reacting to the environment. They are constantly reading the person handling them. They don’t need to understand your thoughts to know something is off. They are reading tension, posture, breathing, and movement. If you are tight, bracing, or mentally somewhere else, your dog will pick up on that and start scanning for what might be wrong....