Under Pressure: Meeting Sensitive Dogs Where They Are At

What happens when a dog is especially sensitive to pressure from the world around them? This course explores dogs who need us to meet them where they are, especially when physical space, touch, movement, social expectations, or environmental intensity become too much. Everyone has a personal space bubble, and for some dogs that bubble is bigger, more fragile, or more easily affected by past experience, individual personality, or genetic tendencies.

Using the L.E.G.S. framework, this presentation examines how pressure can build and how sensitive dogs may communicate discomfort long before they “overreact.” Participants will learn how to recognize signs of overwhelm, reduce unnecessary pressure, and build support plans that honor the dog’s current capacity. The goal is not to avoid life completely, but to create safer, more thoughtful pathways forward.