The right treatment, run at the right moment.

Three steps. One protocol. Runs while you sleep.

1. 1

   Set Pawvlov on the floor near your dog's resting area

   Place the device within 6 feet of where your dog usually rests during storms. Connect to your home WiFi via the app — 12 minutes from box to first BLE pair. Add your dog's breed, weight, and primary trigger type.

   Why it matters: Floor placement is a clinical decision. Furbo and Petcube sit on countertops or wall mounts. That elevation keeps the device outside the dog's natural sightline and reads as surveillance. Pawvlov's camera is at your dog's eye level. The treat tray is flush with the floor. Your dog approaches to retrieve, which reinforces approach behavior rather than avoidance.

2. 2

   Load the treat hopper

   Open the snap-close bayonet hopper lid. Add soft treats in the 8-14mm diameter range (the app's treat guide shows compatible types). The Medium holds 180 treats. A typical storm session uses 3-8 treats.

   Why it matters: Treat type matters for conditioning strength. High-value soft treats — small pieces of chicken, Zuke's Mini Naturals, or similar — amplify the conditioning signal. The recessed silicone tray keeps the treat in place so your dog does not scramble or startle during retrieval.

3. 3

   Let the protocol run

   When Pawvlov detects a storm trigger via its 4-microphone MEMS array, it enters session mode. The camera starts reading posture at 5 frames per second. When calm-state confidence hits 85% for 3 consecutive seconds, a treat drops near-silently. Your dog walks to the floor tray.

   Why it matters: The timing is everything. Counter-conditioning only works when the reward arrives during a calm window, not during fear. Pawvlov's classify-then-dispense sequence is the protocol. Your dog's nervous system learns that the storm trigger predicts calm and reward, not danger.

The behavioral science behind the timing gate

The most common failure in treating noise anxiety is not the wrong medication or the wrong trainer. It is the wrong timing. Pavlovian counter-conditioning requires pairing the anxiety trigger with a positive unconditioned stimulus at the precise moment the dog shifts from alert to calm. Too early and you reinforce vigilance. During the fear state and you reinforce fear. The 3-second sustained calm-state gate is not an arbitrary software parameter — it is derived from peer-reviewed behavioral-veterinary literature (Yin, 2016; Overall, 2013). That is the protocol. Pawvlov automates the gate. Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals desensitization guide; Cornell veterinary behavioral literature; AVSAB Behavioral Medicine Guidelines 2023-2025.

A session, start to finish

1. 7:00 AM

   Idle standby

   Remy (Golden Retriever, 3 years) is on her usual spot on the couch. Pawvlov is on the floor in idle standby, always-on microphone listening at 0.4W draw.

2. 2:30 PM

   Storm onset detected

   The MEMS array detects 80Hz onset — the low-frequency pattern of a developing storm system. Session enters DETECTING_TRIGGER state. No treats yet. Remy has not noticed anything.

3. 3:10 PM

   Dog posture: alert

   Storm audible overhead. Remy moves from couch to floor — a posture the camera reads as alert. Session enters READING_DOG. Calm threshold not yet met. No treat fires.

4. 3:14 PM

   First calm window confirmed

   Posture shift: ears forward-neutral, weight on all four paws, tail soft. Calm-state confidence crosses 85% for 3 sustained seconds. First treat dispenses below 40 decibels. Remy walks to the floor tray.

5. 3:27 PM

   Second and third calm windows

   Second calm window confirmed. Third treat. The storm is still active. Under a Furbo, this is when random treat tosses would reinforce the fear association. Under Pawvlov's protocol, rewards are withheld during anxious states and given during calm ones.

6. 4:45 PM

   Session closes

   Storm ends. Session closes. App notification: 'Remy's session: 58 min, 4 calm windows, 4 treats dispensed. Anxiety trend: improving.'

7. Week 4

   Measurable progress

   Remy's vet behaviorist reviews the session dashboard. Calm-window duration increasing session over session. The conditioning is measurably working.

8. Month 3

   Behavioral change

   Remy still notices storms. She does not bolt for the bathroom. She walks toward the Pawvlov tray. The trigger still exists. The panic response has changed.