Nervous Systems in Community
Nervous Systems in Community
The Practice of Care in Unsteady Times
If community is the trail, then regulation is how we stay on it.
Right now, many of us are moving through the world with our nervous systems running hot. The pace is relentless. The stakes feel high. There’s grief layered with anger, fear braided with love. Even when we’re showing up, staying informed, doing our best—our bodies may still be braced. Breath shallow. Shoulders tight. Sleep light.
Our dogs feel this before we ever name it.
Dogs are exquisitely attuned to nervous systems. They don’t need us to be calm all the time—but they do need us to be present, resourced, and supported. Nervous system care isn’t about eliminating stress or fixing emotions. It’s about creating enough safety—for humans and dogs alike—so stress can move through instead of getting stuck.
Co-Regulation: A Shared Language
Dogs are wired for co-regulation. They learn how to feel safe by borrowing cues from the nervous systems around them. When the world feels unstable, they look not just to us—but to the web of relationships surrounding them.
I think of my dear friend Karla and my god-dogs, Sadie and Ferdy. The way care flows between us without keeping score. We trade pet care, share meals, laugh until we cry, and yes—tell deeply unglamorous poop stories. The dogs are included in our plans, not managed around the edges. That consistency, that warmth, that humor? It regulates all of us.
This is co-regulation in real life. Not a technique—a relationship.
Sometimes co-regulation looks quiet. Sometimes it looks playful. Both matter.
When Humans Are in Fight or Flight
When our nervous systems are activated, we sometimes expect our dogs to “handle it better.” But dysregulation shows up in dogs as:
Increased reactivity
Difficulty settling
Clinginess or withdrawal
Changes in sleep, appetite, or tolerance
These aren’t failures. They’re communications.
Before asking your dog to calm down, it can help to pause and ask:
What does my body need right now?
What would help us both feel just a little safer?
Often, the answer isn’t more training—it’s more regulation.
Nervous System Regulators for Humans
Human nervous systems regulate through movement, expression, rhythm, and connection. These don’t need to be perfect or polished to be effective.
Some accessible regulators include:
Laughing — especially with others; it signals safety fast
Dancing — even for one song in your kitchen
Grounding — feet on the floor, hands on a tree, noticing five things you can see
Journaling — getting thoughts out of your head and onto paper
Stretching — slow, intuitive movement rather than “working out”
Meditation or breathwork — even 60 seconds counts
Regulation doesn’t have to be quiet or serious. Joy is a regulator. Play is a regulator. Shared laughter with a friend—or watching your dog do something ridiculous—absolutely counts.
Nervous System Regulators for Dogs
Dogs regulate through their bodies and senses. When we meet those needs, behavior often shifts without force.
Powerful canine regulators include:
Sniffing — on walks, in yards, on sniff mats
Licking — lick mats, frozen enrichment, gentle chewing
Chewing — appropriate chews that allow jaw release
Dissecting — tearing apart cardboard, paper bags, safe boxes
Foraging — scattering food, hiding treats, puzzle games
DIY enrichment boxes — cardboard boxes filled with paper, treats, and textures
These activities aren’t “extras.” They’re how dogs process stress, decompress, and feel safe in their bodies.
Sometimes the most supportive thing you can do for a stressed dog is lower expectations and increase enrichment.
Nervous System Care Is a Community Practice
One of the most powerful ways to support regulation—for dogs and humans—is to widen the circle of care.
Dogs were never meant to rely on one person for everything. Humans weren’t either.
I think of Beau, my first Fluff Scout, and his family. They recently bought a house, and now there’s a neighbor—Bart—who adores Beau. Dave will be working in his office, glance outside, and see Beau in the backyard playing with Bart. No transaction. No arrangement. Just trust, joy, and shared presence.
That matters.
Beau has multiple safe humans. His world feels bigger and steadier. And his people get to exhale, knowing their dog is loved beyond the walls of their home.
As a canine behavior coach, I often step into that circle—sitting with dogs while their guardians rest, travel, or simply recharge. That relief I see in humans when they know their dog is deeply cared for? That’s regulation happening in real time.
Environmental Care Is Nervous System Care
Our nervous systems are shaped by the environments we move through. Caring for the land is another way we create safety—for ourselves, our dogs, and each other.
Being in relationship with place slows us down. It gives us rhythm, repetition, and something steady to orient toward.
Grounding, community-based ways to engage include:
Community gardens — shared food, shared labor, shared care
Urban tree planting and stewardship — long-term investment in shade and calm
Neighborhood greenway and park advocacy — creating safer, slower places to walk and rest
Community composting — reconnecting to cycles of renewal
Environmental mutual aid projects — seed swaps, tool libraries, produce stands
These spaces support human regulation and give dogs rich sensory environments: soil smells, rustling leaves, shade, time.
Care Is Political, Too
Choosing nervous system care in a culture that rewards burnout is a quiet rebellion. It allows us to stay engaged—politically, socially, environmentally—without burning out or turning on each other.
If you have capacity, consider grounding your energy in collective action:
Join or support Portland DSA or RepresentUs
Volunteer with organizations like SOLVE
Attend a meeting, a cleanup, or a potluck—and bring someone new
And when you don’t have capacity? Rest is still part of the work.
Walking Forward, Together
Our dogs don’t need us to be unshakeable. They need us to be responsive, resourced, and in relationship.
Nervous system care isn’t a destination—it’s a shared practice. Built through laughter, dancing in kitchens, cardboard boxes full of treats, neighbors who show up, and dogs who remind us to slow down and sniff.
Widen the circle.
Move your body.
Let joy count.
Your dog already knows the way. 🐾
