Photo shows Sharon, a white human wearing a white top and teal leggings sitting on the floor with hand palm up, as a large black-and-white dog reaches with their paw. We see nail clippers and a toothbrush case on the ground nearby.
 

Collaborative Care Coaching 

Build connection, ease, and mutual understanding with your dog – through a 6-session, 1:1 coaching experience rooted in nervous system healing and relational repair.

All coaching services begin with a FREE 30-minute virtual Affinity Call so we can see if we’re a good fit for working together.

Co-Regulation Coaching is offered on a tiered, class-equitable, pay-what-supports-you pricing scale.

Learn more here.

A few summers ago, after a morning of play with friends, I noticed Muggins’s ears looked red. My stomach dropped. I knew this might mean an infection – but also that ear care was one of Muggins’s least favorite activities.

I held the bottle of ear cleaner in one hand, and a plate of finely chopped steak in the other, as I tried to ignore my rising panic. Muggins sniffed the steak, then eyed the bottle. They whined – torn between wanting the food and avoiding what they feared. I agonize. Even on our best days, hygiene care was a struggle.

My mind spiraled as my inner critic took over – You call yourself a behavior pro? You can’t even keep your dog’s ears clean!

Overcome with urgency and a belief that I knew best, I made a mistake. Muggins said “no”. I cleaned their ear anyway.

They ate the steak. An ear infection never developed.

But something broke that day: trust.

Muggins wouldn’t come near me with a cotton pad or ear cleaner in sight. They flinched when I touched their ears. My dog – who needed my care - didn’t trust me.

I knew something had to change. And it wasn’t Muggins. It was me.

I studied cooperative care and consent practices. I adapted our hygiene activities. I learned how to care for my own nervous system, better. I practiced listening more deeply – to Muggins, and to myself. I learned to honor a no, and I learned to say thank you.

Today, Muggins asks for Care Time every morning after breakfast. They deliberately place their chin on a chair – our signal for “I’m ready”. Some days, Muggins agrees to let me wipe their ears. Other days, Muggins says “no”.

Either way, I say, “thank you” and we move on.

If you’ve ever struggled to care for your complex dog – or had a moment where urgency overrode your values, and you walked away with guilt – you’re not alone. This isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being present.

Imagine that you’re holding a cotton pad – or nail trimmers or some medicine. Your dog sees it – and chooses to stay. Your body is calm. Whatever happens next, your dog feels safe, and you feel trusted.

This is more than just dog care strategies. It’s nervous system attunement, relational repair, and a path to deeper partnership.

In our sessions, we won’t push past discomfort.
We’ll slow down.
You’ll learn what your body needs, what your dog is communicating, and how to build trust one choice at a time.
You’ll have support the entire way.

Together, we’ll build the skills and safety that let both you and your dog say “yes” with trust.

That’s what Collaborative Care Coaching is all about.

I’ve got you! Over six, 60-min, virtual sessions, we will collaborate to cultivate a structure and vocabulary for collaborating with your dog so that you can:

  • turn hygiene care struggles into easeful rituals that both you and your dog enjoy

  • protect your (and your dog’s) peace by setting boundaries without guilt or awkwardness

  • make decisions about your dog’s care that are grounded in integrity, not urgency

  • advocate for your dog to receive care that’s grounded in gentleness and mutual trust

  • invite others to interact with your dog in ways that feel safe and nourishing

  • accept your dog’s “no” without feeling anxiety, guilt, or shame

 

Here’s how you’ll get there:

1

You’ll learn 3 nervous system states and the Yes-No Spectrum for Behavior so you can understand why your dog says “yes” or “no”, recognize when your dog isn’t ready, and support your dog in feeling safe enough to try.

2

You’ll explore 9 nonverbal nervous system cues in both humans and dogs so that you can listen better to your own body and improve understanding of your dog’s communication.

3

You’ll learn Activity Analysis skills so you can break down tasks into steps, identify necessary body positions and tools, make modifications to accommodate various needs, and plan for teaching your dog or others what to do.

 

4

You’ll work with your dog to build “Start Button” cues and Pattern Games so they can opt in to hygiene care and medical treatment in a way that’s free of force, full of choice, and fun for both of you.

5

You’ll learn 3 frameworks for Somatic Consent (ie. Consent Wizardry’s Yes-No Spectrum, Planned Parenthood’s FRIES, and Betty Martin’s Wheel of Consent) so you can feel your boundaries, recognize power dynamics, ask for support, and say “no” to what doesn’t serve you or your dog.

6

You’ll practice Somatic (body-based) Strategies so you can reduce blocks of anxiety, shame, and urgency that get in the way of clear thinking and authentic collaboration.

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About the Program

  • Who is this for?

    This program is ideal for neurodivergent dog lovers - carrying the weight of trauma, grief, and burnout – who are ready to reconnect with themselves (and their dogs) to find a deeper sense of peace and aliveness.

    You will benefit from this program if you:

    ·      long for a partnership with your dog in which you both get to feel safe, respected, and connected

    ·      work professionally with dogs (ie. trainers, groomers, veterinarians, dog walkers, animal communicators, pet sitters, etc) 

    ·      provide Animal Assisted Interventions with dogs

  • What frameworks are used?

    This program draws from the following frameworks:

    • canine cooperative care & training

    • Planned Parenthood’s FRIES guidelines for consent

    • The Yes-No Spectrum for humans and dog behavior

    • The Wheel of Consent

    • trauma-informed nonviolent communication

    • neuroscience of human-animal interactions

  • What methods are used?

    We’ll start each session with a grounding exercise (ie. guided breathing, movement, gentle touch). I’ll ask you to share updates, questions, struggles, or wins. Then, we’ll identify your main priorities and work the rest of the session to address those.

