The Dog Who Asked for More: Understanding Life With Your Dog Beyond Dog Training and Behavior

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Are you tired of dog training advice that gives you one more thing to try but still leaves you wondering what you're missing? If you've…

by Emily “Em” Breslin | Dog Trainer & Canine Nutritionist

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About The Dog Who Asked for More: Understanding Life With Your Dog Beyond Dog Training and Behavior

Are you tired of dog training advice that gives you one more thing to try but still leaves you wondering what you're missing? If you've followed the advice, learned everything you can, and still can't figure out what actually makes sense for the dog in front of you, this…

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Episodes

New episodes come out several times a week.Latest 200 episodes in the feed

Nov 11, 2026 · 4 min

What Pedigree Can't Tell You About the Dog You're Bringing Home | Dog Behavior

You did the research. You chose a reputable breeder. You paid more because you thought you were giving your dog the best possible start. So why are you still dealing with dog behavior problems like anxiety, fear, or reactivity that you never expected? Good breeding and genetics can lower certain risks, but they can't guarantee how your dog will behave. Prenatal stress, early puppy development, and the environment…
Nov 9, 2026 · 5 min

How the Rush Before Guests Arrive Sets Your Dog Off Before Anyone Walks In | Dog Behavior

The vacuum comes out. You start cleaning. Food gets prepped. And somehow your dog is already pacing, following you around, or acting differently before a single guest has walked through the door. What feels like a bunch of unrelated things on your to-do list may look very different to your dog. They notice patterns, changes in routine, new smells, and shifts around the house that can tell them something is coming…
Nov 6, 2026 · 4 min

What You'll Wish You Had Done Before Your Dog Got Loose | Dog Safety

Your dog gets loose. Their collar comes off. A gate gets left open. A firework sends them running. And suddenly, every second matters. Most dog parents know tags and microchips are important, but knowing you should be prepared and having a real plan in place before something happens are two very different things. Because the moment your dog disappears is not when you want to discover the gaps in yours. You'll hear:…
Nov 4, 2026 · 5 min

The Reason Your Dog Still Flinches at Small Sounds Long After the Stress Is Gone | Dog Behavior

The house is quiet. Life is more predictable. Your dog is safe. So why are they still flinching at small sounds, struggling with unfamiliar people, or reacting like something bad is about to happen? A dog's behavior doesn't always reflect what's happening right now. Sometimes it reflects what they've learned to expect after living through chronic stress. And even when their environment changes, those reactions…
Nov 2, 2026 · 5 min

Why Waiting for Your Dogs to Work It Out Lets Tension Turn Into a Real Fight | Dog Behavior

Your older dog snaps at your younger dog. You brace every time they're in the same room. And everyone keeps telling you to give them time. But how long are you supposed to wait before you know something needs to change? Some dogs really do need time to figure each other out. But when tension between two dogs keeps happening, it can be difficult to tell whether you're watching normal dog behavior or a problem that…

Earlier episodes (195)

