Wayfinder
Ongoing one-on-one coaching for dogs whose challenges are rooted in stress, emotion, and lived experience - not a lack of training.
Some dogs don’t need more cues.
They need context, support, and a plan that adapts as they do.
Wayfinder is long-term, individualized coaching for guardians who want to understand why their dog struggles, not just suppress the behavior — and who are committed to building safety, confidence, and agency over time.
Every dog has a story.
Wayfinder helps you write it well.
Behavior doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s shaped by a dog’s history, environment, nervous system, and daily experience of the world.
Wayfinder is built on the idea that meaningful change happens when we stop trying to “min-max” behavior and instead support the whole character. Perfectly optimized dogs are boring…and unrealistic. Real dogs are complex, adaptive, and worth understanding.
What Wayfinder Is:
Wayfinder is an ongoing coaching relationship that combines:
Thoughtful interpretation of behavior
Structured integration of skills into real life
Intentional support for your dog’s emotional and physical needs
This is not a preset program or rotating class. Your dog’s plan evolves week by week based on what’s actually happening — not what should be happening.
Wayfinder is for you if:
Your dog’s challenges are tied to stress, reactivity, fear, aggression, or difficulty coping with the world
You want long-term change, not surface-level compliance
You value understanding, nuance, and welfare alongside results
You’re open to adjusting environment, routines, and expectations - not just your dog
Wayfinder is not a good fit if:
You’re looking for a quick fix or a guarantee
You want a rigid, step-by-step program
You’re primarily focused on obedience
The Three Pillars of Wayfinder:
🧭 Interpretation
Understanding what your dog’s behavior is communicating - including stress signals, coping strategies, and patterns that aren’t obvious on the surface.
We look at behavior through the lens of emotion, history, environment, and reinforcement, so decisions are informed, not reactive.
🔗 Integration
Skills don’t matter if they don’t transfer to daily life.
Wayfinder focuses on helping you integrate training into your routines, environment, and relationship so progress is sustainable - not something that only works during “training time.”
🌱 Agency
Dogs do best when they have appropriate choices, predictability, and influence over their world.
Agency doesn’t mean permissiveness - it means teaching dogs how to engage, disengage, recover, and self-regulate in ways that actually work for them.
How Wayfinder Works
Wayfinder begins after Guidance, which establishes your dog’s initial plan and direction.
From there, Wayfinder becomes the place where that plan is refined, updated, and expanded week by week.
Each week includes:
A Feat
A targeted skill or practice directly related to your dog’s current challenge — such as disengagement, recovery, cooperative care, environmental navigation, or impulse modulation.Feats are chosen based on what will actually move the needle right now, not what looks impressive on paper.
A Stat Boost
A rotating focus on the underlying support systems that make behavior change possible. Stat Boosts cycle through six core areas that influence behavior and resilience. These are not “extras.” They’re the foundation that allows skills to stick and stress to come down.
✦ Weekly Plan Updates
Your training plan is reviewed and adjusted weekly based on:
What’s improving
What’s getting stuck
What your dog is telling us through their behavior
This is where Wayfinder differs from one-off consultations or static programs — the plan evolves as your dog does.
Why This Works:
Many behavior challenges persist not because the dog is “stubborn,” but because we’re asking them to operate without the support they need.
Wayfinder prioritizes:
Preventing rehearsal of unwanted behaviors
Stabilizing the nervous system before adding pressure
Building skills from easy to hard
Supporting the whole dog, not just the symptom
This is slower than forcing results. It’s also more durable.
Where Guidance Fits In:
Guidance is the doorway.
Wayfinder is the path.
Guidance provides:
A comprehensive assessment
A clear starting plan
With advantage - one month of focused coaching
Wayfinder is for clients who want to continue beyond that initial phase with deeper support, regular plan updates, and an ongoing coaching relationship.
Wayfinder is available to clients who have completed Guidance.
This allows us to build from a shared understanding of your dog and ensure Wayfinder is the right level of support.
Enrollment details are provided at the end of Guidance, if continuing support feels appropriate.
A Note on the Bigger Picture:
Not every dog needs lifelong intensive coaching.
Wayfinder is designed to support dogs while they’re in the trenches - building stability, confidence, and skills. As challenges resolve and life opens up, support can change shape.
For some teams, that eventually means stepping into more self-directed practice and community-based learning. For others, it means checking in when new challenges arise.
The goal is not dependency.
The goal is capability.
Ready to Begin?
If you’re not sure where to start, Guidance is the right first step.
If you’ve already completed Guidance and want ongoing, adaptive support — Wayfinder is where that work continues.
“Every dog has a story. Wayfinder helps you write it with intention, compassion, and clarity.”