Blog — emotional capacity

  We’re going to the creek twice per week now, with dogs moving freely off leash. This is a core exercise and foundational practice in our "training" system. (Now focused on en-training* the nervous system.) Both dogs and humans are increasingly deprived of natural environments, and this has measurable effects—as seen in the lack of autonomic flexibility in both species. Time in nature supports sensory integration, postural stability, and autonomic regulation—especially when movement occurs on uneven terrain and in variable environments. Walking on natural surfaces, exposure to daylight, and access to complex sensory input (water, vegetation, changing smells and sounds)...

What is Neuroception? Neuroception is a term coined by Dr. Stephen Porges as part of his Polyvagal Theory, referring to the subconscious, automatic process of scanning the environment for cues of safety or danger. It is a "built-in radar" that operates below the level of conscious thought, allowing a dog's nervous system to detect threats and initiate survival behaviors (fight, flight, or freeze) long before they consciously perceive a danger. As dog owners, understanding neuroception is crucial because it helps us realize that a dog's "bad" behavior is often actually a fear-based, involuntary survival response rather than disobedience or defiance....

  Everything for me in the world of canine somatics is boiling down to one thing: Emotional Capacity. Reactivity is a lack of capacity to deal with outside stressors. Instead of trying to fix, correct, punish, or suppress the symptoms of reactivity, we can go straight to the heart of the issue which is capacity. Increasing emotional capacity goes hand in hand with autonomic flexibility and higher thresholds. Difficulty in learning or retaining information is: A lack of capacity. We can think of your dog's emotional and cognitive bandwidth being cluttered and confused with too much noise/stress. It leaves little...