Oct 30, 2026 The Reason Muzzle and Kennel Shame Puts Your Dog at Risk | Dog Culture
You know the muzzle helps. You know the kennel works. So why do you still catch yourself explaining, defending, or even hiding the tools that make life easier for your dog? Muzzles, kennels, and gates can make everyday life safer and less stressful. But when other people see danger, punishment, or failed dog training where you see safety and support, even the right management decision can start to feel like…
Oct 28, 2026 What Your Dog's Training Plan Is Missing When Nothing Seems to Work | Dog Training
When a dog is terrified, knowing how to help them can feel anything but straightforward. And when a training approach doesn't seem to be working, how do you decide what to try next? Dog trainer William Garrido shares the story of Sophia, one of the most fearful dogs he'd ever worked with, and his decision to use a controversial training approach after earlier attempts hadn't helped. We also talk about Fitz, whose…
Oct 26, 2026 The Reason Helping Your Dogs Get Along Is Making Their Conflict Worse | Dog Behavior
You know the plan isn't working. Everyone is more stressed, you're constantly managing the fallout, and yet changing course somehow feels harder than trying one more time. When consistency gets treated like the answer to every dog training problem, walking away from a plan can feel like admitting you didn't try hard enough. But sometimes the thing keeping you and your dog stuck isn't a lack of effort. It's the…
Oct 23, 2026 What It Means When Your Dog Suddenly Can’t Do Something They’ve Already Mastered | Dog Training
Your dog knew how to do this. They've done it dozens of times. So why does one hesitant session suddenly make it feel like all your dog training progress has disappeared? When something changes, even something small, your dog may need time to get comfortable again. But when a skill that once looked easy suddenly becomes difficult, it's easy to assume you're back at the beginning. You'll hear: Why hesitation after a…
Oct 21, 2026 Why a Second Puppy Doubles Your First Puppy's Problems Instead of Fixing Them | Dog Behavior
One puppy already has you exhausted. Getting them a playmate can sound like the perfect way to take some of that energy off your plate. But bringing home a second puppy doesn't automatically make raising the first one easier. Two puppies close in age can mean twice the training, twice the management, and challenges you never expected, especially when they become more dependent on each other than comfortable being…
Oct 19, 2026 Why “Just Bring Your Dog” Isn't as Simple as People Think | Life With Dogs
“Just bring him. He’ll be fine.” It sounds simple when you’re not the one who knows exactly what could happen if he isn’t. Sometimes the exhausting part of knowing your dog isn’t making the decision. It’s having to explain that decision over and over to people who don’t understand why something easy for their dog isn’t easy for yours. And when you're managing dog behavior that other people don't see or understand,…
Oct 16, 2026 How Pushing Your Dog to Handle Everything Leaves Them Able to Handle Less | Dog Behavior
If your dog struggles with something, it can feel like you're supposed to train until they don't. But does your dog actually need to handle every situation in the first place? Halloween brings that pressure out fast. Doorbells, costumes, kids, strangers, and plenty of advice about getting your dog ready for all of it. Sometimes the better question is whether they need to participate at all. You'll hear: Why…
Oct 14, 2026 What Happens When Helping Your Dog Means Doing the Thing You Swore Was Wrong | Dog Training
You can have strong beliefs about what you would never do with a dog. Then one dog comes along and makes you question all of them. Kylie never expected Maya to need the kind of tools she once saw as punishment. But when safety, reactivity, and separation anxiety changed their daily life, figuring out what worked meant confronting some of her own beliefs about what being a good dog parent was supposed to look like.…
Oct 12, 2026 How Picture Perfect Dog Setups Online Make Your Life With Your Dog Feel Like It Isn’t Enough
Nothing about your life with your dog changed. Then you scrolled past someone else's version of it, and suddenly yours didn't feel like enough. Perfect bowls, elaborate enrichment, matching gear, picture-ready spaces. None of it means your dog has a better life, but seeing enough of it can make you question things you were perfectly happy with before. You'll hear: How ordinary dog care quietly became something…
Oct 9, 2026 Why Your Dog Is Already Stressed Before Halloween Even Starts | Dog Behavior
Halloween is still weeks away, but your dog already seems a little less able to handle things they normally would. October changes more than what shows up on your porch. Your walks move, the afternoons get busier, the weather changes, and your dog's normal routine can quietly look very different before Halloween night ever arrives. You'll hear: The small October changes that can make ordinary situations harder for…
Oct 7, 2026 What Pet Brands Hear After the Sale That Still Makes Them Cry | Pet Industry
Most dog products are just things we buy. Every once in a while, one changes something much bigger than expected. At SuperZoo, I asked pet brands about the moment they realized something they made had genuinely changed someone's day to day life with their dog. Their answers went far beyond whether the product worked, and some of them got emotional telling me why. You'll hear: The everyday problems that became…
Oct 5, 2026 Why One More Training Rep Won’t Help When Your Dog Isn’t Getting It | Dog Training
You run it again because surely one more try is the one that finally clicks. But somewhere along the way, more effort stops moving either of you forward. It can be hard to call a training session when something still isn't working, especially when stopping feels like giving up. Knowing when you've reached that point can change what happens the next time you try. You'll hear: The subtle signs your dog may be done…
Oct 2, 2026 When to Stop Playing, Even When Your Dog Is Asking for More | Dog Behavior
You gave your dog the walk, the fetch, the training, and somehow you're the only one ready to collapse. When a full day of trying to meet your dog's needs leaves you with even more chaos, it's easy to assume you still haven't done enough. But before you add one more round of anything, there may be something important you're missing. You'll hear: Why a dog asking for more doesn't always mean they need more How Em…
Sep 30, 2026 How Dog Products Change When Brands Actually Listen to Pet Parents | Pet Industry
Buying something for your dog is easy. Knowing whether it’s actually worth your money is the harder part. Some of the most useful details about a product never become the headline on the package. At SuperZoo, I talked with the people behind a wide range of dog brands about what they’ve learned after their products reached real customers, including the feedback that changed what they make and the features people…
Sep 28, 2026 The Reason You Still Wonder If Building Your Life Around Your Dog Was the Right Call | Life With Dogs
Building your life around your dog can feel completely right and still leave room for the question you don’t always want to ask: Did I make the right call? Big decisions rarely come with proof that everything is going to work out. When your work, finances, routines, and future have all been shaped by the dog beside you, even seeing those choices pay off doesn’t always make the uncertainty disappear. You'll hear:…
Sep 25, 2026 Why More Exercise Isn’t Helping Your Dog Settle | Dog Behavior
You did the long walk. You played fetch until your arm gave out. And somehow your dog is still pacing around the house like the day just started. “Tire them out” sounds like good advice when your dog has endless energy, but more activity doesn’t always lead to a calmer dog. Sometimes the thing you’re doing to wear them out is actually winding them up even more, leaving you exhausted and your dog still unable to…
Sep 23, 2026 What Pet Creators See Behind the Scenes That Pet Parents Don’t | Pet Industry
The creators you trust the most have opinions about this industry they don't usually put in a caption. At Superzoo in August, instead of collecting swag and taking panel photos, three questions got asked to creator after creator, not the polished, brand-deal-ready answers you see on Instagram, but the real ones. What brand would they actually recommend if nobody was paying them to say it. What myth about training,…
Sep 21, 2026 How Task Training at Home Gives You the Wrong Idea About Service Dog Potential | Dog Training
Your dog can learn the tasks perfectly at home and still not be capable of doing the job of a service dog. I wanted Fitz to be a service dog badly enough to train him myself. He learned real tasks, including retrieval, deep pressure therapy, and migraine alerts. At home, he was good at them. Then we went out in public, and the dog I hoped he could become collided with the dog actually standing in front of me.…
Sep 18, 2026 What You Gain When You Stop Chasing the Life Everyone Else Expects for Your Dog | Dog Training
There's a version of your life with this dog that you pictured a while back. It doesn't look anything like the one you're actually living now, and somehow that's become other people's business. At some point you stopped going to the places that used to be part of every week together, without ever deciding it in one clear moment. You just noticed what actually worked for your dog and kept doing that instead. People…
Sep 16, 2026 What Happens When You Stay Quiet While Someone Invades Your Dog's Space | Dog Body Language
You've said it out loud before anyone's hand even moves. Somehow you're still the one bracing for what happens next. Most people don't think there's anything to ask permission for when a dog looks friendly enough to grab, so the asking never happens. You end up being the one who has to say something, again, with every new person who doesn't bother to check first. You can be completely right about what your dog…
Sep 14, 2026 Why More Research Is Making Your Dog Product Decisions Harder | Dog Products
Somewhere in your house right now is a supplement you bought after one comment section convinced you it mattered, sitting next to a bag of food you're not sure you'll finish before switching again. Caring about your dog's food, training, and health doesn't come with an answer key, and the more you research, the less certain you often feel, not because you're getting something wrong, but because every product comes…
Sep 11, 2026 How to See Progress When Your Dog Is Still Reacting | Dog Training
