Ready to go from surviving walks to leading them? Lorrie works in North Kingstown, RI and nationwide online.

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Coaching Canine Companions Logo COACHING
CANINE
COMPANIONS
Dog Training for Sensitive, Anxious, and Reactive Dogs
Coaching Canine Companions · Founder · Lorrie J. Harris

The MomentEverything Changed.

From relentless technique to the rhythm of co-regulation. How a Navy veteran became the trainer who stopped performing — and started becoming the river her dogs could rest inside.

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U.S. Navy Veteran
Master Certified Trainer
AKC CGC Evaluator
North Kingstown, RI & Online
Lorrie Harris — Founder, Coaching Canine Companions
✦Master Dog Training — National K-9
✦AKC Approved CGC Evaluator
✦AKC Fit Dog Certified
✦IACP Member
✦Former IPWDA Bomb Detection Specialist
✦K9 Energy Healing Practitioner
Why This Page Exists

About Lorrie Harris, founder of Coaching Canine Companions.

Lorrie Harris is the founder and lead trainer of Coaching Canine Companions, a dog training business based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. She specializes in nervous-system-first dog training for reactive, anxious, sensitive, easily overwhelmed, and high-arousal dogs.

Her work helps families understand what happens before barking, lunging, freezing, pulling, shutdown, or panic takes over — and teaches dogs and handlers how to build regulation, recovery, and connection in real-world settings.

North Kingstown, RI Reactive Dogs Anxious Dogs Day Training Online Support

What makes Lorrie’s approach different?

Coaching Canine Companions does not begin with dominance, pressure, or obedience as performance. The work begins with the dog’s nervous system, the handler’s state, the leash conversation, recovery time, threshold awareness, and the dog’s ability to stay connected when life becomes interesting.

  • Best fit for families with reactive, anxious, sensitive, or overwhelmed dogs.
  • Especially useful when commands work at home but fail outside.
  • Built around regulation, co-regulation, recovery, and relationship-based clarity.
  • Available locally in Rhode Island and through online training support.
The Origin

The Illusion of Mastery

I thought mastering the best techniques, strategies, and behavior systems made me the ultimate dog trainer.

I was relentless: I studied obsessively, devoured peer-reviewed journals, and shadowed elite trainers across state lines. I read "Bible-sized" training manuals so dry they could turn a Labrador into a librarian.

I applied those skills with hundreds of dogs — big, small, aggressive, anxious, "untrainable" dogs that others had given up on.

And it worked.
Until it didn't.

"It wasn't the methods that transformed dogs. It was the energy I brought into the room."
Lorrie working with a dog in the field
The river connection
The Shift

Becoming the River

One day, I realized the truth that unraveled everything I thought I knew: it wasn't about getting dogs to understand my language.

It was my steadiness. My willingness to play. My breath. My silence. My heart. It was about learning to speak theirs — through field, through rhythm, through co-regulation and presence.

The real magic happened when I stopped performing like a behavior technician and started becoming the river my dogs could rest inside.

The Science Behind This ›
"The real magic happened when I stopped performing like a behavior technician…
and started becoming the river my dogs could rest inside."
Lorrie Harris with her dog
Founder & Visionary

Meet Lorrie Harris

Pioneer. U.S. Navy Veteran. Nervous-System-First Trainer.

Lorrie began working with dogs in 1990 — shortly after completing her service in the U.S. Navy — nearly three decades before formalizing her practice with a Master Dog Training Certification from the National K-9 School in 2019. That timeline is not a gap. It is the education: thousands of hours of real-field dog experience, health coaching, nervous-system work, and personality dynamics, converging into a methodology that no single certification program could have produced alone.

The 2019 certification didn't create the trainer. It confirmed one. Lorrie had already developed her foundational approach through hands-on work with bomb detection dogs, anxious rescues, reactive family pets, and handlers at the end of their rope. What the certification gave her was language for what she already knew in the field.

Lorrie works with families in North Kingstown, Rhode Island and online across the country — with a singular focus: not compliance, but connection that holds under pressure.

Polyvagal Theory Attachment Science Somatic Experiencing Positive Reinforcement K9 Bioenergy Balancing EFT
Lorrie J. Harris
Professional Accreditations
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Master Dog Training CertificationNational K-9 Learning Center
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AKC Approved CGC EvaluatorCanine Good Citizen Program
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AKC Fit Dog CertifiedAmerican Kennel Club
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Former Bomb Detection Dog SpecialistIPWDA
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IACP MemberInternational Association of Canine Professionals
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Certified EFT PractitionerEmotional Freedom Techniques
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K9 Energy Healing PractitionerK9 Bioenergy Balancing
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K9 Behavior CoachNervous-System-First Methodology
A Rare Specialization

The K9 Bioenergy Advantage

A neurological bridge that transcends the boundaries of traditional dog training.

