Listen Dog Training: The Walk & Talk

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.

Separation anxiety and alone-time struggles are some of the most distressing challenges dog owners face, and yet the advice we’re often given can feel rushed, outdated, or even harmful.

In this episode of The Walk & Talk, we take a deep, science-led look at separation training for dogs, moving beyond quick fixes and ‘just leave them’ advice to explore what dogs actually need in order to feel safe when they’re alone.

Drawing on attachment theory, nervous system science, and over a decade of hands-on behaviour work, I unpack why independence doesn’t come from forced separation, but from secure attachment, emotional regulation, and thoughtful, gradual, intentional training.

Whether you’re raising a puppy, supporting a dog who panics when left alone, or navigating hyper-attachment to one specific person, this episode will help you understand what’s really going on beneath the behaviour, and how to train in a way that builds confidence rather than survival.

If you’ve ever worried that you’re ‘doing it wrong,’ or been told you’re just spoiling your dog too much, this episode is for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why forcing dogs to ‘get used to’ being alone often backfires - and what it teaches the nervous system instead

How attachment science (John Bowlby & Mary Ainsworth) helps us understand separation anxiety and independence in dogs

Why secure attachment is the foundation of confident independence, not the enemy of it

The difference between dogs who fear being alone and dogs who are hyper-attached to their owner - and why this matters for training

How to introduce separation in ways your dog chooses, using distance-based enrichment and emotional safety

How desensitisation and counter-conditioning actually work for separation struggles

How to prevent separation issues from puppyhood by prioritising regulation, safety, and connection

💻 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!

So many dog owners are stuck in a cycle of trying to wear their dog out - longer walks, more running, more stimulation - yet still living with dogs who feel fizzy, reactive, over-aroused, and hard work to coexist with!

In this episode of The Walk & Talk, we’re unpacking one of the most misunderstood concepts in modern dog training: regulation vs exertion.

You’ll learn why exhausting your dog doesn’t automatically create calm, how a dysregulated nervous system shows up as reactivity and ‘too much’ behaviour, and what actually helps dogs develop true emotional balance. This episode is a deep, science-backed reframe that will change how you think about exercise, enrichment, and everyday life with your dog - especially if you’re raising a sensitive, reactive, or high-energy dog.

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything yet still struggling with overstimulation and chaos, this episode will bring clarity, relief, and a whole new way forward.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Why ‘tiring your dog out’ often creates more reactivity, not less

The difference between physical exhaustion and nervous system regulation

How overstimulation shows up in behaviour - and why calm can’t be forced

What regulating activities actually look like in real life

How to blend exercise and regulation to meet your individual dog’s needs

Why some high-energy dogs need less intensity, not more

How daily lifestyle factors influence your dog’s ability to settle

What calm really is - and how to help your dog learn it, rather than chase it

💻 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!