You scroll past the before and after videos, the dog who used to lunge, now walking calmly on a loose leash, the caption that says six months. Then you look at your own dog, who's been in it for a year, two years, more, and still reacts to the exact same thing they reacted to on day one. Nobody posts the middle. They post the before and they post the after, and the eighteen months in between where nothing looked…
Sep 9, 2026 What Happens to a Working Dog When the Job They Built Their Life Around Is Gone | Dog Training
The dog who once had to earn every reward with a task will still find a way to steal your Thanksgiving turkey once nobody's watching. Roadie spent his career as a military working dog, sharp, disciplined, always on the job. When Paul brought him home for good, neither of them knew what came next. The chewing that replaced the anticipation of a task. The people food he'd never been allowed to want, and then wanted…
Sep 7, 2026 How Your Dog Quietly Became the Steadiest Thing in Your Life | Life With Dogs
Everything else in your life has changed shape more than once. Your dog has been there for all of it. You've moved, changed jobs, changed relationships, watched people come and go. Your body's changed, your routines have been torn up and rebuilt more times than you can count. And somewhere in the middle of all that, your dog just kept being your dog, same greeting, same spot on the couch, same way they look at you…
Sep 4, 2026 Why Doing the Bare Minimum for Your Dog Can Feel Like Failing Them | Dog Enrichment
Your dog needs you today, but you have nothing left. There are days when everything they ask for feels like too much, not because you don't love them, not because you're doing it wrong, but because you were already empty before they brought you the ball for the first time that morning. And they don't know that. They just know you're there, and the gap between what they need and what you have left can feel…
Sep 2, 2026 How Asking for Help With Your Dog Became So Risky | Dog Community
Someone in the dog community made you feel like you were doing it wrong, and part of you still wonders if they were right. Maybe you asked a question in a Facebook group or a Reddit thread and got judgment instead of an answer. Maybe you tried to help someone else and got torn apart for it. The dog community can be one of the most supportive places on the internet, and it can also be one of the cruelest, and that…
Aug 31, 2026 The Reason You're Still on Edge After a Good Walk With Your Reactive Dog | Dog Training
You know where every dog is before anyone else does, the one at the end of the block, the one behind the fence, the one two streets over. You've already calculated the exits before you're even out the front door. Most people who manage a reactive dog for long enough stop noticing they're doing it at all. The route planning, the scanning, the constant recalculating, it just becomes how you move through the world.…
Aug 28, 2026 What It Means When You Love Your Dog but Don’t Enjoy Being Around Them | Dog Training Burnout
You love your dog. You also spent today wishing they had an off switch. There are days when everything they do is the thing: the pacing, the nudging, the ball dropped at your feet for the fourteenth time, and you are already running on empty before any of it even starts. Then the guilt shows up, because you're supposed to love this, you chose this dog, you know what they need. But loving them completely and needing…
Aug 26, 2026 When Loving Your Next Dog Makes You Miss the One You Lost All Over Again | Pet Loss
She wasn't planning to adopt that day. She saw a photo of a dog with crusty eyes and a cone around her neck, and she just knew. Kailynn had lost her dog Pippa to cancer less than a year earlier, and fostering had already become part of how she was healing. Then she saw Tinsley's shelter photo right around the anniversary of Pippa's passing, and something about it made the decision before she'd even thought it…
Aug 24, 2026 What Happens When You Can’t Leave Your Dog Home Alone With the Person You Live With | Life With Dogs
Your dog has been there for parts of your life you've never said out loud. There's a version of this that looks fine from the outside, the version where you're functioning, managing, holding it together well enough that nobody around you knows what it's actually costing. Underneath that, there's a math you're doing constantly, weighing what's safe, what isn't, what you can and can't carry today. And through all of…
Aug 21, 2026 How Old Expectations Can Keep You From Seeing What Your Senior Dog Needs Now | Dog Training
Your dog used to make it up the stairs without thinking. Now you watch them do the math first. Somewhere along the way, you started lifting your dog onto the couch and stopped noticing it as new. Their back legs don't always cooperate anymore. They hear you call and something doesn't quite connect the way it used to. And your first instinct, because you've spent years training this dog, is to wonder if you need to…
Aug 19, 2026 Why Being a Good Dog Parent Doesn’t Mean Every Rescue Dog Is Right for You | Dog Training
Most people think the hard part of adopting a pet ends when the paperwork is signed. But that's usually when the real work starts, and a lot of the struggles that come after could have been caught with the right conversation before you ever brought the animal home. In this episode, Em talks with Amy Castro from Pet Parent Hotline about what actually happens after adoption: why so many dogs get returned once they…
Aug 17, 2026 What Changes When Your Dog Makes the Life You Planned Impossible | Dog Training
There's a version of reactive dog life people talk about: the walks that don't go well, the places you stop going. And then there's the version nobody talks about, the one where it starts costing you at work, your income, your ability to say yes to things you need to say yes to. In this episode, Em shares what it actually looked like when Fitz washed out of service dog training and her life was falling apart in…
Aug 14, 2026 What Your Dog Needs Before the Training Can Actually Work | Dog Training
You've watched the videos, read the posts, followed the steps exactly, and then it falls apart. Your dog can't focus, or gets it three times and forgets everything on the fourth, or shuts down completely. You start running through the checklist in your head. Is the treat not good enough? Did I move too fast? And underneath all of it, the question you don't say out loud: what if I'm the problem? In this episode, Em…
Aug 12, 2026 How a Pharmacy Error Took a Dog Who Had Just Survived Heart Surgery | Dog Health
She survived a $20,000 heart surgery most vets had never even heard of. Four days later, a pharmacy mistake took her anyway. Krasi and her husband did everything right. They researched, they saved, they flew across the world for a surgery only available in three places. It worked. Daisy came home. Then a routine arrhythmia medication came back from the pharmacy with the wrong dose, ten times what it should have…
Aug 10, 2026 Why Your Dog Is Still Wired After All That Exercise | Dog Behavior
You've thrown the ball until your arm gave out, run more miles, extended the walks, done everything that's supposed to work. And your dog still can't settle, still paces, still follows you from room to room like something's about to happen. The exhausting part is that you're doing everything right on paper. In this episode, Em shares what she didn't understand for a long time with Fitz: that fetch and running spike…
Aug 7, 2026 Why Your Dog Feels Like Too Much on Your Hardest Days | Dog Behavior
You have nothing left today, and your dog doesn't know that. They don't know about the exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix, or the kind of day where just being a person already cost everything. They just know you're there, and they still want the same thing they always want, the ball, the walk, the attention. And that's when the guilt shows up, the quiet math of did they get enough today, was that enough, is this…
Aug 5, 2026 You Brought Your Dog on Vacation and Still Can't Relax | Dog Gear
There's a version of leaving your dog you've gotten used to, the sounds, the routine, the timing you can predict without thinking. Then you travel somewhere new, and none of that applies anymore. New space, new sounds, a kennel in a corner you've never seen before, and suddenly you're spending the whole trip only half wherever you actually are. Checking the time. Rushing back early. Doing the math on how long…
Aug 3, 2026 Why “My Dog Is the Reason I Get Up in the Morning” Is Never Just a Joke | Life With Dogs
Your dog knew how bad it really was before anyone else did. There are seasons when everything falls apart at once. In this deeply personal episode, Em shares what it was like surviving an abusive relationship during the pandemic, then getting hit with the Iowa derecho on top of it, and how Toby and Fitz became the one steady thing in a year when nothing else was. You'll hear: What it actually looks like when a…
Jul 31, 2026 Why Your Dog Being Calm in the Car Doesn't Mean They're Safe | Dog Safety
Have you ever driven with your dog loose in the car and quietly wondered what would happen if you had to slam on the brakes? For years, Em thought her dogs were safe simply because they rode quietly in the back seat. It wasn't until she started traveling with Fitz, who struggled to settle on long car rides, that she realized comfort and safety aren't the same thing. In this episode, she shares how one road trip…
Jul 29, 2026 Why Two Dog Supplements With the Same Ingredients Can Be Completely Different | Dog Nutrition
Have you ever looked at a shelf full of dog supplements and wondered which ones actually work? With so many powders, capsules, oils, and tinctures on the market, it's easy to assume that adding more means giving your dog better support. But what if the real question isn't which supplement to buy, but whether your dog's body can actually use it? Em sits down with canine wellness expert Angela Ardolino to talk about…
Jul 27, 2026 What Your Dog Was Saying Before Their Reaction Became Impossible to Miss | Dog Body Language
Did your dog's reaction feel like it came out of nowhere? After a bite, a fight, or another frightening incident, it's easy to replay every moment and wonder what you missed. The guilt, the questions, and the belief that you should have seen it coming can stay with you for years. In this episode, I share the deeply personal story of my dog Izzy, the decision that changed my life, and the lesson that has shaped how…
Jul 24, 2026 Why Your Dog’s Training Stops Working When You Need It Most | Dog Training
Have you ever watched your dog perform perfectly in one place, then completely fall apart somewhere else? If you have a reactive dog, you've probably felt the frustration of training that works one day and fails the next. But what if the problem isn't the training at all? In this episode, Em talks through what actually happens to a dog's ability to learn once they're pushed past what they can handle, why that…
Jul 22, 2026 Why Leaving Your Dog Behind Never Feels Like a Break | Dog Gear
