Blog — The Polyvagal Dog

  Fitness and mobility don’t just change what a body can do—they change what the nervous system believes is possible. A nervous system is constantly asking one core question beneath awareness: “If something goes wrong, do I have options?” When an animal has strength, coordination, balance, and ease of movement, the answer is more often yes. That “yes” matters deeply. It creates a baseline sense of agency—the felt understanding that one could move away, brace, climb, stabilize, push off, or hold ground if needed. Even if no threat is present, the nervous system tracks this capacity quietly in the background....

True calm is emergent from a nervous system that feels safe and regulated   When a dog is anxious, overaroused, or struggling to settle, our instinct is often to do something: redirect, manage, correct, or distract. But nervous system regulation doesn’t begin with behavior. It begins with safety, and safety is first felt in the body. One of the most reliable ways the mammalian nervous system recognizes safety is through slow, predictable tactile pressure—when it is offered appropriately and received willingly. This is not about restraining a dog or forcing calm. It’s about providing clear sensory information that allows the nervous...

  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....

  Balance and Proprioception are Deeply Intertwined Proprioception (your body's sense of position) provides the raw data (where you are) that your balance system uses (with input from eyes and inner ears) to make constant, tiny adjustments via your muscles to keep you steady and upright, preventing falls and allowing coordinated movement, with balance training effectively enhancing this internal GPS system. Essentially, better balance means better proprioception because the challenges of balancing force your proprioceptors to work harder and smarter, improving nerve signals and muscle response. Proprioception (body position in space) and interoception (internal body states like hunger, fatigue) are...