Both Ends of the Leash

23/09/2025

The importance of Welfare In Working Animals.

Since BEOTL started our Assistance Dog And Hander Coaching program, welfare has always been apart of its foundation.

As the years have gone by and the program has developed, welfare now stands as one of the pillars on which the program is built.

Because you can't have bond, regulation and safety, without welfare.

Our assistance dogs have a very important job to do, but just like humans, their job is not who they are, it's what they do.

To meet the requirements of being in our program, one of the essential standards to be met by teams is welfare.

This goes beyond the baseline of access to food, water and a safe place to rest, beyond physical wellbeing, such as taking your dog for a walk. It means ensuring their body and mind are cared for through enrichment that meets each dog's individual needs, as well as having back-up plans in the place for when the handlers capacity is limited.

Our dogs choose to help us because they adore us, we make sure every team knows it's just as important to adore them.

They aren't just here to work for us, they are apart of us, our lives and our families and just as make sure our own needs are met, we also make sure the dogs' needs are met too.

At the moment our Assistance Dog and Handler Coaching program is full.
However, our waitlist open via our webiste for when a spot becomes available in your area.

09/06/2025

🌟 We're Hiring : Associate Trainer / Coach🌟
•Are you a dog trainer / coach who truly understands both ends of the leash?
•Do you believe training should be about connection, not control - about coaching, not correcting?
At Both Ends of the Leash, we're looking for someone who’s as passionate about understanding human and dog psychology as they are about building trusting, respectful relationships.

We're inviting expressions of interest for a subcontractor Associate Trainer/Coach to join our team across Brisbane, Ipswich, and the Gold Coast.
This is not your typical training job.
We're looking for someone who:
🐾 Uses positive reinforcement and relationship-centred methods
🐾 Understands or wants to deepen their understanding of trauma-informed practice and nervous system regulation (for humans and dogs)
🐾 Has experience working with clients with disabilities or complex needs
🐾 Knows how to adapt rather than force and values coaching the human as much as training the dog

This role offers:
✨ Ongoing mentorship and support
✨ Immediate client referrals
✨ The chance to grow with a heart-led business that honours individuality, autonomy, and lived experience
✨ A values-driven community that believes in real change through presence, compassion, and curiosity
This is a long-term opportunity for someone who’s open-minded, collaborative, and committed to creating change not just in how dogs are trained, but in how humans are supported, too.

If you are wanting to know more please
Visit our website and submit your expression of interest via the contact form:
👉

Expression of Interest Open: Both Ends of The Leash is looking for their next Associate Trainer / Coach for Both Ends of the Leash.

25/04/2025

Today, on Anzac Day, we pause to remember and honour all who have served and continue to serve. We reflect with gratitude and respect.

Lest We Forget.

24/04/2025

April is Autism Month.
(Awareness, Acceptance, Understanding, Celebration, Inclusion)
Therefore this month, we’re sharing a 4-part series on how assistance dogs support their autistic handlers. From creating connection to helping with emotional regulation, focus, routine, and unconditional acceptance.
We will explore these incredible connections together, part 4:

Unconditional Acceptance in a Neurotypical World.

The world often expects neurodivergent individuals to fit into neurotypical norms, I’ve spoken many times with teams in discussion around how the language around neurodivergent labels are at most times solely given so the neurotypical brain can
"understand”. �However, this language and labelling can still come with a lack of understanding, it can also leave individuals feeling isolated and alone. ��Acceptance as we are, for who we are, is a lot of the time what all humans are searching for.��This can come with its challenges though for anyone. For those that perhaps got their diagnosis a little later on in life, They can at times find themselves pressured to fit in to societal norms for a long time, which can lead to depression, anxiety, burnout and isolation.

However, heres the good news.
Luckily, Our dogs don’t speak this language nor do they see labels. They don’t expect us to change, mask, or explain ourselves. They simply accept us, exactly as we are, for who we are.
In a world where that kind of acceptance can be hard to find, their presence reminds us that we belong just as we are.

Acceptance, curiosity and understanding creates connection and it can be hard when one feels unaccepted or misunderstood for who they are to accept themselves. When our dogs accept us for who we are as we are, they crack the door open for self acceptance, they give us the courage to be ourselves and to be accepted as ourselves.

This 👆🏼 is one of the greatest gifts they give us.

May we all learn to celebrate ourselves, our achievements, be kind to ourselves and see ourselves the way our dogs see us, with unconditional love and acceptance.