A dog trainer left his dog in a sprinter van with the AC running while he taught a seminar nearby. Within minutes of the AC failing, the van hit 100 degrees. He only knew because his phone started buzzing. In this episode, Em talks with Kaile from Waggle about the mental load of leaving a dog behind, whether that's at home, in the car, or in an RV, and how real-time monitoring changes what "checking on your dog"…
Jul 20, 2026 How You Accidentally Taught Your Dog the Behavior You're Trying to Stop | Dog Training
Have you ever had one bad day with your dog and immediately wondered if you've ruined everything? If you live with a reactive dog, you know how easy it is to turn a difficult walk, a setback, or a frustrating behavior into a story about who your dog is—or what you're doing wrong. In this episode, we explore why those stories feel so convincing, how they shape your dog training decisions, and what may actually be…
Jul 17, 2026 The Reason Pushing Your Dog's Progress Backfires | Dog Training
What if the thing that feels like giving up on your dog is actually the thing they need most? If you're living with a reactive dog, anxious dog, or a dog who seems constantly overwhelmed, you've probably been told to keep pushing forward. More training. More exposure. More practice. More consistency. But what if progress isn't about doing more? In this episode of The Dog Who Asked for More , Em shares the reality…
Jul 15, 2026 Why the Perfect Dog on Paper Can Be Completely Wrong for Your Life | Dog Training
Did you choose your dog based on your real life—or the life you hoped you would have? When most people start looking for a dog, they focus on breeds, photos, energy levels, and what life might look like once that dog comes home. But what happens when the reality doesn't match the dream? In this episode, I sit down with Julie Swan of the Honest Dog Breeder Podcast to talk about ethical breeding, rescue dogs, dog…
Jul 13, 2026 Why Every Reaction From Your Dog Feels Like Proof You're Failing Them | Dog Training
A bike comes around the corner and the dog reacts. Even knowing everything about triggers and thresholds, it still feels like the stranger watching just saw something true about you. This episode breaks down why a reactive dog's public meltdown gets turned into a verdict about the handler, why understanding the science behind reactivity doesn't make the shame disappear, and why separating the incident itself from…
Jul 10, 2026 What Grief Looks Like When Your Dog Is Still Here | Pet Loss
You don't notice the changes all at once. It's the extra medication with breakfast. The slower trip up the stairs. The way your dog sleeps a little more than they used to. The way your daily routine quietly shifts around their needs until one day you realize just how much has changed. In this episode, I'm talking about a kind of grief that doesn't get discussed very often: the grief that starts before the loss. The…
Jul 8, 2026 Why Nothing You’ve Tried for Your Dog’s Itching and Bad Breath Is Working | Dog Health
Have you ever felt like you're constantly chasing a new symptom with your dog? Maybe it's bad breath. Maybe it's itching. Maybe it's digestive issues that improve for a while, then come right back. You've changed foods, tried supplements, spent hours researching, and you're still wondering what you're missing. In this episode, I sit down with Kendall, co-founder of Kingdom, to talk about why some of the most common…
Jul 6, 2026 Why Your Dog Is Still Rattled Hours After the Fireworks Stop | Dog Training
The noise has stopped. The holiday is over. But your dog is still jumpy, restless, reacting to things that normally wouldn't bother them, and you're starting to wonder if something is wrong. In this episode, Em explains what's actually happening inside your dog's body after a stressful event and why recovery often takes much longer than most dog parents expect. If you've been worried that your dog should be "over…
Jul 3, 2026 Why Making Every Dog Decision Alone Is Wearing Down Your Confidence | Life With Dogs
Being the only one who decides for your dog costs more than you think. You've stayed up at midnight researching food, training, or health decisions, wishing someone would just tell you that you're not getting it wrong. If you're the only one making every call for your dog, this episode is for you. The emotional weight of constant second-guessing, the financial pressure of getting it wrong, the exhaustion dog…
Jul 1, 2026 What Happens When the Dog You Were Assigned Becomes Irreplaceable | Dog Training
What happens when the dog beside you stops being part of the job and becomes the one constant in your life? After years of dog training, deployments, Secret Service missions, and life-changing transitions, Paul Bourgeois discovered that his military working dog, Rroddie, was giving him something far beyond protection or performance. Through war, divorce, retirement, and the difficult transition back to civilian…
Jun 29, 2026 The Reason Training Stops Helping Your Dog Once the Fireworks Start | Dog Training
You've played the soundtracks. Practiced the exercises. Done everything the training advice told you to do. And the fireworks start anyway, and your dog falls apart anyway, and you're standing there wondering what you missed. In this episode, Em shares why so many well-meaning dog parents end up here every year, and why fireworks may not be the training problem everyone assumes it is. Drawing from her experience as…
Jun 26, 2026 What You Don’t Notice When You Start Avoiding Places With Your Reactive Dog | Dog Training
Your reactive dog, and it's not what you think. There are places you and your dog just stopped going. Not because you decided to. Little by little, your world got smaller, and you almost didn't notice until you did. In this episode, Em talks about the quiet kind of avoidance that happens when you're living with a reactive dog: the skipped walks, the places that stopped feeling easy, the moment you realize your…
Jun 24, 2026 Why Your Dog Riding Loose in the Car Is a Risk Even If You're a Great Driver | Dog Safety
Getting there and getting there safely aren't the same thing. Most dog parents never think about car safety until they're faced with a close call, an accident, or the realization that their dog could be seriously hurt in a crash. We think about training, nutrition, enrichment, behavior. How our dogs actually travel rarely makes the list. In this episode, Em sits down with Reed from Ruffland Kennels to talk about…
Jun 22, 2026 When a Hard Day With Your Dog Makes You Question the Whole Relationship | Life With Dogs
Do you ever feel completely exhausted by your dog… and then immediately guilty for feeling that way at all? Some days it feels like your dog needs something from you every second:attention, movement, regulation, reassurance, management, patience, decision-making, and emotional energy. And when you’re already overwhelmed yourself, even small things can start to feel impossibly heavy. In this episode of The Dog Who…
Jun 19, 2026 What Happens After “Trying Everything” for Your Dog Stops Being the Answer | Dog Training
What do you do when you’ve tried everything for your dog… and nothing is working? In this deeply personal episode of The Dog Who Asked for More , Em shares the full story of Izzie — the dog she loved deeply, the years of management and escalating behavior, and the impossible decision she eventually had to make after everything finally fell apart. This conversation explores the emotional reality of living with…
Jun 17, 2026 Why Having More Options for Your Dog Makes Choosing Harder | Pet Care
Have You Ever Felt Like Helping Your Dog Has Turned Into A Research Project? You've saved the post. Bought the supplement. Tried the chew. Added another recommendation to the list. And somehow, instead of feeling more confident, you feel even less sure about what your dog actually needs. In this episode, Em sits down with Michelle Huie, founder of ShopDotPet, to talk about why so many pet parents get stuck in a…
Jun 15, 2026 How Piling On Enrichment Hides What Your Dog Actually Needs | Dog Behavior
Have you ever spent hours planning enrichment for your dog… only to end the day wondering why they still seem restless, overstimulated, or unable to settle? Lick mats. Snuffle mats. Puzzle feeders. Frozen toppers. Scatter feeding. Training sessions. Walks. Rotations. DIY enrichment setups. A lot of dog parents are doing everything they’ve been told to do — and still ending up with dogs who feel more activated…
Jun 12, 2026 What Happens When the Dog Who Got You Through Everything Starts Struggling Too | Dog Behavior
Have you ever looked at your dog and realized they became so much more than a companion—they became the thing that helped you survive? For some people, dogs become far more than pets. They become routine, safety, stability, and emotional support when life feels overwhelming. In this deeply personal episode of The Dog Who Asked for More , Em shares the reality of surviving an abusive living situation during COVID…
Jun 10, 2026 Why More Exercise Is Making Your Dog Harder to Live With | Dog Enrichment
What if your dog doesn't need more exercise—just a better way to use the energy they already have? Many dog parents are stuck in the same exhausting cycle: more walks, more fetch, more play, more activity... yet their dog still won't settle. If you have a high-energy dog, reactive dog, anxious dog, or a dog that constantly seems to want more, this episode may completely change how you think about enrichment. Em…
Jun 8, 2026 Why Your Dog’s Reactions Keep Feeling Like They Came From Nowhere | Dog Body Language
Have you ever looked at your dog after a reaction, shutdown, growl, or stressful moment and thought: “Where did that even come from?” A lot of dog parents believe reactions happen suddenly.One second their dog seems fine… and the next there’s barking, lunging, freezing, growling, or biting that feels impossible to predict. But most dogs are communicating long before those moments happen. Most of us just were never…
Jun 5, 2026 How the Training That's Supposed to Help Your Dog Starts Making Things Worse | Dog Training
Have you ever felt like your dog understands something one day… and completely falls apart the next? You practice.You repeat things.You try to stay patient and consistent. And still your dog seems overwhelmed, reactive, distracted, or unable to settle once real life gets involved. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked for More , Em shares the turning point she experienced with Fitz after realizing that more…
Jun 3, 2026 What No One Prepares You to Lose When Your Dog Dies | Pet Loss
Losing your dog is hard. But losing the dog who changed you feels like losing part of yourself. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked for More , we’re talking about the kind of grief people don’t always understand — the grief that comes after a dog who shaped your routines, your identity, your healing, and the version of yourself you became because they were here. Because when you’ve loved a dog who needed more from…
