Behavior Support

Behavior Support is Heelr's system for documenting structured behavior interventions for dogs. It provides a lifecycle for tracking when a dog starts a behavior plan, what interventions are being used, and how the plan concludes.

Staff & Admin Only

Behavior Support is only available to staff and admin users. It appears on the Dog Detail page (dogs only -- not available for cats or other species).

Overview

The Behavior Support section on a dog's detail page shows:

• Status -- Whether the dog has an active behavior plan
• Plan level -- Light, Moderate, or Intensive
• Focus areas -- What behavioral issues are being addressed
• Protocols -- What intervention methods are in use
• Session count -- How many behavior sessions have been logged
• Last incident -- Date of the most recent incident (if any)

Lifecycle

Behavior support follows a simple lifecycle:

Start Support → Log Sessions → Update Support (as needed) → End Support

Starting Support

To begin a behavior plan for a dog:

1. Navigate to the dog's detail page
2. Scroll to the Behavior Support section
3. Tap Start Behavior Support
4. Fill in the form:
   • Plan Level (required) -- Light, Moderate, or Intensive
   • Focus Areas (at least one required) -- Select the behavioral issues being addressed
   • Protocols (optional) -- Select intervention methods
   • Duration (optional) -- Estimated duration in minutes
   • Notes (optional) -- Additional context

Logging Sessions

While a dog has active behavior support, staff can log individual sessions:

1. Tap Log Session in the Behavior Support section
2. Fill in the form:
   • Focus Areas (at least one required) -- What was worked on this session
   • Protocols (optional) -- Methods used
   • Duration (optional)
   • Notes (optional)

Sessions are recorded as activities and appear in the dog's activity history.

Updating Support

If the plan needs to change (escalation, de-escalation, focus shift):

1. Tap Update Support
2. Modify the plan level, focus areas, or protocols
3. Add notes explaining the change

Ending Support

When the behavior plan concludes:

1. Tap End Support
2. Optionally select an end reason:
   • Completed -- Plan goals were met
   • Paused -- Temporarily suspended
   • Outcome Change -- Dog's situation changed (adopted, transferred, etc.)
   • Other
3. Add optional notes

Focus Areas

Focus areas describe the behavioral issues being addressed:

Focus Area	Description
Reactivity	Overreaction to stimuli (other dogs, people, objects)
Handling Sensitivity	Sensitivity to being touched, restrained, or moved
Fear / Anxiety	Fearful or anxious behavior patterns
Resource Guarding	Guarding food, toys, spaces, or people
Barrier Frustration	Frustration-driven behavior at gates, doors, fences
Aggression	Aggressive behavior toward people or animals
Separation Distress	Distress when isolated or separated from people
Impulse Control	Difficulty with self-regulation and impulse management
Other	Issues not covered by the above categories

Protocols

Protocols describe the intervention methods being used:

Protocol	Description
Desensitization	Gradual exposure to reduce sensitivity to triggers
Counterconditioning	Pairing triggers with positive experiences
Muzzle Intro	Muzzle training and conditioning
Handling Protocol	Structured handling desensitization
Decompression	Reduced stimulation and recovery time
Enrichment Plan	Structured mental and physical enrichment
Structured Exposure	Controlled exposure to specific environments or stimuli
Management Only	Environmental management without active behavior modification
Other	Methods not covered above

Important: Operational Neutrality

Behavior support logging is purely observational and documentary. It does not:

• Change the dog's status or handling level
• Trigger automated workflows or alerts
• Affect welfare clocks or activity gap calculations
• Drive risk scoring or behavioral intelligence metrics
• Influence the Intelligence Dashboard

This neutrality is intentional. Behavior support records exist to document what interventions are happening, not to automate decisions. Staff make all clinical judgments.

Permissions

Action	Volunteer	Staff	Admin
View behavior support	No	Yes	Yes
Start/update/end support	No	Yes	Yes
Log behavior sessions	No	Yes	Yes