16/04/2025

April is Autism Month.
(Awareness, Acceptance, Understanding, Celebration, Inclusion)
Therefore this month, we’re sharing a 4-part series on how assistance dogs support their autistic handlers. From creating connection to helping with emotional regulation, focus, routine, and unconditional acceptance.
We will explore these incredible connections together, part 3:

Routine, Focus & Achievement

Having an assistance dog creates a natural rhythm in our daily lives. Whether it’s feeding times, training sessions, or daily walks, these routines help bring focus and structure. For many individuals, that sense of routine can be a grounding force.
�So why can a routine be so calming to the nervous system?
�Predictability Reduces Anxiety: �To those living with heightened senses, the fast paced world can feel unpredictable and overwhelming, therefore routines provide a sense of stability. Knowing what to expect allows for smoother transitions and lowers stress.

Cognitive Energy Conservation: �Due to constantly processing sensory input and social expectations, the neurodivergent brain can often experience decision fatigue or analysis paralysis, when someone can find themselves stuck in a loop of thought. Instead of moving forward, the brain gets overwhelmed by all the possibilities, making even simple decisions exhausting, A routine removes the need to constantly plan, making daily life more manageable.

Building Independence & Confidence:�Repetitive, structured activities with an assistance dog (such as training, scheduled outings, daily walks, grooming and activities) reinforce skills, build confidence, and create a sense of accomplishment.

Plus, assistance dogs can alert as a gentle external prompt for activities like taking breaks, getting fresh air, or even transitioning between tasks.

Having a dog to focus on when out in public (which itself as mentioned in previous posts can cause dysreulation to the nervous system) can create a presence of focus and therefore grounding.
When the handler and the dog are connected and moving as one team, they are helping one another co regulate. Drawing in the awareness to one focal point of structure rather than the many different sensory pressures pulling the awareness in all different directions. ��The achievement that comes when a team complete their training and get to a level where they are working as one team, is truly a beautiful sight to see.
This sense of “oneness” between handler and dog creates a powerful connection. Instead of feeling pulled in multiple directions by overwhelming sensory input, the focus shifts to a shared rhythm, a calming presence in the chaos.
As this bond strengthens, so does the sense of achievement. Each small success, whether it's completing a daily routine, mastering a new skill, or simply navigating a tough moment together, reinforces confidence and self-trust.
Routine isn’t just about structure; it’s about creating a foundation for emotional balance, connection, and growth. When an assistance dog is part of that foundation, it becomes more than a routine it’s a bond between human and animal that creates independence, resilience, and understanding.

10/04/2025

April is Autism Month.
(Awareness, Acceptance, Understanding, Celebration, Inclusion)
Therefore this month, we’re sharing a 4-part series on how assistance dogs support their autistic handlers. From creating connection to helping with emotional regulation, focus, routine, and unconditional acceptance.
We will explore these incredible connections together, part 2:

Emotional Regulation & Sensory Overload
(They know before we do 🐕‍🦺)

One of the most powerful ways assistance dogs help their autistic handlers is through emotional regulation.
Interoception (internal awareness) is our ability to sense internal body signals like hunger, thirst, pain, temperature, and emotions. This signal awareness helps us regulate emotions, respond to physical needs, and maintain overall well-being.
For some humans, these signals might be delayed and aren’t felt/ connected to until it becomes extreme or urgent, which can in turn lead to a dysregualted nervous system as the body hasn’t had its needs met until theres an urgency involved. On the flip side, some experience interoceptive signals intensely. A "mild" pain might feel unbearable, or fluctuations in temperature might be distressing.��There can also be difficulty connecting emotions to body Signals. Humans can struggle to recognise the physical signs of emotions. For example, they may not notice their heart racing before realise they’re anxious, or they may only identify anger once they’re already overwhelmed.��Since interoception isn't always intuitive, many have to learn to check in with their bodies. This might include using reminders to eat or drink, practicing mindfulness techniques, or relying on external cues (such as an assistance dog alerting to stress or changes in breathing).��This is where our dogs come in. �As mentioned briefly last week our dogs are super sensitive to any changes in our emotional and physiological state. ��As a coach, through understanding the subtle changes in a dogs body language is usually a cue to the shift in the internal state of their handlers internal environment, I am able to work with the handler to help them understand these subtle cues that their dog is giving them to the slightest change in their interstate state. Connecting the dog’s alert to Interoceptive Awareness around the handlers needs.��Therefore long before the handler even realises that something is shifting within them, their dog Is able to pick up on it and together we can work on what is needed for that handler to regulate themselves in that moment. ��Rather than being in sensory overload/emotional deregulation and our dogs coming in to help us (although yes, we do this too, for the times when the earlier alerts are missed) we help our handlers understand and link the subtle alerts with a need that needs to be met. This approach overall helps the team together pause, reset, and navigate the moment with more control, they also provide something equally important consistency.
More on that next week..

