Blog — Reactive Dogs

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....

Many dogs labeled as reactive, anxious, or difficult to settle are not misbehaving—they are overwhelmed. If your dog barks, lunges, shuts down, or struggles to relax, it can feel confusing and discouraging. In many cases, these behaviors are not training issues. They are signs of a nervous system under strain. Rather than focusing only on behavior, we look at what is driving it. This approach allows for more meaningful and lasting change. Dog Behavior Reflects Nervous System State Reactive and anxious dog behavior is often a response to too much stimulation, stress, or unpredictability. Dogs, like people, have limits to...

  How movement and joy build ventral vagal engagement When most people think about a regulated nervous system, they imagine stillness. A quiet dog lying calmly at their feet. Slow breathing. Minimal movement. A kind of subdued composure that looks peaceful from the outside. But safety is not the same thing as stillness. According to Polyvagal Theory, developed by Stephen Porges, our autonomic nervous system moves through different states depending on whether we perceive safety or threat. The ventral branch of the vagus nerve supports connection, social engagement, curiosity, and flexibility. When this system is active, we feel safe enough...