Jun 1, 2026 What Nobody Told You to Check When Training Your Anxious Dog | Dog Nutrition
You’ve done the training. The walks.The management.The routines.The enrichment. And while some of it helps… your dog still seems anxious, reactive, unsettled, or unable to fully relax. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked for More , we’re talking about the connection between dog behavior and what may be happening inside the body — especially in the gut. Because many dogs labeled as “anxious,” “sensitive,”…
May 29, 2026 Why the Advice That Works for Other Dogs Keeps Failing Yours | Dog Training
Do you ever feel like your brain is constantly running calculations about your dog? Is this walk too much? Did they get enough rest? Should we leave now? Will this trigger a reaction? Did I make the wrong call again? In this episode of The Dog Who Asked for More , we’re talking about the invisible mental load behind life with a dog who needs more from you than most people realize. Because when your dog struggles…
May 27, 2026 What Modern Life Is Quietly Taking Away From Your Dog | Dog Health
You’ve changed the food. Added the supplements. Tried to do everything right for your dog. And somehow… they still don’t seem fully well. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked for More , we’re talking about a piece of dog health that almost nobody discusses: light. Joined by animal bodyworker and Animal Soul founder Jackie Jolie, we explore how modern indoor living may be affecting our dogs in ways most people never…
May 25, 2026 Who Pays the Price When an Untrained Dog Wears a Service Vest | Dog Training
You've seen it. A dog in a vest that didn't seem okay. Barking, lunging, clearly overwhelmed. And you didn't say anything, because it's not your place, because maybe you're wrong, because what would you even say. This episode is about that moment, and about what actually separates a real service dog from a vest bought online. Because from the outside, a calm pet and a task-trained service dog can look identical,…
May 22, 2026 What’s Behind Your Dog’s Off Days When Nothing Has Changed | Dog Behavior
Your dog had an off day, and nothing about it makes sense. Nothing changed. The routine was the same. And still, the reactions came faster, the settling took longer, and you were left running through everything you did that day trying to find the thing you missed. Em walks through the exact moment this stopped feeling random for her — when she noticed Fitz getting more reactive and Toby withdrawing on the same kind…
May 20, 2026 What You Can Do Before Your Dog Starts Showing Their Age | Dog Health
Have you ever looked at your dog and realized something felt different… and suddenly started wondering how much time you really have left together? In this episode of The Dog Who Asked for More , we’re talking about the quiet reality of dogs getting older — the small changes most people don’t notice until they become impossible to ignore. A hesitation on the stairs. Sleeping a little more. Not jumping onto the…
May 18, 2026 Why Your Dog’s Walk Is Making Things Harder Instead of Better | Dog Training
At some point, walks stopped feeling enjoyable and started feeling like something you mentally prepare yourself to survive. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em talks about the quiet reality many dog parents carry but rarely admit out loud: walks that feel tense, unpredictable, exhausting, and emotionally draining — even when you love your dog deeply. Because for many sensitive, reactive, or easily…
May 15, 2026 Why Trying Harder for Your Dog Leaves You Trusting Yourself Less | Dog Training
You love your dog deeply… so why does it feel like you’re carrying the weight of everything all the time? In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em talks about the quiet burnout so many dog parents live in without realizing it. The constant watching. The overthinking. The pressure to prevent every reaction, manage every situation, and stay one step ahead so nothing goes wrong. Because when you care this…
May 13, 2026 Why Your Dog Keeps Struggling When You’ve Already Addressed the Problem | Dog Health
You’ve changed the food. Worked on the behavior. Tried the supplements, the training, the routines… and somehow the same problems still keep coming back. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em sits down for a layered conversation about chronic gut issues, sensitivities, reactivity, nutrition, stress, and what happens when dog parents realize they may only be looking at one piece of a much bigger…
May 11, 2026 Why Nothing Works Once Your Dog Starts Reacting | Dog Training
You keep trying to do the right thing in the moment your dog reacts… and somehow nothing ever seems to work. The barking. The lunging. The feeling that your dog suddenly can’t hear you anymore, even though you know they know these skills. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em talks about the exhausting cycle so many dog parents get stuck in: trying to calm their dog down once the reaction has already…
May 8, 2026 What Your Dog's “Picky” Eating Is Really Telling You | Dog Nutrition
At first it looks small. A skipped meal here. Weird digestion there. A day where your dog just feels a little “off.” Not because one skipped meal feels like an emergency. But because deep down, you know something feels different — even if you can’t fully explain why yet. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em talks about the subtle signs dog parents often brush off at first: inconsistent eating, random…
May 6, 2026 What Nobody Tells You About the Dog Food You’ve Been Told Is Fine for Your Dog | Dog Nutrition
Why do so many dog parents only start questioning food when their dog gets sick? In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em sits down with Jessica, for a deep conversation about dog nutrition, dog food labels, gut health, allergies, and the emotional reality of trying to help a dog who still isn’t thriving — even when you’re following all the advice you’ve been given. From pancreatitis and storage mite…
May 4, 2026 How More Enrichment Keeps Your Dog From Settling | Dog Behavior
You’ve Changed Everything For Your Dog… So Why Do They Still Seem Restless, Reactive, Or Unable To Settle? In This Episode Of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em Shares The Story Of Fitz — And The Realization That More Walks, More Play, More Activity, And More Dog Enrichment Were Actually Making His Dog Behavior Harder Instead Of Helping. Like So Many Dog Parents, Em Thought The Answer Was Doing More. More Exercise.…
May 1, 2026 What No One Tells You About Loving a Dog Who Is Hard to Live With | Dog Training
You can love your dog deeply… and still feel like living with them is breaking you. There are moments most people don’t talk about.Not the training. Not the good days. The ones where you feel exhausted.Where everything feels hard.Where you sit there and wonder if you can keep doing this. You go on the walks.You manage the triggers.You plan everything out. And over time… it starts to wear on you. You find yourself…
Apr 29, 2026 Why Trying to Choose the Right Dog Products Leaves You With More Questions Than Answers | Canine Nutrition
You read the labels. You compare the ingredients. You try to make the right choice. And the more you look, the less clear it feels. One product says it's healthy. Another says it's better. Everyone has an opinion, and now you're stuck wondering if you're getting it wrong. This is where so many dog parents end up, not because they don't care, but because they care so much, and the information in front of them…
Apr 27, 2026 Why Your Dog Is Still Reacting Even Though the Training Is Working | Dog Training
Why does it still feel like nothing’s working—even after all the training you’ve put in? You bring treats.You practice focus.You try to stay consistent. And sometimes it works… until it doesn’t. One walk goes well—and the next feels even harder.The reactions come back.The pulling returns.And suddenly, it feels like you’re right back where you started. This is where so many dog parents get stuck. Not because they’re…
Apr 24, 2026 How Learning About Dog Food Leaves You Feeling Like You're Feeding Your Dog Wrong | Dog Nutrition
You tried to figure out dog food… so why does it feel more confusing than ever? You read the labels.You look at the ingredients.You try to do what’s best. And somehow… you end up feeling worse about what you’re feeding your dog. Feeding your dog should feel simple. But once you start hearing different opinions, comparing raw vs kibble, seeing grain-free warnings, and reading confident marketing claims… it stops…
Apr 22, 2026 Why Finding the Right Dog Is a Lot Like Dating | Dog Training
Have you ever felt like you're doing everything for your dog, more training, more enrichment, more effort, and it still feels off? Like something isn't quite clicking, even though you're trying? Sometimes behavior isn't about effort. It's about fit. The rhythm of your life. Your dog's temperament. The expectations you didn't realize you were carrying. In this episode, Em sits down with K, The Canine Detective, to…
Apr 20, 2026 What Comparing Your Dog to Everyone Else’s Makes You Stop Seeing | Dog Training
You watch other dogs walk calmly, ignore distractions, settle without being asked twice, and you wonder why none of that comes easy for yours. It's not a thought you'd say out loud, but it's there. In this episode, Em unpacks where that quiet comparison actually comes from, and what it does to the way you see your own dog. Through honest reflection on life with Fitz, she gets into the gap between what training…
Apr 17, 2026 What “I Can’t Keep Doing This” Really Means When You Love Your Dog | Life With Dogs
Have you ever loved your dog deeply… and still quietly wondered, I don’t know if I can keep doing this ? A lot of overwhelmed dog parents carry a kind of exhaustion they don’t feel safe talking about. The constant management. The disrupted routines. The hypervigilance. The canceled plans. The walks that feel stressful instead of peaceful. The feeling that your nervous system never fully turns off. In this episode,…
Apr 15, 2026 How Your Dog's Health Problems Start Passing as Their Personality | Dog Health
Living with a chronically sick dog creates a kind of exhaustion most people don’t see. The middle-of-the-night potty trips. The constant second-guessing. The vet visits. The spiraling thoughts about food, behavior, medications, stress, and whether you’re somehow missing something important. In this deeply honest conversation, Em sits down with Maya to share Loki’s long journey through chronic diarrhea,…
Apr 13, 2026 Why Your Dog Still Needs More After Getting Plenty of Exercise | Dog Enrichment
