If your dog sent YOU to training...
what support would you need?
Does this sound familiar? 😬
"I don't know if I can keep living this way with my dog."
"People say it's just a dog, but they're so much more than that to me."
"Everyone must think I'm an awful dog owner."
"I get so upset after a big reaction and can't get past it."
"I love my dog, but I don't always enjoy our life together lately."
"I didn't sign up for this when I brought my dog home."
Yeah, I thought so. 😔
Because, same.
I tried everything when Dio and I were struggling with anxiety, reactivity, and resource guarding.
Private training, group classes, socialization, meds, canine chiropractors, nutritionists, dog sports. You name it, we tried it.
But loving life with my dog still felt impossible, because the level of constant worry and stress was unsustainable.
I kept thinking, "How can I do this for the rest of his life?"
Until I finally asked myself, "What does my dog need from me?"
Everything changed with my dog when I started to focus less on his behavior, and more on supporting myself.
And I want to help you support your end of the leash too, through my signature program...
Coping With Canines
A therapist-created emotional support program offering three options for personalized guidance, evidence-based tools, and community connection to help you build emotional resilience with your dog.
Allison & Luci, joined 2024
This is mental health for dog people.
Created by a licensed therapist with a complex dog of her own, Coping With Canines nurtures the emotional wellbeing of your side of the leash.
Whether you join the community, dive into the guided course, or add personalized coaching, you'll find support that meets you where you are on your dog training journey.
Even if their behavior isn't "better" just yet,
life with your complex dog can feel better.
Click here to learn how.
Hi, I'm Jess!
And I'm not a dog trainer.
You probably already have one of those, and they're great!
But I know what it takes for you to go from reactive to resilient...
because I did it myself, and now I help dog lovers do it every day.
I've been a licensed therapist for over a decade. I also happen to have spent the same amount of time immersed in the dog world as an overwhelmed first time dog mom just trying to support my reactive dog (while trying to cope with my own emotions about him, too.)
I brought both worlds together in 2021 when I started coaching other dog lovers through Handlers & Humans. I've been supporting stressed out and struggling pet parents ever since.
I have even recently returned to school to pursue a post-graduate certificate as a Veterinary Mental Health Professional (AKA - Veterinary Social Work!)
Clearly, the human side of the leash is kinda my thing.
I offer emotional support and well-being coaching to dog guardians, teach trainers how to understand their human clients, and advocate for supporting the mental health of dog people everywhere. I believe that when dog lovers are supported, both dogs and humans will benefit.
Because dogs are only helped through humans.
This is how it feels to find your (dog) people 😌 ⤵️
In the Community you'll get...
Three live support groups every month
Private discussion board for connection and feedback
Weekly activities for self-care, mindset, and inner work
Member perks: discounted 1:1s, merch, and bonus resources
Learn to COPE with your canine.
COPE is the counseling-informed framework I created to help dog lovers care for their own emotional wellbeing, particularly when they're navigating life with a complex or reactive dog.
Each element of COPE targets a core area of resilience, helping you feel more grounded, connected, and empowered as you navigate life alongside your dog.
The Coping With Canines Course curriculum is built around this framework, with each module reflecting one of the key pillars.
Inside the Community membership, we take it even further. Each quarter, we spotlight one element of COPE through intentional themes, activities, and challenges.
Click each part of the framework below to learn more!
Calm & Care
Observe Outlook
Play & Positives
Engage & Educate
Mental health tools to support your dog training?
Sue & Levi, joined 2025
Find your perfect Coping With Canines tier in 3 quick questions. ⤵️
Community
$18/mon
For dog guardians who are seeking connection, validation, and ongoing group support, guided by a therapist.
You get access to live group calls, a supportive discussion space, and community challenges that help you feel less alone and more confident navigating life with your dog.
Perfect if you’re looking for encouragement, shared wisdom, and a place where people truly get it.
- 3 live group calls per month
- Community discussion boards
- COPE With Your Canine Journal Challenge
- Weekly Dog Lover Self-Care Challenge
- “Ask Jess” thread for direct feedback
Community + Course
Most Popular!
$48/mon
For dog people who want expert-led group support and a structured program to help them build resilience in their relationship with their dog.
The full CWC course uses the COPE framework to teach real, actionable mental health tools meant for dog lovers. You get everything in the Community tier plus the full Coping With Canines curriculum: video lessons, guided reflection prompts, and exercises that will help you actually apply what you learn.
Ideal if you’re ready for true mindset shifts, skill-building, and change - not just emotional support.
- All of Community plus...
