Blog — polyvagal theory

  Guests for this podcast are brother and sister, Campbell and Nerida, who grew up immersed in the world of dogs at their family’s boarding kennels, where their mum bred and showed champion Borzoi and kept Staffies. After finishing school, Campbell wasn’t sure what direction to take, so he traveled the world before settling into a decade-long career in finance. Realising this was not a fulfilling career, he reignited his passion for dogs and decided to make it his life’s work. Campbell joined a mentorship program, and obsessively studied canine behavior, securing a job as a behavior trainer at Melbourne’s...

"Confidence Building" is one of those trendy phrases in dog training right now. But what types of activities actually build confidence and expand your dog's emotional capacity? I believe our dogs need physical challenges that come with real risks and rewards, as opposed to contrived challenges in controlled settings. What better way to give your dog a therapy session than to do some actual confidence building out in nature? Then you get the added bonus of some much needed forest bathing outside of the city, while providing small but real obstacles for them to conquer! Every time we go to...

In Peter Levine's "Trauma and Memory" he explains that successful renegotiation of traumatic memories is accomplished by navigating the stressful experiences that trigger those memories. This leads to a feeling of triumph and mastery, and thus resolution of the past. In this way, we can move forward in life with vibrant energy, no longer stuck in the old patterns that our autonomic nervous system keeps replaying (fight/flight/freeze & appease).So with a dog who is reactive, we have to create the same possibility of successful renegotiation. This is different from counter-conditioning. This takes the original triggering experience, allows the dog to...

The Somatic Hound Podcast is all about how to use somatic technology with your canine companion, helping you and your best doggie friend co-regulate and live a happy life together! I was honored to speak with Karishma Warr from Calm Canine Academy, all about biological fulfillment for your dog and how this affects their nervous system.     Subscribe on Spotify Support the show

  When you listen to your dog, your dog listens to you... But what does this actually mean? Your dog is like an outer manifestation of your nervous system. When you listen to your nervous system and practice good habits of self-care and self-regulation, your nervous system receives cues of safety. When you listen to your dog and respond to their need for connection and co-regulation, your dog receives cues of safety. Cues of safety calm the dog just like they calm your nervous system. Now we have a positive feedback loop. You are calm, your dog is calm, and...