Listen Dog Training: The Walk & Talk

What if the goal of dog training isn’t to eliminate your dog’s emotions… but to help them function better within them?

In this episode, I’m challenging one of the most widely accepted ideas in modern dog training: that we should always aim to completely change how our dogs feel about things in order to change their behaviour.

Because while emotional change absolutely matters… it’s not always the full picture. And in some cases, it’s setting owners up with an expectation that is incredibly difficult - or even biologically unrealistic - to achieve.

Instead, I’m introducing a more powerful, practical, and science-backed approach:

👉 Teaching your dog how to think, choose, and respond even when they’re feeling something big.

This episode will completely shift how you view reactivity, emotional change, and what ‘success’ in training actually looks like, giving you a far more empowering and achievable path forward.

 

🚀 Ready to take this work to the next level?

The Listen Dog Training Membership is now OPEN - and this is where we put everything you’ve learned in this episode into action.

Inside, you’ll get structured training, ongoing guidance, and a supportive community where you can grow your skills, get feedback, and truly master your dog’s behaviour.

👉 Join here: https://listendogtraining.com/online-dog-training-club/

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why changing your dog’s emotional response isn’t always enough (or realistic)

The crucial difference between emotional change vs. behavioural control under arousal

How dogs can still feel triggered but behave calmly - and why this is a huge win

The science behind inherited fear responses and why some reactions run deeper than training alone

Why trying to eliminate emotion entirely can actually work against your dog’s biology

A more effective framework: reducing intensity instead of chasing perfect neutrality

How to teach your dog to think in high-arousal situations

Practical, actionable ways to build resilience, focus, and better decision-making around triggers

What real progress should actually look like in your training journey

 

📱 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram and TikTok → @‌listendogtraining

 

🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover - it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy!

Have you ever searched your dog’s behaviour online, hoping for reassurance… only to come away feeling more confused, overwhelmed, or unsure than before?

In this episode of The Walk & Talk, I’m unpacking why Googling your dog’s behaviour so often makes things feel harder rather than easier. We’ll explore how behaviour advice gets stripped of context online, why dogs don’t fit neatly into quick answers or one-size-fits-all solutions, and how this leaves so many thoughtful, committed dog owners feeling unsupported and second-guessing themselves.

I also share a little about a passion project I’ve been quietly building behind the scenes: a new membership designed to offer ongoing guidance, context, and support for dog owners who want to understand behaviour more deeply - without constantly starting from scratch.

If you’ve ever felt lost, overwhelmed, or frustrated despite trying your best for your dog, this episode is for you.

💻 Want to dive deeper into transforming your dog’s behaviour with science-backed strategies that actually work? 👉 Find out more about the membership here:

https://listendogtraining.com/online-dog-training-club/

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why searching for dog behaviour advice online often leads to more confusion, not clarity

How behaviour gets oversimplified when context is removed

Why dogs don’t respond well to quick fixes and generic solutions

What’s missing between free advice and one-to-one training support

How better understanding (not more effort) builds confidence with your dog

Why feeling stuck doesn’t mean you’re failing - it means you’re under-supported

You can use code PODCAST10 for 10% off all my digital dog training packages, guides & courses!
📱 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram and TikTok → @listendogtraining

🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover - it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy!

So often, dog behaviour struggles are treated as training problems - something to fix with better cues, more reps, or stricter consistency… but behaviourists know that behaviour is never just about training.

In this episode of The Walk & Talk, I’m taking you deep into the whole-dog picture: the full range of factors professional behaviourists assess when working with behaviour challenges like reactivity, anxiety, over-arousal, poor focus, aggression, or emotional shutdown.

