The Whole Dog · Live online classes with Lorrie J. Harris
Your dog was fine a second ago.
Then a dog appeared at the end of the road, and the dog beside you became one you hardly recognized. Two small live classes with me, six weeks each: one for the moment before the bark, one for the long way back to calm.
Phase One: Wednesdays from Dec 9 · Phase Two: Saturdays from Dec 12
$420 a phase, or $780 for both · Live online · Small group of about a dozen
Joining the list does not take payment, enroll you, or reserve a place.
Three short films · about forty seconds each
The Whole Dog, in three short films.
Read this film
A person and a dog stand on a road at dawn. Far ahead, another dog appears. The leash goes tight, and a dotted line shows where the dog has been looking.
The Whole Dog · Phase One. Your dog was fine a second ago. The leash went tight first. Your dog had been watching for some time.
Less about the bark. More about what came before it. Room to choose, where Phase One works: 1. Pace changes. 2. Head turns, eyes fix. 3. Answers come slower. The story is nearly over: 4. Leash goes tight. 5. The bark.
From noticing to choosing. 1. Before the Reaction. 2. Communication Beyond the Leash. 3. Making Room. 4. When Familiar Skills Become Difficult. 5. Beyond Wearing Your Dog Out. 6. Finding Your Way Back. Each one moves your attention a little earlier, until the moment before the bark becomes a place you can stand in.
Phase One. Before the reaction. Six live classes. Wednesday evenings, 6:00–7:30 p.m. Eastern, from Wed, Dec 9. $420. Join the interest list: 90days.coachingcaninecompanions.com/whole-dog · (401) 249-4200.
Read this film
A quiet room at dusk: a closed door, a leash on its hook, and a dog standing at the window, looking out.
The Whole Dog · Phase Two. The walk ended an hour ago. Your dog is still out there. The door is closed and the leash is on its hook, yet your dog has not landed.
The long way back. A line drawing of how stirred up a dog is over time: calm, then the hard moment, then a long way down through 1. pacing, 2. watching the window, 3. lying down, getting up again, and 4. landed. The long way back is where Phase Two works. An illustration, not a measurement. Each dog’s way back has its own length.
The way back to calm. 1. Coming Home and Recovery. 2. Helping Without Adding More. 3. Invited Touch and the Right to Leave. 4. Recovery Through Gentle Movement. 5. Choosing the Next Step. 6. A Recovery Rhythm for Ordinary Life. Live online, 90 minutes each.
Phase Two. The way back to calm. Six live classes. Saturday mornings, 10:00–11:30 a.m. Eastern, from Sat, Dec 12. $420. Join the interest list: 90days.coachingcaninecompanions.com/whole-dog · (401) 249-4200.
Read this film
A person and a dog stand where a path divides. One way leads toward the rising sun; the other leads toward a house with a lit window.
Which one is yours. Start with your hardest moment. Which part of the day asks the most of you?
Phase One: the moment before the reaction. Six live classes, Wednesday evenings from Wed, Dec 9. $420. Phase Two: the long way back to calm. Six live classes, Saturday mornings from Sat, Dec 12. $420. Each phase stands on its own, and neither is required before the other.
What comes with each phase. Six live classes with me, 90 minutes each, in a small group. Written teaching articles, to read at your own pace and return to when you need them. Audio versions of every article, for the days when listening fits better than reading. Cinematic teaching videos, prerecorded and separate from the live classes. Learning handouts: Illustrated Field Guides, private worksheets with sample answers, Accountability Check-ins, Reader Versions and a six-chapter phase book. A debrief after each class, emailed to the group, gathering what we worked through. The live classes are not recorded. Private worksheets stay private. Your dog does not have to perform on camera.
Both phases. If it is both: $780 for twelve live classes. $840 separately; you save $60. Phase One begins Wed, Dec 9. Phase Two begins Sat, Dec 12. Either one may be taken on its own.
“What usually changes first is not the dog. It is where you look.” Lorrie J. Harris. Join the interest list: 90days.coachingcaninecompanions.com/whole-dog · (401) 249-4200. Joining the list does not take payment, enroll you, or reserve a place.
On ordinary walks
You have seen this.
The leash went tight first.
Your hand felt it before your eyes found the reason. Only afterward did you see the other dog, half a block away, the one your dog had been watching for some time.
The walk at 5 a.m.
