Blog — Your Dog Is Your Mirror

  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...

  Present Moment Gratitude Write your dog a letter of gratitude, for everything they have brought into your life, everything they have taught you, and all the things you hope to experience together. Take a moment to read and reflect on this letter and all the emotions it might bring up in your body as a felt sense. A "felt sense" is a bodily-felt experience of a whole situation that exists before you can put it into words. Gratitude for the Past Write a letter of gratitude to each of your past dogs, who are no longer with you. Take...

    If you feel your nervous system needs a reset, try one or more of the following: 1. Slow down. Gentle, mindful, and deliberate movements signal safety to your nervous system and the nervous systems around you. 2. Check in with your internal state, are you feeling flighty and stimulated, shut down and dissociated, or grounded and calm? Bringing awareness to your state can also bring compassion and understanding.  3. Give yourself a squeeze for containment, right hand under the left armpit, and left hand on the right shoulder. 4. Hum or sing your favorite song to self-soothe. 5....

The Sleep/Stress Cycle The often overlooked issue of getting enough quality sleep could be the missing key to regulating your dog's nervous system. As many of us have experienced at some point in our lives, it's difficult to get the proper quality and quantity of sleep when we are chronically stressed. And so we sometimes get "trapped" in a cycle where stress keeps us from sleeping, and then lack of sleep keeps us in a state of stress. This is why it is so important to focus on our dog's and our own healthy sleep habits.  Getting into a state...

  When the Student is Ready, the Teacher Appears Does your dog push your buttons? Do you ever feel an exaggerated reaction to your dog's behavior? Downright triggered? Your most uncomfortable emotions can be activated and mirrored by your dog. Your shadow self might be unconsciously projected into your dog. Your unhealed inner child. Your refusal to accept the truth or the reality of your current situation. One of the simplest practices (not necessarily easy, but straightforward) is to write your dog a letter of gratitude. This can help you process the emotions coming up around your dog's behavior. This...