You’ll learn why lasting behaviour change doesn’t start with exercises, but with foundations: the dog’s physical health, nervous system, emotional safety, environment, routine, relationships, and daily life experience. I explain how each of these areas shapes behaviour, how they interact, and why training layered onto the wrong foundations so often fails.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the training you’ve been told to do, but progress still feels fragile or inconsistent, this episode will completely change how you see your dog, and your role in supporting them.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How behaviourists assess a dog’s entire life picture before ever prescribing training

Why pain, discomfort, and physical health play such a powerful (and often missed) role in behaviour

How diet, gut health, and the gut–brain axis influence emotional regulation and reactivity

Why overstimulation, poor sleep, and chronic stress sabotage the training progress

The difference between exercise that regulates the nervous system and exercise that fuels over-arousal

How environment, routine, and predictability shape a dog’s sense of safety

Why relationships, communication, and learning history matter more than just ‘obedience’

How behaviourists layer training on top of lifestyle changes to create stable, lasting behaviour change

👉 Because we talk about the importance of nutrition in this episode, you can get 20% off Wilson’s Fresh Dog Food & Supplements range using my exclusive link here!
This is a brand I genuinely trust and use, and one I believe supports dogs’ physical health, gut health, and emotional regulation.

 

💻 Want to dive deeper into transforming your dog’s behaviour with science-backed strategies that actually work? Check out my digital training products, freebies and online courses at:

👉 www.listendogtraining.com

You can use code PODCAST10 for 10% off all my digital dog training packages, guides & courses!

📱 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram and TikTok → @listendogtraining

🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover; it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy.

We talk about bad behaviour all the time as dog owners - pulling, barking, jumping, ignoring recall - but what if much of what we’re trying to ‘fix’ is actually just normal, functional dog behaviour playing out in a very human world?

In this episode of The Walk & Talk, we take a compassionate, science-led look at behaviour from the dog’s perspective. We explore why so many common frustrations make perfect sense when you understand canine biology, evolution and genetics, and how modern lifestyles often set dogs up to struggle, despite our very best intentions.

This episode is for you if you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing something wrong… or whether your dog might simply be responding exactly as a dog would.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why many behaviours we label as ‘bad’ are actually natural, functional, and deeply rooted in canine evolution

How domestication and selective breeding shaped modern dogs - and why that matters in everyday training

The difference between a training problem, a lifestyle mismatch, and an unmet emotional or biological need

How to tell when behaviour needs obedience training, enrichment, management, or nervous system support

Why behaviour is always communication - and what your dog may be trying to tell you

Practical ways to design a life that meets your dog’s needs and works for you, without chasing perfection

💻 Want to dive deeper into transforming your dog’s behaviour with science-backed strategies that actually work? Check out my digital training products, freebies and online courses at www.listendogtraining.com

You can use code PODCAST10 for 10% off all my digital dog training packages, guides & courses!
📱 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram and TikTok → @listendogtraining

🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover—it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy!

By the end of January, most New Year’s resolutions are already hanging by a thread - and dog training goals are no exception. If you started this year with good intentions for your dog, but you’re already feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, or unsure where to focus… this episode is for you.

In this episode, we’re talking about how to set dog training goals that actually stick: goals that respect how behaviour change really works, fit into real life, and don’t rely on constant motivation or perfection. We’ll explore why setbacks are not a sign of failure, how to decide what training to prioritise first, and how small, consistent changes can completely transform your life with your dog over time.

If you’re ready to stop starting over and start building momentum with your dog, this episode will help you reset, refocus, and move forward with clarity and confidence.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to set SMART dog training goals that are realistic, measurable, and genuinely life-changing

Why behaviour change is non-linear, and how to stop interpreting normal setbacks as failure

How to decide what to work on first so you’re not trying to fix everything at once

The difference between skills problems and state problems - and why that matters

How to build training habits that fit into your real life, not an idealised version of it

Why consistency beats intensity, and how to make progress without burnout

How engagement and foundations can make everything else in training easier

🔗 👉  21 Day Engagement Training: a structured, science-led programme designed to help you build connection, focus, and emotional safety as a daily habit, so training becomes easier and more effective over time.

You can use code PODCAST10 for 10% off all my digital dog training packages, guides & courses!
📱 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram and TikTok → @listendogtraining

🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover; it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy.