Understanding Calm, Choice-Led Support
In a world where dog training often focuses on cues, commands, rewards, and corrections, ACE Free Work offers a radically different, deeply compassionate invitation: slow down, watch, listen, and let the dog explore. Created by canine behavior expert Sarah Fisher, ACE Free Work is part of her wider Animal Centred Education (ACE) philosophy — a multi-modal approach that prioritizes the dog’s experience, physical comfort, and emotional safety.
🌱 What Is ACE Free Work?
At its heart, ACE Free Work is a sensory, choice-based activity designed to help dogs reset, rebalance, and release. Rather than guiding a dog through structured exercises, Free Work invites dogs to move freely through an environment with carefully placed items — textures, smells, platform heights, obstacles, and more — allowing them to explore at their own pace.
This isn’t enrichment in the casual sense. ACE Free Work is built so that:
- Dogs experience the world on their terms. They choose where to go, what to touch, and how long to engage.
- Guardians learn to observe deeply — noticing posture, breathing, movement habits, and subtle signals that often go unnoticed in traditional training settings.
- Support becomes physical and emotional, not just behavioral. Free Work reveals where a dog may be tense, uncertain, or confident — giving caregivers actionable insights into their dog’s needs.
In ACE Free Work setups, dogs aren’t practicing skills for an external reward. They’re learning through self-directed exploration, which builds confidence, reduces stress, and invites genuine engagement with their environment.
🧠 Why “Do Less” Really Means Supporting More
A fundamental principle of Free Work is shifting away from doing things to dogs toward allowing dogs to experience, choose, and express themselves. This means:
- Less pressure, more release: Instead of cueing outcomes, we invite dogs to relax into movement and curiosity.
- More observation, less interpretation: By watching how a dog navigates stations — their pauses, fluidity of movement, or avoidance — guardians learn truths about their dog’s perception of safety and comfort.
- Better understanding of posture and emotional state: These observations often reveal hidden tensions, pain signals, or emotional barriers that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Sarah Fisher often describes Free Work as giving dogs the pilot’s seat in their own learning experiences — a perspective that has been transformative for trainers, behaviorists, and everyday guardians alike.
💬 Real Impact on Dogs and People
Professionals and guardians using ACE Free Work report profound shifts:
- Reduced baseline stress in dogs that previously struggled with anxiety or reactivity.
- Enhanced confidence around novel situations, thanks to supportive sensory engagement rather than performance-based tasks.
- Greater connection and communication between dog and caregiver, rooted in mutual trust rather than control.
- Valuable insights into physical and emotional wellbeing, helping humans better support both everyday comfort and long-term resilience.
This approach isn’t restricted to one type of dog — all ages and backgrounds can benefit, from nervous rescues and sensitive seniors to adolescents full of curiosity but struggling with focus.
📌 The Bigger Picture: Observation, Empathy, and Presence
ACE Free Work isn’t a quick fix or a trendy enrichment game. It invites us to re-see dogs not as puzzles to be solved, but as individuals with sensory worlds, movement preferences, and emotional landscapes. Sarah’s work challenges us to step back, listen with our eyes and hearts, and embrace patience as a tool — not a compromise.
In a culture that often prioritizes outcomes, ACE Free Work reminds us that the journey is the teacher — and the learner, in this case, is the dog.
🐾 Practical Tips for ACE Free Work
ACE Free Work is not about creating a “perfect setup.” It’s about creating a safe container where your dog can explore, release tension, and communicate without pressure. The goal is observation, not outcomes.
- Start With Safety and Simplicity
Choose a quiet, familiar space where your dog already feels secure. This might be a living room, garage, yard, or training room. Remove distractions like other animals, toys, or food.
Less is more.
Begin with just a few items so your dog isn’t overwhelmed. You can always add complexity later.
- Choose Thoughtful Surfaces and Objects
Select items that offer different sensory experiences, such as:
- Mats, yoga mats, towels, carpet squares
- Low platforms, steps, boxes, or balance cushions
- Cardboard, wood, rubber, or textured surfaces
Place items with space between them so your dog can choose whether to approach, avoid, pause, or move on.
Avoid anything unstable, noisy, or slippery in the beginning.
- Let the Dog Lead Completely
Once your dog enters the space:
- Do not lure, cue, praise, or correct
- Do not point, gesture, or “encourage” engagement
- Avoid eye contact that pressures movement
Your role is to be still and observant. The dog decides what to interact with, how long, and whether to disengage.
If your dog chooses to stand still, sit, lie down, or leave the setup — that is communication, not failure.
- Watch the Body, Not the Behavior
This is where ACE Free Work becomes powerful. Observe:
- Breathing speed and depth
- Weight shifting and posture
- Paw placement and hesitation
- Head position and muscle tension
- Smooth vs. jerky movement
These details tell you far more about your dog’s nervous system than whether they “use” an item.
- Keep Sessions Short and Neutral
Most sessions last 5–10 minutes, especially in the beginning. Stop before your dog becomes fatigued or overstimulated.
End sessions neutrally:
- No “good job”
- No treats
- No excitement
This allows the dog’s nervous system to integrate the experience, rather than spiking arousal.
- Adjust the Environment, Not the Dog
If your dog avoids an item or shows tension:
- Increase distance between objects
- Lower heights
- Remove one or two pieces
- Change textures
The answer is never to push the dog through discomfort. Free Work is about adapting the environment to support regulation, not teaching the dog to tolerate stress.
- Notice Patterns Over Time
With repeated sessions, you may notice:
- Improved balance or coordination
- More fluid movement
- Longer pauses or deeper breathing
- Increased curiosity
- Faster recovery from stress
These changes often show up before behavioral improvements — especially in anxious, sensitive, or trauma-impacted dogs.
- Use Free Work as Information, Not Therapy
ACE Free Work is not something you “do to fix” a dog. It’s a window into how your dog experiences the world.
What you learn can guide:
- Training plans
- Environmental management
- Vet or bodywork referrals
- Expectations around learning and stress tolerance
This is especially valuable for dogs who struggle with traditional training, adolescents, or dogs with complex emotional histories.
Final Thought
ACE Free Work asks humans to slow down, soften expectations, and trust the dog’s wisdom. When we give dogs space to move, pause, and choose without judgment, we often see what they’ve been trying to tell us all along.
If you have set up your own Free Work, we would love to hear from you. Let us know what you learned and how you were better able to support your dog. Email us at info@dogspeak101.com with the “ACE” in the subject line.