- SENSORY INTEGRATION, ADAPTED FOR DOGS
Training changes behavior. Behavior is a product of sensory processing.
This is where it starts.
An assessment and intervention model targeting improved wellness of our beloved high-drive, high-arousal dogs.
- WHAT'S MISSING -
We work hard to do right by our intense dogs. We teach them new skills. We modify existing behaviors that don't meet the demands of our modern day lifestyles. We enrich their lives. However, even the most dog-centered approaches can miss the mark on identifying what dogs truly need.
That gap is sensory: a set of needs that our current training plans overlook.
Some dogs do everything by the book and still seem unsettled.
Training - Teaches cues and shapes responses.
Behavior modification - Changes habits and emotions.
Sensory wellness - Builds new processing capacities.
Sensory Integration is a clinical body of work developed by Dr. A. Jean Ayres. This practice applies this frame of reference to our dogs, based on Jordan's doctoral education in occupational therapy. It's particularly suited to dogs bred and driven for demanding work, such as sport, competition, and adventure. Through this work, we’re freeing our dogs to be themselves while aiding the way they navigate the limitations of the human world.
As welfare-first dog professionals who prioritize behavior health, this practice involves addressing our dogs’ stress tolerance, emotional regulation, and capacity to connect socially with others. It’s time for us to take our work to the next level as we continuously put in the work to honor our dogs exactly as they are rather than asking them to be “less” to fit the mold.
- EVIDENCE-BASED, NOT INVENTED -
This theoretical framework comes from Sensory Integration, adapted for dogs.
- WHO THIS IS FOR -
Dogs built for more, and the people who work alongside them.
High-drive, working dogs
Dogs bred and driven to compete, adventure, or do serious work, and who need more than a training plan to feel settled in their own bodies.
The complicated dogs
Dogs labeled hard to read, easily overwhelmed, or carrying a mystery variable that behavior work alone hasn't resolved.
Guardians, alongside their trainer
People who want to understand their dog's needs in a new way, not just train around them.
Trainers and dog professionals
Positive-reinforcement-aligned, welfare-focused practitioners looking to add this layer to their own work.
- HOW IT WORKS -
A process developed over years of hands-on practice, now available beyond one city.
Evaluate
Listen to the dog in front of you through what their behavior tells you they need from you.
Adapt
Adjust what you're already doing with your dogs to add a sensory-informed lens to the gaps in our training processes.
Enrich
Go forward with a concrete foundation of how to show up best for your dog
- THE DOG WHO STARTED IT ALL -
ZUKO
Zuko is the Australian Cattle Dog whose story is proof of what's possible when we open our minds to go beyond training “by the book.”
Built from long-term work with people and their amped-up dogs.
- ABOUT THIS WORK -
This practice began as intensive behavior modification, refined after years of long-term follow up with each individual case. Now, it’s ready to reach beyond local audiences to equip other dedicated dog professionals with a sensory-informed lens to their work.
years developing this approach
12+
years in dog training
5+
- LEARN ON YOUR OWN TIME -
Prefer to learn at your own pace?
Recorded webinars on sensory wellness for dogs are available to watch anytime, no scheduling required.
Learn the what, why, & how of sensory integration framework applied to dogs for kinder and more effective behavior modification, dog training, and dog sports, including a 4 step process for adjusting what we're already doing with our dogs through a sensory-informed lens.
- THIS IS NEW, AND GROWING ON PURPOSE -
If this sounds like your dog, or your practice, say hello.
This work is still small by design. If it resonates, leave your name and email and you'll hear from me as it develops, no pressure, no mailing list spam.