    Some methods I use to help you build knowledge and skills include:

    ·      dynamic interactive education

    ·      role play

    ·      activity analysis

    ·      video review

    ·      guided movement and breathing

    ·      guided practice with your dog in real time

    ·      engagement in real-life practical skill building exercises

    ·      collaborative brain storming and problem solving

    ·      empathic reflective listening

    ·      reflective questioning

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Through investing in yourself and your dog, you will receive a recording of each session, worksheets to guide you in recognizing when your body and your dog are saying “yes” or “no”, links to training tutorials, and text support to ask questions and receive encouragement between sessions.

Ultimately, a lifestyle shift that transforms your relationship with your dog from struggle and chaos to peace and partnership.

 

FAQs

  • I use a combination of positive reinforcement and humane, force-free methods when building skills or addressing dog behavior, including:

  • All coaching and grief guidance services begin with a 30-minute virtual Affinity Call.

    During this call, we will discuss:

    • your goals/expectations to ensure that they’re realistic, specific, and can be accomplished through the services that I provide

    • any questions you have about my philosophy or process

    • why you want to do this work

    During this call, we will NOT discuss:

    • what I think of your dog’s behavior

    • advise for how to change or manage your dog’s behavior

    You can schedule your Affinity Call here.

  • Yes! Working together requires that we establish an agreement that clearly defines goals, expectations, and the logistics of our work. Intake paperwork also includes assessments to measure your quality of life, your dog’s sensory processing patterns, and an objective measure of your dog’s behavior.

    Paperwork includes:

    *All paperwork is filled out and transferred between us using secure and private software.

  • Most of my work is conducted virtually, via Zoom. You will access our sessions via a cell phone, tablet, or computer from the comfort of your own home.

    I find virtual coaching and consultations to be beneficial for a variety of reasons, including:

    • accessibility for humans who live in rural areas or at far distances from me

    • accessibility for humans experiencing chronic fatigue; post-traumatic stress; sensory processing differences; difficulties with attention and memory; or limited space inside the home

    • ensuring that the focus of our work is on building YOUR skills and enhancing YOUR relationship with your dog

    • minimizing stress on dogs who display fear and anxiety around unfamiliar humans

    • less stress on my sensory system, which allows for me to use the full capacity of my clinical reasoning, communication, and empathic skills

  • Yes. I will meet with you inside your home when:

    • you live within 30 miles of me (in the Albany, NY greater capital region)

    • it is not possible to effectively evaluate your dog’s behavior via virtual consultation

    • technological, physical, cognitive, or sensory limitations prevent you from otherwise accessing this work

    In-home visits incur a travel fee. This fee is the same rate as your regular pricing tier, prorated for the amount of time it takes me to travel to your home and back. See pricing tiers here.

  • When I interact with your dog, I am gathering information on only 2 things: how your dog interacts with an unfamiliar human, and how your dog behaves when an unfamiliar human is in their home. This information may or may not be useful to understanding the issue for which you are coming to me for support.

    In order to truly understand your dog’s behavior, it is necessary to gather information in a variety of ways, using a variety of methods, including:

    • interviewing you and your family, and reviewing your answers on a questionnaire

    • using standardized assessment tools and questionnaires

    • observing videos* of your dog’s behavior in different environments

    • observing your structured or unstructured interactions with your dog during virtual sessions

    • interviewing other humans who know your dog, including your veterinarian, dog walker, other dog health or behavior professionals you have worked with, daycare staff, and groomer

    *When the behaviors in question involve aggression or anxiety, I will not review videos in which you specifically prompt your dog to behave in these ways just so I can see it. Aggression and anxious behaviors result out of stress to your dog, and there is no reason to cause stress to your dog just so I can see their response. If you have security camera footage or doorbell recording device footage, or happened to capture a behavior organically, then we can review that. But we will not purposely stress your dog to record their behavior.

  • Each coaching or grief guidance session is 60 minutes.

  • During each coaching session, we will begin by defining our goals for the session. This is often determined by you and whatever is a priority for your day or week. If you are not sure about the priority for the session, I will help you define this. From there, we choose a path depending on your needs, which may include:

    • processing a difficult situation by sharing what happened and using somatic (body-based) strategies to move through difficult feelings

    • problem solving a situation to identify how you can adjust the environment, communicate something to your dog, set a boundary, care for yourself or your dog differently, meet your and your dog’s needs better

    • build knowledge and skills in self-awareness, sensory processing, somatic consent, boundary setting, nervous system health, understanding dog communication

    • build skills and practice exercises with your dog (I will help you understand an exercise, set up your environment and camera, and then will observe you while you work with your dog so that I can tell you what you’re doing well, identify challenge areas, and help you make adjustments

    • build skills and practice exercises to help you budget your sensory needs, care for your needs, and manage stress

    • plan for how to incorporate learned knowledge and skills into your daily routine

  • Yes! This work requires that you dedicate time each day to building your awareness, knowledge, and skills. This work requires attention to your needs, your dog’s needs, and the relationship you are building together.

    Sessions are designed for building knowledge and skills, understanding patterns of behavior, problem solving, and planning for how to incorporate learned knowledge and skills into your daily routine.

    Homework is designed to help you build awareness of yourself and your dog, and to practice skills for yourself or with your dog that we learned in session.

    You will not make progress without bringing this work into your everyday life between sessions.

  • Sessions are priced on an income-based sliding scale.

    Please see my pricing page to learn about my sliding scale.

  • I accept payments via:

    • Venmo

    • PayPal

    • Apple Pay

    • Zelle

    • Cash App

    • credit card (through my site)