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 Traditional Service Dog Training

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• Focus: Task-based support.

     Method: Classical conditioning (reward-based training).

• Dogs are trained to perform specific tasks:

  • Guiding the blind.

  • Alerting to sounds for the deaf.

  • Interrupting harmful behaviors (self-harm, panic).

  • Detecting medical states (low blood sugar, seizures).

 

• Human-dog relationship: Hierarchical. The human is handler/master; the dog is assistant/worker.

• Language: Clinical, behavioral, rooted in applied animal psychology.

• Goal: Reliability, consistency, predictability. The dog should perform tasks on command or when cues are present.

   

     RSAM (Resonant Service Animal Method)

• Focus: Emotional/spiritual co-regulation.

 

• Method:

  • Builds on the idea that dogs naturally sense human trauma and nervous system states.

  • Instead of “command training,” the work emphasizes resonance — dogs reflecting human states and humans learning from that feedback.

  • Uses metaphors like “Sacred Demolition” (the necessary breakdown of old patterns) to describe healing alongside the dog.

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• Human-dog relationship: Co-equal partnership. Both beings are in a field of healing; the dog is not “working for” the human but resonating with them.

• Language: Spiritual, energetic, trauma-informed.

• Goal: Transformation, presence, coherence — the human and dog enter a more aligned state together.

 

 

     Where they overlap

• Both recognize dogs’ sensitivity to human emotions and physiology.

• Both involve training to shape how a dog responds.

• Both aim to improve quality of life for the human (and ideally, the dog).

 

     Where they diverge

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• Traditional methods: task-reliability first, emotions second.

• RSAM: emotions/energetics first, tasks as a natural extension.

• Traditional sees the dog as a tool; RSAM sees the dog as a partner in mutual healing.

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    So: RSAM isn’t “impossible,” it’s more of a philosophical       expansion of what’s already known about service and therapy     dogs. It pushes beyond tasks into the realm of co-healing.

 

   Traditional Service Dog Training Session

  Goal: Teach the dog to interrupt a panic attack.

1. Set up → Trainer has the handler simulate a panic cue (like rapid breathing or rocking).

2. Task shaping → Dog is guided to nudge the handler’s hand or place paws on lap.

3. Reward → Immediate treat + praise when dog performs the behavior.

4. Repetition → Repeat the scenario until dog automatically does the task when cue appears.

5. Generalization → Practice in different environments until reliable.

 Focus: Consistency and obedience. Dog is trained to recognize a   specific signal and perform a specific action every time.

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 RSAM (Resonant Service Animal Method) Training Session

 Goal: Develop dog-human resonance during emotional stress.

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1. Settle together → Human and dog sit quietly, focusing on breathing, noticing each other’s presence.

2. Induce mild stress → Human recalls or allows a light trauma memory/emotional wave to surface.

3. Observe resonance → Notice how the dog reacts naturally (shifts posture, moves closer, looks away, paws, sighs).

4. Amplify awareness → Human reflects back: “I feel my heart racing, and I notice my dog has leaned in closer.”

5. Integration → Human lets go into the dog’s resonance — calming together. The “training” is in the mutual regulation, not commands.

6. Closure → End with grounding, gratitude, touch, and rest.

7.  Focus: Presence and co-regulation. Dog isn’t commanded; its natural attunement is acknowledged and reinforced. Over time, this deepens into a repeatable, intuitive partnership.

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 Key Difference in Practice

• Traditional: “Dog, do this when I panic.”

• RSAM: “Dog, let’s be present with what arises, and together find coherence.”

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One is about task performance, the other about shared state transformation.

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