Have you ever spent hours walking, playing with, and exercising your dog… only to watch them come home even more restless, reactive, or unable to settle? A lot of dog parents are taught that if dogs have energy, the solution is always more exercise. Longer walks. More outings. More stimulation. More activity. But for many sensitive or anxious dogs, constantly adding input doesn’t create calm — it creates nervous…
Apr 10, 2026 Why a Busy Day Doesn't Hit Your Dog Until Hours Later | Dog Training
A dog can act fine all day with guests over, and then fall apart the next day once everyone's gone. That's not a coincidence, and it's not too much energy. It's often a dog who's still carrying yesterday and hasn't fully come back down yet. This episode breaks down why spring's busier, less predictable rhythm can leave some dogs on edge, why comparing your dog to ones who "handle it just fine" misses what's…
Apr 8, 2026 What You Miss About Your Dog When You’re Looking Everywhere Else for Answers | Dog Health
Have you ever looked at your dog’s food, supplements, allergies, or behavior struggles and quietly wondered… am I missing something important? A lot of dog parents feel overwhelmed trying to make the “right” choices for their dog’s health. Labels are confusing. Dog food marketing is loud. Supplements pile up quickly. And somewhere underneath all the advice, many dogs are still struggling with itchy skin, ear…
Apr 6, 2026 How Your Dog’s Behavior on Walks Changes the Way You See Them | Dog Training
You finish the walk feeling embarrassed, defeated, like everyone else got the version of dog life you were supposed to have. Pulling, barking, reacting, freezing, scanning, avoiding certain streets, walking at odd hours to dodge the whole thing. At some point it stopped feeling like connection and started feeling like something you're being graded on. In this episode, Em unpacks how leash walking became one of the…
Apr 3, 2026 The Reason Spring Leaves Your Dog Too Wired to Nap | Dog Training
A dog who lies down, then pops back up, checks the window, sighs, and starts moving again, over and over, looks like too much energy. It might actually be a dog who's already full. This episode breaks down the difference between a dog who's under-exercised and a dog who's overtired, why spring specifically can push some dogs into restless, can't-settle energy, and why calm sometimes comes from doing less, not more.…
Apr 1, 2026 What You're Missing When Your Dog Refuses Treats | Dog Nutrition
Have you ever bought treat after treat for your dog… only to end up feeling confused when they still seem uncomfortable, picky, itchy, unmotivated, or sick afterward? A lot of dog parents assume treat time should be simple — grab a bag, reward the dog, move on. But for many sensitive dogs, treats quietly affect digestion, allergies, energy levels, motivation, inflammation, and even behavior in ways most people…
Mar 30, 2026 Why It Feels Like Your Dog Lost All Their Progress Overnight | Dog Training
A bad day usually has an obvious cause. A bad week can build quietly, with nothing that looks big enough to explain it, until it spills over. This episode breaks down why spring specifically tends to overwhelm sensitive dogs, why what looks like backsliding is often just cumulative load from routine changes, more noise, and less real downtime, and why looking at a whole week instead of one hard moment changes…
Mar 27, 2026 How More Training Starts Adding Pressure Instead of Progress | Dog Training
It's easy to assume a dog who won't listen is being stubborn. Often, that's not what's actually happening. This episode breaks down why "just train more" often makes things worse instead of better, and why what looks like a dog who won't listen is sometimes actually a dog who can't, because they don't feel safe enough yet to learn. Training isn't the foundation. Safety and connection come first. You'll hear: Why…
Mar 25, 2026 What You Miss When Your Dog Can Still Do Everything You Ask | Dog Training
What if the dog that looks the most “confident” in training… isn’t actually feeling that way at all? Some dogs look engaged. Focused. High energy. Like they’re doing everything right. But underneath that, there can be tension. Pressure. A body that isn’t fully settled. And it’s easy to miss — especially when it looks like progress. A lot of dog parents get stuck here. Not because they’re doing something wrong… But…
Mar 23, 2026 Why Your Dog Can Be Tired and Still Unable to Settle | Dog Health
A dog who's suddenly more restless. Can't quite settle. It's easy to assume it's a training or enrichment problem. Often, it isn't. This episode breaks down how seasonal allergies and gut irritation can quietly show up as behavior changes in the spring, and why adding more training, more exercise, or more enrichment can actually make things worse when the real problem is physical discomfort, not behavior. You'll…
Mar 20, 2026 Why Your Dog’s Worst Days Often Start Before You Notice | Dog Training
You finally get a calm day. And then the next one feels even harder. The barking is louder. The pacing comes back. And suddenly it feels like all your progress disappeared overnight. A lot of dog parents live in this cycle. One good day, one hard day, back and forth. And it's easy to start blaming yourself. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe nothing is working. Maybe we're just stuck. But what looks like…
Mar 18, 2026 How to Tell When Your Senior Dog Isn’t Just “Getting Older” | Dog Health
The choices made while a dog is young, diet, joint care, how they're exercised, don't just affect them now. They shape how that dog ages years down the line. Em talks with Anna Webb about what actually helps a dog age gracefully: red light therapy for joint pain and recovery, the role fresh food and targeted supplements play in reducing inflammation, and small preventative habits that matter far more than most…
Mar 16, 2026 Why Your Dog’s “Good Behavior” at the Dog Park Deserves a Second Look | Dog Training
Dog parks are supposed to look a certain way: a happy dog running free, easy socialization, and a tired pup afterward. When a dog doesn't fit that picture, staying close, avoiding other dogs, trying to leave, it's easy to start questioning yourself instead of the situation. This episode breaks down why fear doesn't always look dramatic. Sometimes it looks like sticking close, avoidance, or trying to get away, and…
Mar 13, 2026 Why Dogs Can React the Same Way for Completely Different Reasons | Dog Training
Barking. Lunging. Freezing. Growling. It can look like the same behavior from the outside, but underneath, a dog can be in completely different emotional places, and treating fear the same way as frustration usually makes things worse, not better. This episode breaks down the real difference between fear, frustration, and reactivity, why misreading which one is actually happening leads to trying the wrong kind of…
Mar 11, 2026 Why Your Dog Doesn’t Have to Look Sick for Something to Be Wrong | Dog Health
Have you ever looked at your dog and thought… They’re eating. They’re playing. They seem normal. So why does something still feel off? A lot of dog parents end up in this quiet, confusing space—where behavior and health start to blur together. Training doesn’t help. Nothing looks “serious.” But your gut keeps saying something isn’t right. And then the self-doubt kicks in. Am I overthinking? Am I being dramatic? Or…
Mar 9, 2026 How Spring Brings Back Behaviors You Thought Were Gone | Dog Training
The progress felt real. Then spring came, and suddenly the same old behaviors are back, and it feels like something went wrong. This episode breaks down why seasonal spikes in reactivity are almost never about backsliding. They're about load: more stimulation, more unpredictability, more environmental pressure than a nervous system that was just starting to feel safe can handle. It covers why pushing further after…
Mar 6, 2026 Why You’re Always on Edge in Your Own Home With Your Dog | Dog Training
Does your dog struggle to settle at home… even when nothing is happening? The house feels tense. Like everything is a little too loud, a little too on edge. Your dog is pacing, barking, watching everything. And somehow you’re the one holding it all together. A lot of overwhelmed dog parents live in this quiet, constant state of hypervigilance. Trying harder. Adding more training. Doing everything “right.” And still…
Mar 4, 2026 How Your Dog's Behavior Is Telling You What They're Missing | Dog Enrichment
Have you ever felt like your dog is trying to tell you something… but you’re not sure what you’re missing? Like the barking, the restlessness, the shutdowns, the “too much” days aren’t random — but you can’t quite connect the dots? A lot of overwhelmed dog parents end up chasing solutions. More toys. More enrichment. More doing. And somehow it still doesn’t feel better. In this conversation, Em sits down with…
Mar 2, 2026 Why Your Dog Keeps Doing the Same Thing No Matter What You Try | Dog Training
The same pacing before guests arrive. The same tension at the front window. The same shutdown after a busy day. It can look random if you don't know what's actually driving it, but it's actually the most consistent thing happening. This episode breaks down why dogs communicate through repetition, not big dramatic moments, and why trying something new every time a pattern repeats often means the message is being…
Feb 27, 2026 How Walking Your Reactive Dog in a Straight Line Is Setting Them Up to Fail | Dog Training
Have you ever finished a walk feeling completely drained while your dog seemed even more reactive, stressed, or overwhelmed than when you left the house? A lot of dog parents are taught that reactive dogs improve through more exposure, more practice, more time around whatever sets them off. But for many anxious or overwhelmed dogs, traditional walks actually create constant pressure: straight lines, busy sidewalks,…
Feb 25, 2026 Why Some Dogs Need More Time Before You See Who They Really Are | Dog Training
Have you ever looked at your dog’s behavior and wondered if they were trying to communicate something… but you didn’t know how to hear it yet? Reactive dog behavior can feel terrifying, exhausting, and emotionally overwhelming — especially when aggression, resource guarding, separation anxiety, or shutdown behaviors suddenly enter your home. Many dog parents are told these dogs are “too much,” “dangerous,” or…
Feb 23, 2026 What the “Good Dog” Standard Is Really Costing You and Your Dog | Dog Training
And then you feel guilty for even thinking it. Like there's something wrong with you for wanting an easier version of the dog you already love. A lot of dog parents carry an invisible pressure to have a "good dog," one who listens perfectly, loves everyone, stays calm in public, and never causes embarrassment or stress. When real dogs don't match that picture, the emotional fallout can feel heavy in ways that are…
Feb 20, 2026 How Enrichment Became Another Way to Feel Like You’re Failing Your Dog | Dog Enrichment