03/04/2025

April is Autism Acceptance Month
Therefore this month, we’re sharing a 4-part series on how assistance dogs support their autistic handlers.
From creating connection to helping with emotional regulation, focus, routine, and unconditional acceptance.
We will explore these incredible human and animal connections together, starting with:

The Sensitivity Connection 💜

Our dogs are just as sensitive as we are.

Many autistic individuals experience the world in a heightened way. Sounds, textures, emotions, and energies can feel overwhelming.

Through my years of working with people and their dogs, I’ve seen firsthand how deeply sensitive our dogs are too. In some ways, they may even experience the world in a more intense way than we do.

When coaching people, I often say:
"Imagine being able to smell how everyone in this room is feeling, as well as the emotions of people who were here before. Then add in the sound of this environment being several times louder it would be sensory overload!"

And for our dogs, it often is. As our dogs can detect smells up to 100,000 times better than humans, Their hearing is four times more sensitive than ours, picking up frequencies we can’t perceive. Noises we find mildly irritating can be overwhelming to them.

This gives the handler the opportunity to engage in an experience of connection and empathy as they already understand how at times, overwhelming it can be to be on a heightened level of sensitivity to the environment they find themselves in.
Having a friend, companion, and confidant in this shared experience can help the humans feel less alone and gives us the opportunity to learn, instead of just teaching or trainingg our dogs, our dogs teach us.

They sense the smallest shifts in our emotions, our body language, and our environment reminding us to slow down, regulate, and listen not just to them but also to our own needs
It’s a true partnership built on mutual understanding.

We are bonded, not only just from love and understanding, also from a shared connection of experience. 💜 🐾

24/03/2025

“Why are you ignoring me?”

I hear this a lot when I’m out and about not just from clients, but from witnessing the general public with their dogs too.

But when we ask this question to our dogs, is it out of annoyance and irritation or are we really looking for the answer?

No one likes to be ignored, and when it comes to our dogs, it can feel especially frustrating.
However, If our dogs aren’t listening, it’s up to us to find out why.

So, why do our dogs ignore us?
Often, it’s about safety. Dogs are incredibly sensitive, intelligent beings. When they go into sensory overload, their autonomic nervous system kicks in, and their “listening ears” shut off.

What can you do if your dog seems to be ignoring you?

➡️ Create space. ⚠️
When a dog doesn’t feel safe, their autonomic nervous system kicks in, and their “listening ears” shut off there will usually be a trigger nearby. Giving them more space from the trigger (dog, bike, bird) helps expand their window of tolerance, allowing them to re-engage with you. Remember Each dog’s needs are different, including how much space they will need.

➡️ Use food. 🍖
If your dog won’t take food, you’re likely too close to the trigger their window of tolerance is shut, and they’re over-aroused ( fight or flight ) so if you offer food and they don't take it, by creating enough space so you get to the point where they’ll accept food can help you understand just how much space they need from their trigger in order to feel safe and be regulated around it.

➡️ Stay calm.
If you’re repeating commands in frustration, your dog won’t think it’s about them they’ll assume something is wrong in the environment. Staying calm helps them feel safer and more connected.

Side note : 🐕‍🦺
When it comes to assistance dogs, ignoring can be a whole different story.
These dogs are trained to tune into our needs whether they be psychological or physiological. If I they don’t respond to a command, it might be because they sense that the internal or external environment isn't safe / regulated and something needs to shift first before listening to what is being asked of them. They’re not ignoring me out of defiance they’re making a thoughtful decision based on the needs of the human

Your dog isn’t ignoring you on purpose they’re just doing their best to feel safe or, in the case of assistance dogs, to support you in the way they believe is best. By understanding this, you can strengthen your bond and communication.

19/02/2025

"If It’s Flooded, Forget It." ✖️

Most Australians recognise this life-saving phrase, especially during summer storm season. But as I saw it on a billboard today, my mind wandered (as it does) to how this applies when working with humans and their dogs. 🐶
Let’s explore the nervous system’s role in training and coaching—through the lens of "If it’s flooded, forget it."

Firstly let's do a quick recap on understanding the Autonomic Nervous System & the Window of Tolerance.
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates responses to stress through:

😖The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) triggers fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses.

😌The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) supports rest, recovery, and relaxation.

The Window of Tolerance (Dr. Dan Siegel) describes the optimal state for learning and engagement.
Within this window, we feel calm, alert, and in control.
When stress pushes us beyond it, we experience:

😣Hyperarousal (Fight or Flight SNS) felt through Anxiety, frustration, tension, or impulsivity.
🫥Hypoarousal (Freeze or Fawn too much PNS ): shown in Emotional shutdown, dissociation, or people-pleasing.

