Sexier Than A Squirrel: Dog Training That Gets Real Life Results

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Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
Living with a reactive or Naughty But Nice dog can be challenging. And sometimes, the hardest part isn't the barking, lunging or difficult walks. It's how those experiences leave you feeling.
Vulnerable. Isolated. Embarrassed. Judged.
This week, we're bringing you something a little different: a conversation from our two-day Live and Unleashed event, where Michelle, Sam and Karen get together to talk about building confidence as the owner of a Naughty But Nice dog.
They know first-hand how difficult it can be when the dog you love finds the world challenging, when other people don't understand, or when you're constantly worrying about what might be waiting around the next corner.
But how do you start rebuilding your confidence when it's taken a knock?
Together, they explore why reconnecting with the things you love about your dog is such an important starting point, and how you can begin to replace worry and uncertainty with preparation, practical skills and a plan.
From taking a break from stressful walks and finding safer places to train, to scoring environments according to difficulty, rehearsing your responses and building a toolkit of games you can rely on, there are plenty of practical ideas you can put into action with your own dog.
You'll also hear why it's important to give yourself an easy win on difficult days, how learning alongside experienced trainers and carefully selected dogs can grow your handling skills, and why having the right support can make such a difference.
Because your confidence matters too. And the more prepared and capable you feel, the better equipped you'll be to help your dog navigate the world.
If you'd love some personalised help with your own Naughty But Nice dog, there are ways we can support you:
🐾 1-2-1 Coaching Calls – Get tailored advice, practical strategies and a plan for the challenges you're facing with your dog.
https://absolute-dogs.com/products/pdt-connect 
🐾 Devon Dogs Training Holidays – Join us in Devon for hands-on training, expert coaching and the opportunity to build your skills and confidence in a supportive environment.
https://www.devondogs.co.uk/ 
And if you'd like to hear Ingrid's story, along with more inspiring experiences shared by our Naughty But Nice owners during Live and Unleashed, you'll find them on our AbsoluteDogs YouTube channel.
Naughty But Nice stories
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!

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Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
Does being a good dog owner mean taking your dog for a walk every single day? What if that walk leaves your dog stressed, overwhelmed or rehearsing behaviours you really don’t want? And what if you could meet their needs brilliantly without heading out for a traditional walk at all?
This week, Lauren is joined by Michelle to talk about Ditch the Walk – and why sometimes choosing not to walk your dog can be every bit as thoughtful as choosing to walk them.
Together, they look at what we’re actually hoping to achieve when we take our dogs for a walk. Is it an opportunity to toilet? Physical exercise? Mental stimulation? Once we understand what we want the walk to provide, we can start thinking much more creatively about how we provide it. From scent work and training games at home to fitness, enrichment and secure dog fields, the traditional walk is just one option in a much bigger toolkit.
They also explore why this can be such an important conversation for reactive, worried and Naughty But Nice dogs. We can prepare carefully, choose quieter places and train brilliantly, but we can’t control the off-lead dog that suddenly appears around the corner. Lauren and Michelle share experiences with their own dogs and explain why safeguarding confidence sometimes means being very selective about who, when, where and why you walk.
And when you do choose to head out? Preparation matters. You’ll hear how secure spaces, long lines, recall training and having a strategy for difficult moments can help you build the skills your dog needs before asking them to cope with more challenging environments.
This isn’t about never walking your dog. It’s about letting go of the idea that a daily walk is compulsory, looking at the dog in front of you and choosing experiences that genuinely work for both of you.
Want more ideas for training, enrichment and building the skills your dog needs? You can join Games Club for just £1 and discover plenty of ways to give your dog a brilliant day – walk or no walk.
Check out the £1 Games Club trial here:
https://absolutedogs.me/7daytrial
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!

Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
This week, we’re continuing our series of episodes exploring what concept training actually is and how it shows up in real life with your dog. We’re taking the concepts you hear us talk about all the time, breaking them down, and making them practical, relatable, and easy to spot in your everyday training. This time, Lauren is joined by the brilliant Alice to explore flexibility – your dog’s ability to roll with whatever life throws their way.
Does your dog know exactly when dinner should arrive? Start pestering the moment walk time approaches? Pull like a train along the familiar route to the park? Or struggle when something doesn’t happen quite the way they expected? Those everyday patterns can tell us a lot about flexibility – and what happens when expectations and reality don’t quite match.
In this episode, Lauren and Alice explore how building mental flexibility can reduce frustration, lower arousal and help dogs cope more easily when plans change. Because life does change. Walks get cancelled, holidays happen, dogs stay with other people, routines shift and sometimes the thing your dog expected simply isn’t going to happen today. The more adaptable they can be, the easier those changes become.
You’ll also hear loads of practical ways to grow flexibility through everyday life and training. From ditching the bowl and varying your walking routes to Noise Box, changing the outcome your dog expects and taking familiar behaviours into completely different situations, Lauren and Alice share simple ways to help your dog discover that different can be absolutely fine. They even explore how flexibility can help with calm comings and goings, separation and those Christmas-morning greetings every time you walk through the door.
And there’s a lesson for the human end of the lead too. Sometimes helping our dogs become more flexible means looking at our own expectations, changing the picture we had in our heads and learning to work with the dog standing in front of us.
Ready to help your dog become an “I can roll with it” kind of dog? Grab the £1 Games Club trial, explore the games that grow flexibility and discover just how much easier life can feel when change is no big deal.
https://absolutedogs.me/7daytrial
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!

Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
This week, Lauren is joined by Michelle for a slightly different conversation – all about food, healthy habits and some of the choices they’ve made to help themselves feel better day to day.
Because when life is busy, eating well can very easily become another thing on the to-do list. You’re hungry, you’re short on time, and suddenly whatever is quickest and easiest wins.
So Lauren and Michelle are getting practical about how they make the healthier option the convenient option too.
From keeping boiled eggs and fresh fruit ready to grab, to frozen fruit, smoothies, cauliflower rice, quick soups and a LOT of enthusiastic guacamole chat, they share the foods and little bits of preparation that help them eat well without spending their lives in the kitchen.
They also talk about flexibility. Eating well day to day doesn’t mean never having the pizza you really fancy when you’re out with friends. It’s about finding choices and habits that work for your life – and noticing how you feel along the way.
And, of course, there’s a dog-training connection too. Lauren and Michelle both notice the difference when they feel well fuelled, energised and ready to take on the day – whether they’re training dogs, competing, travelling or simply keeping up with everything life throws at them.
If this conversation leaves you feeling inspired to give your own food habits a little attention, Lauren and Michelle also share more about the upcoming Health Retreat, where you can join them in person or online for a week of food, learning, cooking and plenty of ideas to take home with you.
Have a listen – and perhaps make your shopping list as you go. Lauren certainly did!
Devon Dogs Health Retreat (November 2026)
https://www.devondogs.co.uk/product/health-retreat-27th-november-2026/ 
Devon Dogs Bake-Off: The Human End of the Lead (17th October 2026)
https://www.devondogs.co.uk/product/devon-dogs-bake-off-17th-october-the-human-end-of-the-lead/
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!

Send us Fan Mail
Welcome to this episode of the Sexier than a Squirrel podcast, the podcast that brings you real-life dog training results, and sometimes human training ones too!
This week, Lauren is joined once again by Justin Prust for a conversation about something that can make a huge difference to your confidence, your skills and even the opportunities that come your way: continuing to learn.
And learning doesn’t have to mean signing up for another qualification or finding hours you simply don’t have. It could be 15 minutes with a book, 20 minutes training your own dog, listening to a podcast, watching someone else train or simply having a great conversation with someone who knows something you don’t.
Lauren and Justin explore how those small opportunities to learn can build confidence and create momentum – and why learning becomes even more powerful when you share what you’ve discovered with somebody else. One person learns something, passes it on, inspires someone else to have a go… and suddenly learning becomes giving too.
There’s also plenty of chat about the less tidy side of learning: trying something you’re terrible at, being willing to get things wrong and accepting that progress doesn’t always happen in a straight line. Whether it’s dog training, reading, surfing, whistling or mastering a completely ridiculous new skill, staying curious keeps us growing.
Most importantly, learning should be fun. When we enjoy the process, we’re far more likely to remember it, keep doing it and share that enthusiasm with the people around us.
So what could you learn today?
Support the show
If you’re loving the podcast, you’ll love our NEW Sexier than a Squirrel Dog Training Challenge even more! Get transformational dog training today for only £27!

Want even more epic dog training fun and games and solutions to all your dog training struggles? Join us in the AbsoluteDogs Games Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/gamesclub

Want to take your learning to the next level? Jump into the games-based training membership for passionate dog owners and aspiring trainers that know they want more for themselves and their dog -  Pro Dog Trainer Club!
https://absolutedogs.me/prodogtrainerclub 

And while you’re here, please leave a review for us and don’t forget to hit share and post your biggest lightbulb moment! Remember, no matter what struggles you might be facing with your dog, there is always a game for that!