ACE Freework for Professionals
Animal Centred Education in practice — a regulation-first, observation-led approach to behaviour, assessment, and real-world outcomes.
- Dog Trainers
- Behaviour Consultants
- Shelter & Rescue Teams
- Veterinary Professionals
- Groomers
- Pet Sitters
- Day Care Operators
“ACE adopts a NATO approach — No Attachment To Outcome. This allows us to shift our focus away from ‘getting it right’ and toward truly observing the dog. When we’re not fixated on an outcome, we begin to notice how the dog moves, how they carry themselves, where there may be hesitation, restriction, or discomfort.”
The Reality of the Work
You can have the right training plan… and still not get the result.
You’re seeing dogs that can’t settle or cope, reactivity that doesn’t resolve, shutdown, avoidance, overwhelm, and progress in sessions that regresses outside of them.
What’s Actually Going On
This isn’t just a training problem. It’s a regulation problem.
When a dog is over-aroused, stressed, in discomfort or pain, or unable to process their environment, they physically cannot learn effectively, make clear choices, or retain behaviour change.
What is ACE Freework?
Education through the dog’s experience.
ACE stands for Animal Centred Education. Developed by Sarah Fisher, ACE Freework is a low-arousal, sensory-based, observational framework born from extensive work with shelter dogs, sensory processing challenges, touch sensitivities, and sensory education models used in children.
Low-arousal exploration
Dogs are given space and choice to explore without pressure, performance, or forced outcomes.
Whole-dog observation
Freework helps professionals notice movement, hesitation, coping strategies, stress patterns, and self-regulation.
Practical decision-making
What you observe informs what to train, what to pause, what to refer, and what the dog may actually be ready for.
Why this matters in professional practice
You need more than “what to train.”
When you’re working with unknown histories, compromised nervous systems, or complex behavioural presentations, you need to understand what the dog is ready for.
- Observe behaviour without pressure.
- Identify stress patterns and coping strategies.
- Make more informed training, handling, and referral decisions.
What You’ll Learn
Built for real-world application.
Design Freework setups
Create bespoke Freework sessions for individual dogs, contexts, and professional environments.
Interpret communication
Understand what dogs may be communicating through behaviour, choice, movement, and avoidance.
Integrate into practice
Apply Freework in consultations, shelter and rescue environments, training plans, and behaviour support.
Core Skillset: Beyond Training
Observing movement and physical function.
One of the most powerful aspects of ACE Freework is the ability to see how a dog moves — without interference.
When given space and choice, dogs begin to show how their body functions, what they avoid, where they compensate, and where there may be hesitation, restriction, or discomfort.
Through ACE Freework, you’ll learn to observe:
- Movement across different surfaces.
- Asymmetry and compensation patterns.
- Hesitation, reluctance, or avoidance.
- Engagement versus shutdown.
- Subtle details that can completely change your approach.
The Outcome
Because what you see changes what you do.
- Identify when behaviour may have a physical component.
- Adjust your approach accordingly.
- Make appropriate referrals to vets, physiotherapists, or other professionals.
- Avoid pushing a dog beyond their capacity.
Practical Application
Rethinking dog introductions.
Learn how ACE Freework can be used to introduce dogs without pressure, lower arousal before interaction, allow natural choice-based communication, and observe social behaviour safely.
Finishing cues
Understand what a finishing cue is and why it is critical for regulation, learning, and session clarity.
Session structure
Learn how to end sessions in a way that supports learning, stability, and emotional recovery.
Real-world support
Connect with Jo Burton to discuss cases, refine session planning, and gain clarity on what to use — and when.
Supporting dogs emotionally, physically, and behaviourally.
Jo specialises in supporting dogs through nervous system regulation and expression of choice. Her work focuses on helping professionals understand the dog before intervention begins.
Hosted by Manners ’n’ More Companion Dog Training
Committed to providing practical, relevant education and raising the standards across our industry.
Who this is for
For professionals working with complex dogs and real-world behaviour.
Ace Freework is especially relevant for those working with reactive dogs, anxious or shutdown dogs, rescue dogs, and complex behavioural cases.
- Dog Trainers
- Behaviour Consultants
- Shelter Staff & Volunteers
- Rescue Organisations
- Veterinary Professionals
- Groomers and Pet Sitters
- Day Care Operators
Join the Expression of Interest List
Register your interest.
Receive early access to bookings, secure priority placement, and be first notified of dates and locations.
Places will be limited. Registering interest does not obligate you to book; it simply gives you early access when details are released.
Limited Professional Development
Be first to know when bookings open.
If you work with dogs who need more than a standard training plan, this Ace Freework will help you observe more deeply, respond more thoughtfully, and make better decisions for the dog in front of you.