Now to pull it all together:
What Happens When the Nervous System is Flooded?
Flooding occurs when we’re pushed so far beyond our Window of Tolerance that cognitive functions—like reasoning, problem-solving, and learning—shut down. Instead, we default to survival responses:
For humans, this may look like:
•Feeling of paralysed by fear or frustration. (Analysis paralysis)
•Struggling to process information or make decisions. (Loss of executive functioning)
•Emotional overwhelm, leading to outbursts or shutdowns. (Dysregulation)

For dogs, this may look like:

•Barking, lunging, or attempting to escape.
•Freezing in place or refusing to engage.
•Shutting down completely, ignoring cues or disengaging from their handler.

When the nervous system is flooded, training and coaching are no longer effective. This is why "If it’s flooded, forget it" is so important—learning only happens when both human and dog are within their Window of Tolerance.
At Both Ends of the Leash, we focus on recognising early signs of an activated nervous system flooding and use techniques to bring teams back to a state where learning can happen—working with our handlers and their dogs, not against them.

05/11/2024

Sensory Dysregulation 🙇

What is it?

Sensory dysregulation refers to difficulties in managing or processing sensory input, which can include sounds, sights, smells, touch, and taste. People with sensory dysregulation may have strong reactions to certain stimuli or struggle to filter out unnecessary information. This can lead to feelings of overwhelm, anxiety, or even physical discomfort in environments that others might find typical.

So how can our dogs help with this?

There are many ways our dogs can provide support, and in this post, we’re going to explore the benefits of the technique known as tactile grounding.

Tactile grounding is a technique that uses touch to help a person stay present and focused. This can be as simple as petting a your dog or having your dog lean against you or apply light pressure to a part of your body.

It may seem counterintuitive to use tactile grounding when the senses are already overwhelmed.
However, if we can catch the overwhelm early, through our dog’s alerting to the initial signs, we can then introduce a strategy like tactile grounding to help bring ease back to the nervous system before it becomes more dysregulated.

28/10/2024

Disconnect & Reconnect. 🪢

Dissociation can appear across various diagnoses and disabilities.

The word "dissociation" can be broken down as follows:

• Prefix "dis-"
This prefix means "apart," "away," or "separation," suggesting a reversal or undoing. In this context, it indicates a separation from something.
• Root "associate"
The root word "associate" comes from the Latin associare, meaning "to unite with" or "join together," referring to being connected or linked with someone or something.
• Suffix "ion"
This suffix turns a verb into a noun, indicating the action or process of something.

So, "dissociation" literally means the process of separating or disconnecting from a relationship, idea, or experience. It can be a protective mechanism and varies from person to person. When the brain uses dissociation to protect itself from stress, it alters the neurochemical balances to create a sense of distance from reality.

How Can Dogs (ADs) Help with This?🦮•

Dogs can help in several ways.
Today, we're focusing on awareness and reconnection.
An Assistance Dog (AD) can often alert to different levels of dissociation based on their sensitivity to changes in the neurochemical balances.

By alerting the person-through specific behaviours when an alteration begins-the dog can bring awareness to the human at that critical moment.

The person can then engage with the dog, helping them return to the present moment.
This interaction provides first an interruption and then proceeds with grounding techniques through tactile contact like petting, pressure, or licking, helping the person move from the early stages of disconnection to reconnection.
We coach our handlers to notice these subtle changes within their dog's behaviour and within themselves.

Together, we create strategies that work best for each team, so when a dog begins to alert to dissociation, the handler can use the tools they've developed to stay present, grounded, and more regulated.

11/09/2024

The Art of Doing Nothing 🎨

For some Bunnings is a dream, it's a weekend regular, for others it's a a sensory nightmare.

At the beginning of a Teams journey, it's uncommon for handlers to sit in any environment for an extended period.
Before having an AD, the handler will often need to make quick visits to any shop / centre due to the sensory overload that disrupts their nervous system.
However, creating neutrality in different environments requires precisely that: sitting in one place with a regulated nervous system.

Our method involves balancing this by having both the handler and dog sit in a regulated state, then gradually increasing the intensity of the environment.
Meaning, if leaving the house is difficult, we practice that first before even attempting to go to the shops.

This approach gauges how the nervous systems of the team can adapt to the environmental pressure and slowly move forward when the team is ready.
Every handler and dog has unique needs.
By understanding the nervous system and creating a sense of safety, through trust and understanding we can slowly expand the tolerances for the handler and their dog.
This practice of "doing nothing" allows them to simply co-exist and observe the world around them, creating safety in various environments.

This method helps to re-wire the neural pathways of the handler, resetting the nervous system to experience new environments with a sense of calm and stillness first so movement after adjusting to the new environment is more gentle.

Video : Viz's first time in the Bunnings watching