The Sensory Support Dog Workbook

For parents of autistic and ADHD kids building calmer routines, safer meltdowns, and a better child-dog fit.

A dog can be a real source of calm for a neurodivergent child.

But it does not happen by magic.

For some autistic and ADHD kids, a dog’s warm body, steady breathing, predictable routines, and quiet presence can help create small pockets of regulation.

For others, the barking, licking, movement, smell, or unpredictability can become one more thing their nervous system has to manage.

This workbook helps you figure out the difference.

The Sensory Support Dog Workbook is a practical, science-informed printable workbook for parents who want to understand whether a dog is truly helping their child - and how to build safer, calmer routines around that relationship.

It does not promise that your dog will “fix” meltdowns, sensory overwhelm, sleep, transitions, or daily stress.

It gives you something better:

a way to observe, plan, adjust, protect the dog, and track what is actually working.

Why Do You Need This Workbook?

Because “my child loves dogs” is not the same as “this dog is helping my child regulate.”

And “the dog is comforting” is not the same as “the dog is safe, supported, and not becoming overwhelmed.”

This workbook helps you answer the practical questions parents actually face:

• Does my child find the dog calming - or overstimulating?

• Which kinds of dog contact help most?

• What should the dog do during a meltdown?

• When should the dog be kept away for safety?

• How can we build morning, after-school, and bedtime routines around the dog?

• Is the dog coping well with the emotional load in our home?

• Are things actually improving - or do I just hope they are?

It helps you move from wishful thinking to observable patterns, clear routines, and safer support for both child and dog.

What’s Inside?

✔ Sensory Profile Worksheets

Map what soothes or overwhelms your child across touch, sound, sight, smell, movement, and mouth/taste input.

✔ Child-Dog Sensory Fit Pages

Identify whether your child enjoys, tolerates, or struggles with specific dog sensations - fur, weight, licking, barking, smell, leash holding, brushing, and more.

✔ Co-Regulation Observation Logs

Track your child’s distress before and after dog contact so you can see whether dog-time is actually helping.

✔ Daily Routine Planning

Build dog-supported routines for mornings, after-school decompression, bedtime, transitions, and appointments.

✔ Meltdown Planning Tools

Create a three-zone meltdown plan for calm, early warning, and full meltdown moments - including exactly where the dog should be in each zone.

✔ Dog Safety & Welfare Pages

Learn how to spot dog stress signals, protect the dog’s safe space, and avoid asking the dog to do emotional labor without support.

✔ Family Responsibility Charts

Make the dog-care load visible, realistic, and shared.

✔ Progress Trackers

Use baseline, implementation, monthly review, and week-12 decision prompts to see what is working over time.

Perfect for parents who:

• have an autistic, ADHD, or sensory-sensitive child

• already have a family dog or are preparing to bring one home

• hope the dog can support regulation, routines, or emotional recovery

• want calmer mornings, smoother transitions, or better bedtime flow

• need a safer plan for meltdowns involving the dog

• worry their dog may be overwhelmed by household stress

• want to protect both their child and their dog

• prefer practical worksheets over vague advice

• want a realistic, science-informed approach without miracle claims

You’ll gain:

• a clearer picture of your child’s sensory needs

• a better understanding of your child-dog fit

• calmer, more predictable routines

• a written meltdown plan before crisis moments happen

• safer boundaries for the dog

• a way to track whether the dog is helping

• less guessing, less guilt, and more structure

• a more honest view of what needs to change