You go out earlier now, while the street is still dark and no one comes around the corner. It works, mostly. It also means the whole day is arranged around who you might meet.
A different dog.
An hour ago your dog was soft and easy on the couch. Then another dog appeared at the end of the road, and the dog beside you became one you hardly recognized.
“Just correct him.”
Someone you trust said it kindly. You nodded. Part of you knew it did not fit the dog you live with, even if you could not yet say why.
Why it keeps happening
Less about the bark. More about what came before it.
The bark is the part everyone remembers. What came before it is usually quieter: a change in pace, a turn of the head, a body that stopped answering as easily as it had a moment ago. By the time the bark arrives, the story is nearly over. Phase One spends its time earlier, in the stretch where there is still room to choose.
“Think back to a difficult walk. What changed first: your dog’s pace, where they looked, or how easily they responded? Choose one detail to notice next time, without creating a difficult encounter.”
A teaching example from Phase One
In class, we work through everyday situations, compare possible next steps, and look at what changes. The teaching is live, so the moments you bring shape the conversation.
How it changes · Phase One
From noticing to choosing.
Six classes, in order. Each one moves your attention a little earlier, until the moment before the bark becomes a place you can stand in.
Before the Reaction
Learn to see the small changes that come first: pace, where your dog looks, how easily they answer you.
Communication Beyond the Leash
Practice what your body, pace and voice are already telling your dog, so the leash is not the only thing speaking.
Making Room
Practice using distance, angle and timing to give your dog more space while there is still time to use it.
When Familiar Skills Become Difficult
Look at why the things your dog knows well at home can slip out of reach outside, and how to ask in ways your dog can still answer.
Beyond Wearing Your Dog Out
Explore what, besides more exercise, helps a body arrive at the walk with room to spare.
Finding Your Way Back
Practice what to do after a hard moment, so one difficult encounter does not decide the rest of the walk.
After the hard moment · Phase Two
The walk ended an hour ago. Your dog is still out there.
There is a second hard part, and fewer people talk about it. The door is closed and the leash is on its hook, yet your dog has not landed. They pace, or watch the window, or lie down and get up again. And you hover nearby, unsure whether to help or to leave them be.
Coming Home and Recovery
Learn what recovery looks like in your own dog, and how long it really takes.
Helping Without Adding More
Practice telling the difference between help that settles and help that becomes one more thing to process.
Invited Touch and the Right to Leave
Practice offering contact your dog is free to accept or decline, and reading the answer.
Recovery Through Gentle Movement
Explore when quiet, gentle activity helps a body come back to itself.
Choosing the Next Step
Practice deciding when to offer gentle activity, invite contact, or leave more room.
A Recovery Rhythm for Ordinary Life
Build a simple rhythm that gives recovery a place in an ordinary week.
Permission-based bioenergy balancing is part of the teaching, not a promise of medical treatment.
Which one is yours
Start with your hardest moment.
Each phase stands on its own, and neither is required before the other. Choose by the part of the day that asks the most of you.
Phase One
If the hardest part is before the reaction
$420 six live classes
nine teaching hours
Wednesday evenings from Dec 9
Reactive and highly anxious dogs: seeing the moment before the bark, and what you can do while there is still room.
See Phase One topics, schedule, and class details
Join the Interest ListPhase Two
If the hardest part is the long way back to calm
$420 six live classes
nine teaching hours
Saturday mornings from Dec 12
Passive and active recovery: what helps after the hard moment, and when to step back.
See Phase Two topics, schedule, and class details
Join the Interest ListBoth phases
If it is both · The Whole Dog, complete
$780 twelve live classes
eighteen teaching hours
Saving $60 against $840 separately
The moment before, and the long way back, with the learning materials for both phases.
Join the Interest ListEnrollment is for a complete six-class phase, or both phases, rather than drop-ins.
How the learning works
What comes with each phase.
- Six live classes with me, 90 minutes each, in a small group. The situations you bring shape the conversation.
- Written teaching articles to read at your own pace and return to when you need them.
- Audio versions of the articles for the days when listening fits better than reading.
- Cinematic teaching videos, prerecorded and separate from the live classes.
- Learning handouts: Illustrated Field Guides, private worksheets with sample answers, fillable Accountability Check-ins, Reader Versions, visual examples with text equivalents, and a six-chapter phase book.