Have you ever looked at all the enrichment advice online and quietly wondered how anyone is supposed to keep up with it all? Dog enrichment started as a way to help dogs feel calmer, more fulfilled, and more connected to their natural instincts. But somewhere along the way, it became another invisible standard many dog parents feel pressured to constantly meet. Puzzle toys, frozen meals, scent work, training games,…
Feb 18, 2026 How to Know When It’s Time to Stop Working Your Service Dog | Dog Training
Have you ever looked at your service dog and quietly wondered if they were still happy doing the job… while feeling terrified of what the answer might mean? For many handlers, service dogs become more than support systems — they become safety, freedom, partnership, routine, identity, and independence all wrapped into one relationship. Which is why noticing subtle behavior changes can feel so emotionally…
Feb 16, 2026 Why Your “High Energy” Dog Never Seems to Get Tired | Dog Training
Have you ever spent the entire day trying to tire your dog out… only to watch them become even more restless, reactive, or unable to settle? A lot of dog parents are told that high-energy dogs simply need more exercise, more enrichment, more training, and more activity. But for many anxious or overwhelmed dogs, constantly adding stimulation doesn’t create calm — it creates nervous system overload. In this episode,…
Feb 13, 2026 Why Your Dog Doesn’t Respond Even When They Know the Cue | Dog Training
Have you ever asked your dog to do something simple… and the way they didn’t respond felt weirdly personal? A lot of dog parents are taught to see missed cues, slow responses, freezing, barking, or walking away as stubbornness or disobedience. But many dogs who “aren’t listening” are actually struggling with something deeper — overwhelm, stress, nervous system overload, environmental pressure, or emotional…
Feb 11, 2026 When Helping Your Dog Starts Taking Over Everything | Life With Dogs
Your whole life has quietly started revolving around your dog's anxiety, and you're not even sure when it happened. Living with an anxious or reactive dog changes more than routines. It affects your nervous system, your relationships, your sense of self, even intimacy and boundaries, in ways most people never expect. Over time, a lot of dog parents find themselves constantly researching, managing, scanning for…
Feb 9, 2026 Why Getting the Puppy You Wanted Can Feel Like a Mistake | Dog Training
The puppy came home, and instead of the excitement everyone talks about, there's just exhaustion, second-guessing, and a nervous system that hasn't settled since. This episode breaks down what's actually happening beneath that stress, why so much puppy advice sounds right but feels impossible to keep up with in real life, and what starts to shift once you stop chasing a timeline and start paying attention to what…
Feb 6, 2026 Why Chicken and Rice May Not Be Helping Your Dog’s Upset Stomach | Dog Health
Have you ever stared at your dog’s food bowl wondering if the thing meant to help their stomach is actually making them feel worse? For years, dog parents have been told that chicken and rice is the “safe” answer for digestive upset. But many dogs struggling with inflammation, stress, loose stools, vomiting, or gut imbalance don’t actually need more filler — they need support that helps the digestive system recover…
Feb 4, 2026 What Your Dog's Performance Is Hiding About Their Health | Dog Training
A dog that struggles to focus, finish a task, or settle isn't always a training problem. Sometimes the brain and body simply don't have what they need to get there. Em talks with Tanisha from Pet Matrix about the connection between nutrition, recovery, and a dog's ability to focus and regulate, why active and working dogs can still struggle behind the scenes, and what it actually looks like to support a dog's body…
Feb 2, 2026 What Needing a Muzzle Says About Your Dog | Dog Training
The same safety tool can be exactly right for one dog and completely wrong for another. A kennel that gives one dog structure and calm can distress a dog with a different history. Choosing tools like a kennel or a muzzle isn't a training failure, it's a form of responsibility, and the guilt so many dog parents feel around that choice often has nothing to do with whether it's actually right for the dog in front of…
Jan 30, 2026 How Pushing Your Dogs to Be Friends Creates the Conflict You're Trying to Stop | Dog Training
If one of your dogs is chaotic and overstimulated while the other is selective and quick to correct, it's easy to read that as one dog being the problem. Usually it isn't. It's a mismatch, not a failure, and there's a real difference between forcing dogs to be friends and helping them coexist safely. You'll hear: Why some dogs simply don't want a friend, and why that's normal, not a red flag Why harmony and…
Jan 28, 2026 What’s In Your Dog’s Food Bowl Might Be the Problem | Dog Nutrition
Have you ever watched your dog inhale their food, walk away from their bowl, pace during meals, or seem strangely stressed around eating… and wondered if something deeper was going on? Most dog parents are taught to focus only on what they feed their dog — but very few people talk about how the feeding experience itself can shape stress, digestion, emotional regulation, and dog behavior. In this episode, Em sits…
Jan 26, 2026 Why Your Dog Gets Harder to Live With During the Winter | Dog Behavior
Walks get shorter. Sidewalks get icy. Your dog looks at the front door like absolutely not. And suddenly they're pacing, barking, spinning, or bouncing off the walls, and you're left wondering if you're doing something wrong. In this episode, Em talks about what's actually happening when dogs get more wound up in the winter months, using her own experience with Fitz spiraling into barking fits and torn-up couch…
Jan 23, 2026 How Your Dog Asks for Space Before They React | Dog Body Language
Have you ever felt like your dog’s behavior suddenly changes out of nowhere… barking, freezing, shutting down, or reacting before you even understand what happened? Most reactive dog behavior doesn’t actually come out of nowhere. Dogs communicate stress, overwhelm, and discomfort long before the barking, lunging, growling, or shutdown happens — but many dog parents were simply never taught how to recognize the…
Jan 21, 2026 What to Check Before Your Dog Gets Another Vaccine | Dog Health
Vaccinated once. Vaccinated again. Still nothing. A dog can be vaccinated multiple times and still not actually be protected, and the standard vet visit alone won't tell you. Em talks with Noga Shiller from Bio Gal Labs about how vaccines and immunity actually work in dogs, why the term "booster shot" is misleading for the vast majority of already-protected dogs, and how titer testing catches the small number of…
Jan 19, 2026 Why Your Dog Gets More Chaotic After a Busy Day | Dog Training
Have you ever walked, trained, played with, and exercised your dog nonstop… only to watch them come home even more chaotic, restless, or unable to settle? A lot of dog parents assume hyper behavior means a dog simply needs more exercise. More walks. More fetch. More stimulation. But for many anxious, reactive, or overwhelmed dogs, constant activity doesn’t create calm — it creates nervous system overload. In this…
Jan 16, 2026 Why Your Dog’s Behavior Might Be the First Sign Something Is Wrong | Dog Health
Have you ever felt like no amount of dog training, routine changes, or behavior work was actually helping your dog feel better? A lot of dog parents are taught to see behavior problems as purely behavioral — reactivity, pacing, barking, hyperactivity, shutdowns, restlessness, or difficulty settling. But sometimes those behaviors are actually signs that a dog’s body is struggling underneath the surface. In this…
Jan 14, 2026 Why Your Dog Keeps Doing the Things You’re Trying to Stop | Dog Training
Have you ever felt like no matter how much exercise, training, or activity you give your dog… they still seem restless, reactive, or impossible to fully settle? A lot of dog parents are told that high-energy dogs simply need more walks, more exercise, or stricter dog training. But for many dogs — especially working breeds and purpose-bred dogs — the real issue isn’t energy alone. It’s unmet instinct, lack of…
Jan 12, 2026 How Trying to Change Your Dog Changes You Too | Life With Dogs
Have you ever felt like no matter how much training, structure, or enrichment you tried, your dog still seemed overwhelmed, reactive, or impossible to fully settle? A lot of dog parents quietly believe that if they trained harder, stayed more consistent, or finally found the right method, their dog's behavior would improve. But sometimes the constant pressure to get it right pulls us further away from understanding…
Jan 9, 2026 Why Your Dog Struggles More on Winter Walks | Dog Training
Bundled-up strangers look terrifying to your dog this winter, and it's not the only thing working against them. Ice, boots, static shocks, reduced daylight, unfamiliar silhouettes, shifting routines. Winter adds real sensory overload for reactive or anxious dogs, and if walks have started feeling impossible or unsafe, that's not you failing at training. In this episode, Em shares why winter often makes reactivity…
Jan 7, 2026 What You Give Up When Your Dog Can’t Live the Life You Imagined | Life With Dogs
Have you ever felt like reactive dog training was taking over your entire life… while everyone around you acted like your dog just needed “better behavior”? Living with a reactive dog can feel exhausting, isolating, and emotionally overwhelming — especially when you’re trying to navigate crowded neighborhoods, unpredictable environments, constant triggers, and advice that rarely reflects real life. For many dog…
Jan 5, 2026 What You’re Not Being Told About Your Dog’s Food | Dog Nutrition
Have you ever switched your dog’s food over and over again… only to feel like their digestion, energy, skin, or behavior still wasn’t improving? Dog food has become incredibly confusing for pet parents. Between raw feeding fear, kibble marketing, ingredient labels, prescription diets, and constant online opinions, many people are left wondering whether they’re actually helping their dog — or accidentally making…
Jan 2, 2026 Why Your Dog Keeps Catching You Off Guard | Dog Training
Have you ever felt like your dog’s behavior changes out of nowhere… one second calm, the next completely overwhelmed? A lot of dog parents describe their dogs as “unpredictable” when they’re struggling with reactivity, anxiety, shutdowns, or emotional overload. But most dogs are communicating long before the barking, lunging, pacing, freezing, or withdrawal ever begins. The problem is that many of us were never…
Dec 31, 2025 How a Dropped Theater Mask Solved the Dog Hair Problem Lint Rollers Never Could | Dog Gear