- Access to full Coping With Canines course
- Weekly DM chat support with Jess to discuss applying the course concepts to your specific situation
Community + Course + Coaching
$108/mon
For dog lovers who crave personalized support from someone who brings together the lived experience of a complex-dog guardian and the support of a therapist.
Coaching provides a space to talk through your specific struggles one-on-one. You get all community access, all course lessons, plus one private coaching call with Jess every month and DM support 4 days a week in between sessions.
You'll get individualized support around whatever challenges you're experiencing with your dog, and the opportunity to talk through what you go through at any time.
Stay as long as 1:1 coaching serves you, then step down to a lower tier anytime.
Meant for you if you know you’ll follow through better with 1:1 accountability, custom coping strategies, and someone who actually understands both dog behavior and mental health, OR if you are navigating a very challenging season with your complex dog.
- All of Community + Course plus...
- One 50 min support session with Jess per month
- Mon-Thurs DM chat support with Jess
- Weekly check ins and responses
- Personalized homework to apply tools
Questions?
Who is Coping With Canines for?
Who is Coping With Canines NOT for?
Which tier is right for me?
Can I move between tiers later?
How much time does the course take?
Is there a commitment, or can I cancel anytime?
What if I need more support?
Will this help me train my dog?
Not sure?
Send me a DM on Instagram, email me at [email protected] or book a free 20 minute call.
Let's talk about it!
FREE Sample Lesson!
Curious about the Coping With Canines Course?
Check out this lesson directly from the curriculum. 👉
In this short exercise, you’ll learn how to quickly sort helpful voices from the ones that don’t deserve space in your brain.
Because let's face it, sometimes the hardest part of loving a complex dog is dealing with other people.
After you watch the video, check out the Consider The Source exercise by clicking here!
Maria & her pack, joined 2025
Jess, can I get 1:1 support?
Abso-freakin-lutely, friend.
Life with a complex dog can bring stress, guilt, and overwhelm that might be hard to untangle in a group setting.
If you need support that meets you where you are, and a coach who truly understands the emotional side of dog guardianship, choosing the Coaching Tier offers the most direct path to transforming how life feels with your dog.
The best part is you can join the coaching tier for 1:1 support for as long as you need it, and then step down to stay connected to ongoing support through the community!
Coaching exists because your dog isn't the only one with Big Feelings, and that's okay.
More CWC love...
"This program is the best thing you can do for you and for your dog.
I have become much more aware and patient with my dogs and myself. We are much more calm and take things day by day."
- Lisa & Patches, joined 2022
"When Max became anxious and reactive, I had no idea what to do. I felt as though I had done something wrong. I found Jess’s course accidentally looking for yet another trainer to help me. It was the first time I felt seen and heard, not blamed.
After each call I felt a bit of stress relax as I realized I wasn’t alone."
- Robin & Max, joined 2023
"I struggled with coping with my reactive rescue dog Chester for several years before finding the Coping with Canines community. The group calls, peer support, and one-on-one feedback from Jess have been life-changing for Chester and me. Chester's reactivity made me feel really embarrassed and ashamed, but here in the group I have learned to have more compassion and empathy for myself dealing with a dog like Chester. I no longer feel shame. I expect that more rough patches may come in the future, but
with the awareness and coping skills that I have gained I feel like I will be able to handle it."
- K & Chester, joined 2024
"This program makes you feel understood and seen in a way that the rest of the world never does when you have a reactive dog.
You can be open about everything you go through with your dog and people will actually know what you are trying to say. The lessons expose things you didn’t even see yourself and help you work through them."
- Kelli & Cosmo, joined 2022
"Jess has built something the dog world has needed for a very long time.
As a professional dog trainer, one of the most common challenges I see isn’t actually the dogs themselves, it’s the emotional weight owners carry day in and day out. Feelings of inadequacy, stress, worry, and guilt show up in almost every session. And while I’m trained to understand canine behavior, I’m not nearly as well equipped to support the human side of the leash with the depth and care it deserves.
That’s why having Jess and Handlers & Humans as a trusted resource has been one of the most impactful additions to our programs. Jess has created an incredibly unique and truly vital space for dog owners to feel understood, supported, and less alone in their struggles with their dogs. Her ability to validate their experience, help them navigate big emotions, and reconnect them with confidence and their own calm has been truly invaluable.
Because of Handlers & Humans, our clients make faster, more meaningful progress both emotionally and in their training program. Having access to H&H allows us to focus on teaching dogs while knowing the humans are getting the support they need to show up fully, consistently, and compassionately for the training we’re providing.
Our training programs have become more sustainable, and more effective because of this collaboration. And most importantly, the lives of countless dogs and their owners have improved profoundly."
- Alyssa & Dana of Tri-Dog Solutions