Co-Regulation: An Intuitive Approach to Trauma Recovery for Both Ends of the Leash Wag Out Loud

Hello! This is Krista with Episode #185 on the Wag Out Loud pawdcast. Have you checked out all of the amazing trusted brands that I highly recommend? These are products that I've researched and tried that I know, like, and trust. Also products that will help your dog to thrive. So just go to WagOutLoud.com And check out the trusted brands section. And I've negotiated discounts for most of the products, so why not see what can make a difference in your dog's life? And don't forget to also check out the resources page as well. It's filled with some very important info for both you and your dog.

Many people think that with their dogs, tummy troubles, that itchy skin or infected ears are all a result of a food allergy. But true food allergies are really pretty rare, only affecting about 1- 3% of dogs. So most likely your dog's issues have developed over time and would be considered a result of a food intolerance. The main culprits of food allergies and intolerances are wheat, chicken, beef, and dairy, as well as additives and chemicals that are commonly found in highly processed dog food.

Welcome to the Wag Out Loud pawdcast, where we are obsessed with bringing you helpful tips on canine health care, nutrition, and overall wellbeing. If you'd like to support the show, check out the amazing online events, products and resources that I personally recommend on the Wag Out Loud website. I'm your host, Krista and I'm super excited to be bringing you yet another tail wagging episode.

Sharon Vincuilla is an occupational therapist who did her doctoral residency in the Los Angeles community-based mental health system. She developed group and individual programs for adults living with serious mental illness to support nervous system regulation, executive function, and participation in daily activities. Sharon also has  over 15 years experience as a dog trainer and behavior consultant, specializing in rescue rehab, anxiety, and aggression. Sharon has come to recognize that beneath the struggles of both dogs with behavior problems and adults with mental illness lie trauma, sensory hypersensitivity, and nervous system dysregulation. So, she started Human Canine Collaborative to offer virtual coaching and classes to teach humans how to support themselves AND their dogs through trauma recovery, reactive behavior modification, and stressful circumstances by learning how to co-regulate with each other.

Hi there dog lovers, how lucky are we to learn from today's guest, Sharon Vincuilla, and she is going to cover co-regulation; an intuitive approach to trauma recovery for both ends of the leash. So Sharon, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much, Krista. I'm really delighted to be here today,

I can't wait to learn from you. So before we get started, I'm going to ask you to introduce yourself. And just give us a little more about your amazing background and why you started the Human Canine Collaborative.

Sharon’s Background and Findings

Yeah, thanks for that prompt. My name is Sharon and my pronouns are she/her. And I'm a Doctor of Occupational Therapy and a Canine Behavior Consultant. I began my career in dog training, working as a dog trainer at a kennel facility doing boarding and training and group classes and private sessions. And at the same time, I was volunteering with my own dogs, taking them to visit nursing homes and children's courts and schools. And it was through that volunteer work that I got introduced to occupational therapy. And I decided to go back to school because I wanted to do animal assisted therapy, full time. And while I was doing OT, I specialized my training in community based mental health, as many mental health providers do, I was searching for more understanding of myself, and also wanting to be able to better support people who are struggling with various mental health conditions, who also live with dogs. And I noticed it through that work that there were a lot of people who found a lot of support fr