Welcome to Calm-First 101

Before we touch a leash, we need to talk about state. Most dog-training frustration comes from working on cues while your dog is already over threshold. Calm-First flips the script: we build a calm baseline first, and then shape behavior on top of it.

What you'll learn in 7 days

• A 60-second co-regulationco-regulation breathing reset
• The leash-reset protocol for pulling and lunging
• How to spot an arousal spike 30 seconds before it happens
• When to stop a training session (the hardest skill)

The gear I recommend for this course

The printable playbook + quick-reference cards make the whole thing click faster — I bundle them together as the Starter Kit:

And for markermarker training, one consistent clicker beats your voice every time. Any clicker works; this is the one I use with Max: