Creating Better Shelter Experiences Through Behavior Science
Shelter Behavior Integrations partners with animal shelters to build humane, sustainable behavior systems that uplift animals and the people who care for them. Founder Laurie Lawless provides online learning, mentorship, and remote consulting to improve welfare, operations, and outcomes.
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More Adoptions.
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Less Burnout.
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Better Shelter Behavior.
〰️ More Adoptions. 〰️ Less Burnout. 〰️ Better Shelter Behavior.
Online Offerings
On-Demand Courses
Educational content for animal behavior consultants & shelter teams
Lawless Off Leash Webinar Series
A webinar series featuring the shelter world’s best animal behavior experts
Lives with Laurie Replays
Build better playgroups with direct support and group learning
Ready to talk through what your shelter needs?
Upcoming Course
Build Playgroups That Actually Work
4-Week Online Playgroup Mentorship
📅 Videos Launch January 15th 🎓 CEUs Available
👩🏫 Live Mentorship Sessions Included
✅ With Pathways Based Playgroups
🧠 You can read a yard full of dogs and intervene before things escalate
📊 Real behavior data gets collected daily and shared across your whole team
💪 Every staff member knows their role, their safety protocols, and what to do
🏠 Playgroup observations directly improve adoption matches and counseling
😌 Calmer kennels, more consistent care, and a team that runs like a team
🐶 Dogs get more positive experiences — and better outcomes at the end of their stay
SUCCESS STORY
Laurie was a major force behind transforming our shelter’s intake process and rebuilding our dog behavior program from the ground up
"Laurie Lawless of Shelter Behavior Integrations just gets it! She knows animal behavior inside and out, and she somehow manages to make even the toughest situations feel manageable. She’s approachable, funny, endlessly helpful, and has this great way of turning messy challenges into ‘okay, we’ve got this’ moments. I’m so grateful for her help. She was a major force behind transforming our shelter’s intake process and rebuilding our dog behavior program from the ground up. Laurie’s team-based approach gets everyone on board, and she brings out the best in people who work in the tough, unpredictable world of sheltering. She’s open-minded, practical, and refreshingly real: a true asset to the animal welfare community. I’d recommend her to any shelter ready for positive change and a healthier, happier environment for both people and animals."
Christen Trayah
Shelter Manager
Humane Society of Chittenden County
Our Mission
Reducing preventable behavioral euthanasia while unburdening the people working to save dogs everyday by giving shelter teams the systems, tools, and support so together dogs reach positive outcomes.
Testimonials from Clients & Colleagues
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Looking to ramp up the quality of the care you offer your dogs? I recommend Shelter Behavior Integrations" 110%!
"Laurie and team did a fantastic job developing and delivering a custom-made program to help us learn how to run play groups and assess dog-to-dog interactions. Looking to ramp up the quality of the care you offer your dogs? I recommend Shelter Behavior Integrations 110%!”
Eudora Watson
Animal Care Manager, Potsdam Humane Society
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Absolutely worth the investment for the growth of our Playgroup Program and our team!
"Having Laurie come to Wayside Waifs was absolutely worth the investment for the growth of our Playgroup Program and our team! Laurie observed our team in action, made recommendations for how we could best formalize playgroups utilizing the physical and human resources available to us, and provided hands-on learning for the staff and volunteers...Being able to run almost daily playgroups has resulted in a decrease in noise in the kennel areas and generally more relaxed dogs."
Alison Reader, CAWA
Vice President of Animal Welfare
& Operations, Wayside Waifs 2024 -
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Realistic solutions that shelter staff can apply
“Laurie brings realistic solutions that shelter staff can apply to their day to day work and improve the behavior of the dogs in their care. Laurie is passionate about helping shelter dogs and wants to help you succeed. She was so amazing to work with, we had her come back a second time!”
Lacie Davis
Executive Director of SPCA of Brevard County 2021
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Her support is essential to our goal of being a best practices rescue
"Laurie is a gifted canine behavior consultant, whose talents have consistently helped us rehabilitate challenging rescued dogs. Each individualized intervention plan is thorough, easily implemented, and yields positive outcomes. Laurie’s expertise and commitment to her client’s success is unparalleled. Her support is essential to our goal of being a best practices rescue."
Michelle Steen Sharp
Texas Coordinator, The Joshua Fund Rescue, Inc.
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Her deep understanding of canine behavior and her keen observational abilities...made her a superb Behavior Lead
"I loved working with Laurie Lawless on the ASPCA’s Behavioral Sciences Team – her deep understanding of canine behavior and her keen observational abilities, along with her incredible training and handling skills, made her a superb Behavior Lead. Also, she’s as good with humans as she is with dogs: a patient teacher, able to gracefully maneuver the emotional vicissitudes of working in high-stress situations. And to top it off, she’s really smart and fun to be with."
Becky Stowe
Owner, Second Act Dog Training
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The information Laurie presented to our staff was invaluable and gave all of us a better sense of understanding and confidence
"Laurie spent a full day at the Hudson Valley Dog Farm, educating our staff on dog-dog introductions, managing dog playgroups, and dog body language. We spent about half the day in the classroom and about half the day hands on with dogs, putting into action our classroom learning, with feedback from Laurie. The information Laurie presented to our staff was invaluable and gave all of us a better sense of understanding and confidence. Laurie strikes a perfect balance between being the expert and having an approachable, nonjudgmental style. I would have her back to the Dog Farm over and over again to keep our skills fresh, and continue to learn from her vast understanding of dogs."
Kara Gilmore
Hudson Valley Dog Farmer
The Official SBI BLOG
FAQs
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Laurie Lawless, CDBC, CBCC-KA, is the founder of Shelter Behavior Integrations (SBI), a consulting practice that helps animal shelters build sustainable, behavior-driven programs. She has nearly two decades of experience in canine behavior, shelter operations, and animal welfare leadership across North America.
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CDBC stands for Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, a credential awarded by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC). It recognizes advanced knowledge in assessing and addressing dog behavior problems, including aggression and anxiety-related cases.
CBCC-KA stands for Certified Behavior Canine Consultant - Knowledge Assessed, a credential awarded by the Certification of Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT). It recognizes advanced knowledge in applied behavior analysis, canine husbandry and social development, assessing and addressing dog behavior problems, including aggression and anxiety-related cases.
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Lawless Off Leash is an educational webinar series hosted by Laurie Lawless, featuring leading voices in animal welfare and behavior to help shelter and rescue professionals stay current on best practices.
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Lives with Laurie is a free webinar series hosted in Laurie’s Facebook group, covering everything from shelter behavior and animal care to staff support, safety, workflow, and positive outcomes. Anyone in the group can attend the sessions live for free. Recordings are then added to the Live with Laurie Replay Library for convenient, on-demand access.
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Shelter Behavior Integrations helps municipal and nonprofit animal shelters integrate behavior support into everyday operations rather than treating it as a separate department. Services include on-site consulting, leadership coaching, playgroup program development, and staff and volunteer training.
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The Shelter Playgroup Mentorship is an advanced online training program developed by Laurie Lawless that teaches shelter professionals how to build, strengthen, and sustain welfare-focused dog playgroup programs.