- An emailed debrief after each live session, gathering what we worked through, written for the group.
The live sessions are not recorded. Private worksheets stay private, and sending a check-in does not promise individual feedback or private consultation.
Before you decide
How enrollment works.
The interest list comes first. Joining it does not take payment, enroll you, or reserve a place. Enrollment details will be shared before you decide, and enrollment is for a complete six-class phase, or both phases, rather than drop-ins.
- If you miss a class: the live classes are not recorded. Each phase also includes an emailed debrief after every class, written teaching articles with audio versions, and prerecorded teaching videos.
- On camera: your dog does not have to perform on camera.
- Not sure which phase? Choose “Help me choose” on the form below.
Your teacher
Lorrie J. Harris
I care most about what happens before a behavior becomes obvious: the small change in a dog’s body, the pace of the person beside them, the question that becomes clearer when we take our time. I teach every one of these classes myself.
“What usually changes first is not the dog. It is where you look.”
Lorrie J. Harris, founder of Coaching Canine Companions
U.S. Navy veteran · Dogs since 1990 · Master Dog Trainer through National K-9 · AKC Approved CGC Evaluator · AKC Fit Dog Certified · North Kingstown, Rhode Island
Dates and times
Two schedules, December into January.
Each class is live online and runs 90 minutes. Phase One meets on Wednesday evenings. Phase Two meets on Saturday mornings. Either phase may be taken on its own, and both schedules are set.
Phase One · Wednesday evenings
Reactive and highly anxious dogs · $420 · 6:00–7:30 p.m. Eastern · No class December 23
| Class | Date | Time (Eastern) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wed, Dec 9, 2026 | 6:00–7:30 p.m. |
| 2 | Wed, Dec 16, 2026 | 6:00–7:30 p.m. |
| — | Wed, Dec 23, 2026 | No class |
| 3 | Wed, Dec 30, 2026 | 6:00–7:30 p.m. |
| 4 | Wed, Jan 6, 2027 | 6:00–7:30 p.m. |
| 5 | Wed, Jan 13, 2027 | 6:00–7:30 p.m. |
| 6 | Wed, Jan 20, 2027 | 6:00–7:30 p.m. |
Phase Two · Saturday mornings
Passive and active recovery · $420 · 10:00–11:30 a.m. Eastern · No class December 26
| Class | Date | Time (Eastern) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sat, Dec 12, 2026 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
| 2 | Sat, Dec 19, 2026 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
| — | Sat, Dec 26, 2026 | No class |
| 3 | Sat, Jan 2, 2027 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
| 4 | Sat, Jan 9, 2027 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
| 5 | Sat, Jan 16, 2027 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
| 6 | Sat, Jan 23, 2027 | 10:00–11:30 a.m. |
Tell me which class interests you.
Choose one phase, choose both, or ask me to help you choose, and you will hear about the classes you selected.
Not ready to choose? Start here.
Free from Phase One, Lesson One
Before the Reaction: a Visual Field Guide.
Six illustrated pages (read more about the Field Guide) that slow one ordinary walk down to the moment the sniffing stops, so you can practice noticing and choosing without putting your dog into a hard encounter.
- What changed first, and why that sentence is more useful than “my dog is being difficult.”
- How to tell a route that looks open from a route you can actually use.
- Why your invitation and your dog’s response are two separate events.
- One small observation to carry home on your next ordinary walk.
Where should I send it?
While it opens, here is a short look inside Phase One.
Join the Phase One interest listIf your dog has a bite history, or you are worried about safety right now, a group class is not the right place to begin. Let’s have a chat first, and we will find the right next step together, beginning with a Meet & Greet.
A few things you may be wondering
Questions about The Whole Dog.
What is The Whole Dog?
The Whole Dog is a series of small live online classes taught by Lorrie J. Harris of Coaching Canine Companions. Phase One, for guardians of reactive and highly anxious dogs, is six 90-minute classes on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Eastern, beginning December 9, 2026. Phase Two, on passive and active recovery, is six 90-minute classes on Saturdays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Eastern, beginning December 12, 2026.
Who is The Whole Dog for?
Guardians of reactive and highly anxious dogs, and of dogs who take a long time to settle after a hard moment. Phase One is for the moment before the reaction: seeing what comes before the bark, while there is still room to choose. Phase Two is for the long way back to calm: what helps after the hard moment, and when to step back. Classes are live online, so you can join from anywhere. If your dog has a bite history, or you are worried about safety right now, a group class is not the right place to begin; tell Lorrie first.