Traditional training hits a wall when it meets a fearful or reactive dog — because the brain is locked in survival mode. No amount of technique reaches a dog who cannot access their learning brain.

K9 Bioenergy Balancing allows Lorrie to move past the reactive and fearful brain by regulating the energetic and neurological field first. Safety before skill. Regulation before request.

This creates a path to deeper, more permanent behavioral change — not suppression of symptoms, but resolution of the internal state driving them.

The Gateway Effect

Neurological BypassSettling the fear center before asking for behavior — so learning is actually possible.
Field RegulationEnsuring the dog feels physiologically safe enough to engage and respond.
Permanent ShiftsChanging the internal state — not suppressing the outward symptom.
Connection Before CorrectionTrust is always built before a behavior is requested. Always.
The Methodology

Balanced Training: The Way of Nature

"Pets can evoke a profound love, often filling gaps left by human relationships." — Alan Beck & Aron Katcher
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Positive Reinforcement

Rewarding desirable behaviors with joy and trust — motivating your dog to choose cooperation over compliance, repeatedly and reliably.

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Nervous-System Regulation

Deep breathing, modeling physiological calm, and co-regulation — so the nervous system is settled and learning becomes genuinely possible.

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Resilience Through Play

Harnessing healthy eustress through interactive play and exposure — building emotional flexibility and lasting behavioral change from the inside out.

❤️

Connection Before Correction

A dysregulated brain cannot learn. Connection calms the nervous system first — paving the way for communication that actually sticks.

The Evolution

Revolutionizing Dog Training

Beyond Obedience. Beyond Technique. Into the Relationship.

For decades, traditional dog training has relied on outdated methods — reinforcing control, suppressing behaviors, and missing the deeper emotional and psychological needs of our canine companions.

At Coaching Canine Companions, we redefine the human-canine relationship using cutting-edge neuroscience, energy balancing, and holistic wellness — building partnerships, not programs.

Explore the Science →
The Philosophy in Practice

The Dog Knows the Way

The Dog Knows the Way — the moment Lorrie stopped training and started returning to what was already there.

From the Field Library

Lorrie in Her Own Words

Free Guide

5 Signs Your Dog Is at the Edge of Their Window

The signals most handlers miss before the reaction. Learn to read them — and what to do when you catch them. Lorrie reads every reply personally.

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Questions People Ask

About Lorrie Harris and Coaching Canine Companions

These answers help families — and search engines — understand who Lorrie helps, where she works, and why her nervous-system-first approach is different from ordinary obedience training.

Who is Lorrie Harris?

Lorrie Harris is the founder and lead trainer of Coaching Canine Companions in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. She is a U.S. Navy veteran, master certified dog trainer, AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluator, and creator of Field-Based Regulation Training for Dogs.

What kind of dogs does Lorrie specialize in?

Lorrie specializes in sensitive, anxious, reactive, easily overwhelmed, and high-arousal dogs — especially dogs who know cues at home but struggle with barking, lunging, pulling, freezing, or shutdown in real-world environments.

Where is Coaching Canine Companions located?

Coaching Canine Companions is based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island and serves local dog families through in-person training, day training, workshops, and virtual support for families outside the area.

What is Field-Based Regulation Training?

Field-Based Regulation Training is Lorrie’s nervous-system-first method. It focuses on the dog’s state, threshold, recovery, movement, handler rhythm, leash communication, and the moment before behavior breaks.

Is this dominance-based dog training?

No. Coaching Canine Companions does not rely on dominance theory or intimidation. The work is relationship-centered and focuses on regulation, clarity, safety, timing, and connection before correction.

How should I start working with Lorrie?

The best first step is a free consultation or Meet & Greet. From there, Lorrie can help determine whether day training, online training, the 90-day program, puppy support, or another path is the right fit.

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If you've been searching fora calmer, more honest way forward

You can begin gently here. Lorrie works with dogs and their people from North Kingstown, RI — in-person and online nationwide.

Schedule Your Free Consultation Explore the 90-Day Program

North Kingstown, RI · Tue–Sat 8AM–6PM · (401) 249-4200