The Nervous System in a Dog Suit

This episode is a deep dive into the science behind your dog’s behavior—one that can genuinely change how you understand your dog. In this conversation, my guest Kristen Clarkson and I explore how the nervous system drives decision-making in dogs, why all living beings are motivated to maintain homeostasis, and what that really means for behavior. We unpack how dogs experience the world internally, how their emotional processing differs from ours, and what we can do to help regulate and support their nervous systems. We also get into big, often misunderstood topics—like internal sensory input (interoception), the role of arousal and emotional valence, and how much we truly understand about behavioral medications in dogs. Kristen Clarkson holds a PhD in immunology and currently works as a neuroimmunologist in therapeutic drug development for neurological autoimmune diseases (for ex. MS). She specializes in how the immune system and nervous system interact with each other and how therapeutic drugs impact each of these systems in different disease settings. Although not her primary area of research, Kristen also has a special interest in affective neuroscience and understanding how the nervous system interprets both external and internal sensory inputs, leading to subsequent action/behavior. And as if that weren’t enough, Kristen has spent over 20 years competing in agility with her Kelpies at a national level and has taught agility for many years, giving her a practical, hands-on understanding of canine behavior. I first met Kristen in October 2023 at a workshop Phyllis Smuland and I taught in Virginia. She later joined me again in May 2024 for the FFD workshop in New Mexico. For this episode, Kristen also created visual slides to support our discussion. You can view them on my YouTube channel, What Dogs Have Taught Me, under the podcasts playlist. Look for the Nervous System in a Dog Suit podcast. One of the most powerful visuals explores the relationship between homeostasis, arousal, and valence—a concept that may completely reshape how you think about behavior. Link to podcast on Youtube: https://youtu.be/6CsL9-LHIGA