When does Whole Dog Phase One meet?
Phase One meets on Wednesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Eastern on December 9, 16, and 30, 2026, and January 6, 13, and 20, 2027. There is no class on December 23.
When does Whole Dog Phase Two meet?
Phase Two meets on Saturdays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. Eastern on December 12 and 19, 2026, and January 2, 9, 16, and 23, 2027. There is no class on December 26. Either phase may be taken on its own.
How much does The Whole Dog cost?
Phase One is $420 for six 90-minute live virtual classes. Phase Two is $420 for six 90-minute live virtual classes. Both phases together are $780 for twelve classes and eighteen teaching hours, saving $60 compared with $840 separately.
Who teaches The Whole Dog, and how are the classes held?
Lorrie J. Harris of Coaching Canine Companions teaches every session herself, live and online. Each phase is six 90-minute virtual classes in a small group; Phase One is limited to around a dozen guardians. Your dog does not have to perform on camera.
Do I need to take Phase One before Phase Two?
No. Each phase stands alone, and Phase One is not a prerequisite for Phase Two. Enrollment is for a complete six-class phase, or both phases, rather than drop-ins.
Are Whole Dog classes recorded?
No. The live sessions are not recorded. Separately, each phase includes written teaching articles, audio versions of the articles, cinematic teaching videos, learning handouts, and an emailed debrief after each live session. The teaching videos are prerecorded and are not recordings of the live sessions. The debrief is not personalized private coaching.
Is The Whole Dog the same as Canine Sensory Connection?
No. Canine Sensory Connection is self-paced learning at home, with no calls. The Whole Dog is a separate series of live virtual classes. You do not need one before the other.
Is there something free I can start with?
Yes. Before the Reaction is a free six-page Visual Field Guide from Phase One, Lesson One, written by Lorrie J. Harris. Ask for it here and it opens right away.
What if my dog has a bite history?
A group class is not the right place to begin. Let’s have a chat first, and we will find the right next step together, beginning with a Meet & Greet.
Can I enroll now?
Not yet. Both schedules are confirmed: Phase One begins Wednesday, December 9, at 6 p.m. Eastern, and Phase Two begins Saturday, December 12, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Enrollment details are still to come. Joining the interest list does not take payment, enroll you, or reserve a place.
What happens after I join the interest list?
Lorrie will follow up with you about the classes you selected, and enrollment details will be shared before you decide. Joining the list does not take payment, enroll you, or reserve a place.
What if I miss a class?
The live sessions are not recorded. Each phase also includes an emailed debrief after every live session, written teaching articles with audio versions, and prerecorded teaching videos.
Will The Whole Dog change my dog’s behavior?
The Whole Dog is a series of educational live online classes with Lorrie J. Harris. It teaches guardians what to notice and what choices are available before and after a hard moment. It is not a guarantee of any particular behavior outcome, and it is not veterinary or medical treatment. In Phase Two, permission-based bioenergy balancing is part of the teaching, not a promise of medical treatment.
Also from Coaching Canine Companions
Prefer to learn at home, at your own pace?
Canine Sensory Connection is a six-month, self-paced online scent work program for anxious, reactive, and restless dogs. The 90-Day Field Immersion offers structured work on everyday handling and behavior.
Explore Canine Sensory Connection →Explore the 90-Day Field Immersion →
Also available: The Whole Dog 52-week membership offers one cinematic lesson and one simple take-along exercise each week. Start with a free first week; then $39/month, cancel anytime, or $390 paid in full. The sequence ends after Week 52, with no automatic renewal. Share your interest.
Not sure which fits? Ask me first.
A flexible way to keep learning
The Whole Dog, week by week.
The 52-week membership begins whenever you’re ready. Each week brings one cinematic lesson and one simple take-along exercise to help you notice your dog and practice in ordinary life.
- Your first week is free.
- Then choose $39 per month, cancel anytime, or $390 paid in full.
- The sequence ends after Week 52; it does not automatically renew.
Ask for membership details.
Leave your name and email, and Lorrie will follow up when membership enrollment details are available.
The Whole Dog is educational. It is not a guarantee of any particular behavior outcome, and it is not veterinary or medical treatment.