A sticky silicone mask. A floor covered in pet hair. If you’re lint rolling the same pants every morning and running the dryer twice just to get the fur off, you know how much room dog hair takes up in your life. Sometimes it even decides how close you let your dog get, whether they’re allowed on the couch or in your lap before you head out the door. This conversation with Fur Zapper’s national sales manager covers…
Dec 29, 2025 The Reason All That Fetch Leaves Your Dog Fried Instead of Tired | Dog Training
Tongue out, chest heaving. Eyes still locked on the ball. You’ve done the daily walks, the fetch, the tug, the flirt pole, and your dog still paces, still watches the window, still can’t come down long after playtime should have done its job. More exercise keeps looking like the answer, but a dog who’s been run hard isn’t always a dog who’s ready to rest. Some are just more wound up, and what helps has less to do…
Dec 24, 2025 Why Your Senior Dog Is Suddenly Up and Pacing at Night | Dog Behavior
Has your senior dog started sleeping through the day and pacing through the night? If your older dog has started getting stuck in corners, having accidents, or keeping you up with nighttime wandering and barking, it’s easy to chalk it up to age. But those changes can point to cognitive dysfunction, the canine version of dementia, and it’s often more treatable than people expect. This conversation with a board…
Dec 22, 2025 The Reason Your Dog Falls Apart Days After the Holiday Guests Leave | Dog Training
Did your dog hold it together through every visitor, only to come apart once the house finally got quiet? When the barking, pacing, and jumpiness show up after the holidays are over, it’s easy to read it as a setback and rush back into training mode. But a dog who stayed on alert through days of doorbells, food deliveries, and people coming and going may only be releasing all of it now that the coast is clear. This…
Dec 19, 2025 Why The Dog Who Asked for More Is Moving to Three Episodes a Week | Dog Training
Have you ever wished you had a little more support with your dog between episodes? Starting January 2, 2026, the show moves to three episodes a week. Mondays stay story-driven solo episodes, and Wednesdays stay guest conversations with trainers, nutritionists, vet professionals, and others who live with big-feeling dogs. Fridays bring something new: short, practical solo episodes built around things you can try…
Dec 17, 2025 What Your Dog Could Tell You About Their Pain If They Had the Words | Dog Training
What if your dog could tell you exactly where it hurts, long before you’d ever notice? Dogs are experts at carrying on through discomfort, and by the time most of us can see it, it’s usually been building for a while. Recordable talking buttons are giving some dogs a way to speak up for themselves: to ask for what they want, flag what feels wrong, and even weigh in on the dogs they live with. In this conversation…
Dec 15, 2025 Why Chasing the Perfect Dog Is Costing Your Reactive Dog | Dog Training
Have you ever sat in your car after a walk with your reactive dog, replaying every stare from every stranger? When your dog doesn’t match the calm, friendly, easy dog you pictured, every hard moment in public can start to feel like a verdict on you. That pressure comes from trainers, social media, well meaning friends, and a lot of the time, from inside your own head. This episode looks at what chasing the perfect…
Dec 10, 2025 The Reason Your Future Service Dog Seems to Be Falling Behind | Dog Training
Is your six month old puppy nowhere close to looking like the service dog you’re counting on? When you’re raising a service dog for your own health, it’s natural to want early proof that it’s going to work. But a puppy is still a baby, adolescence can reshape what they’re comfortable with, and the full process often takes two years or more. This conversation with a behavior scientist and service dog trainer who has…
Dec 8, 2025 Why Your Dog Can’t Handle the Family Holiday Gathering | Dog Behavior
Should your dog really be in the middle of the family holiday gathering? A house packed with relatives, kids running around, food within reach everywhere, and a door left open by someone who didn’t check can be a lot for any dog, and even more for a sensitive one. It’s easy to feel pressure to bring your dog along, let everyone say hi, and hope they’ll get used to it. This episode makes the case for protecting your…
Dec 3, 2025 The Reason Your Dog’s Seat Cover Isn't Protecting The Seats | Dog Gear
Does your dog’s seat cover end up bunched on the floor while their claws go straight into the seat? Most seat covers are made to catch hair and dirt, and that’s an easy cleanup. Damage is a different problem. A scratched or punctured leather seat is expensive to fix and not something you can repair yourself. This conversation with the founder of 4Knines gets into what it takes to build a cover that stays put and…
Dec 1, 2025 Why Your Dog Costs So Much More Than Anyone Tells You | Life With Dogs
Did you budget for your dog and still end up shocked by the bills? Food, toys, and yearly checkups are the easy part to plan for. What catches most dog parents off guard are the costs that show up later: training for reactivity, chronic health issues, dental work, supplements, emergency visits, and senior care. This episode walks through realistic numbers, the difference between seeing vet bills every day and…
Nov 26, 2025 What Your Dog Food Bag Isn’t Allowed to Tell You About Carbs | Dog Nutrition
Have you ever flipped over a bag of dog food looking for the carb count and come up empty? There’s a reason it isn’t there. The labeling rules most bags still follow don’t just leave out total carbohydrates, they block brands from listing them, even though many popular kibbles land somewhere between 40 and 60 percent carbs. This conversation with returning guest and pet nutrition expert Daniel Schulof breaks down…
Nov 24, 2025 The Reason Your Dog Is on Edge Before the Holiday Guests Arrive | Dog Behavior
Is your dog pacing, clinging, or hiding while you’re still just cleaning and making lists? Long before the doorbell rings, your dog is reading the signs: the vacuum running more often, guest towels coming out, clothes you never wear, a faster pace, a tighter voice. Those small changes tell a sensitive dog that something big is on the way, and the stress can build for days before the actual event. By the time guests…
Nov 19, 2025 How a Bathroom Button Built for One Senior Dog Became a Lifeline | Dog Tech
How would you know your senior dog needed to go out if you weren’t in the same room? As a dog gets older, their legs weaken and the gap between needing to go out and having an accident keeps shrinking. You can’t always be there to catch it. That exact problem led a financial planner with no dog training background to build a button his aging dog could press to send a notification straight to his phone. What started…
Nov 17, 2025 Why Your Dog Keeps Getting Sick on Expensive Dog Food | Dog Nutrition
Is your dog still getting sick even though you’re paying for the “good” food? A bag can say healthy, natural, and vet recommended and still be full of ingredients that work against your dog’s body. Vague terms like meal and byproduct, carb-heavy formulas, and oils that turn rancid can all hide behind a premium price tag. This episode shows you how to read past the marketing and start making changes without…
Nov 12, 2025 The Reason Your Dog Destroys Every Toy in Minutes | Dog Enrichment
How many toys has your dog destroyed this month? Toys that look tough on the shelf can be gone in minutes, and it’s not always because your dog is a power chewer. Cheap fillers, shapes that slide right into the back teeth, and materials that are too hard can all set a toy up to fail. This conversation with the founders of Soda Pup gets into what actually makes a toy last, why giving your dog approved things to chew…
Nov 10, 2025 What Happens When Guests Ignore the One Rule You Set for Your Dog | Dog Behavior
Have you ever asked a guest not to pick up your dog, only to watch them do it anyway? Holiday gatherings fill the house with people, and not all of them will listen when you set a boundary for your dog. A dog who’s already overwhelmed by noise, new smells, and people coming and going doesn’t have much room left when someone pushes past that line. This episode is about reading your dog before it gets that far,…
Nov 5, 2025 Why Your Rescue Dog Still Doesn’t Trust You | Life With Dogs
Is your rescue dog still growling, nipping, or keeping their distance months after coming home? Social media is full of rescue transformations that seem to happen in a few weeks, but for a lot of dogs, trust gets built in tiny pieces over months or even years. A growl or a nip can be a scared dog’s only way of saying stop, and reading it as aggression can cost them their chance. This conversation with rescue…
Nov 3, 2025 What Your Rescue Dog Is Quietly Healing in You | Life With Dogs
Did you think you were the one doing the rescuing? Rescue stories usually focus on what we give the dog: a home, safety, a second chance. But a lot of rescue dogs give something back that’s harder to put into words, especially when they show up during a hard season of your life. This Gotcha Day episode looks at what twelve years with a guarded, opinionated, reactive little dog can teach you about trust, boundaries,…
Oct 29, 2025 Why Your Dog Stays Off the Couch Until You Leave the Room | Dog Training
Does your dog stay off the couch only as long as you’re in the room? Baby gates, mats, and closed doors can work, until your dog figures out how to jump over them or you get tired of stepping around them. This conversation with Jesus, the creator of Pet Sensor, looks at a different kind of indoor boundary: a small beacon placed in the spot you want off limits, paired with a collar that beeps, vibrates, or uses…
Oct 27, 2025 What Happens When You Stop Trying to Fix Your Reactive Dog | Dog Training
Have you tried longer walks, more fetch, and more discipline, and your dog is still barking, reacting, and shutting down? It’s easy to believe the answer is always more effort, more exposure, more structure. But some dogs aren’t failing the plan. They need a different one. This is the episode behind the show’s new name, and it’s about what shifts when you stop chasing the life you expected and start building around…
Oct 22, 2025 The Reason You’re Already on Your Third Dog Trainer | Dog Behavior
Have you already paid two or three trainers and your dog still isn’t any better? Every switch costs money, but it also costs time, and with serious behavior problems, time is the one thing you can’t buy back. Social media has made it easier than ever to find a trainer and harder than ever to tell who actually has the experience to help. This conversation with Josh Taylor, a trainer who spent 17 years as a corporate…
Oct 20, 2025 How Halloween Night Pushes Your Dog Past Their Limit | Dog Training
Does Halloween night leave your dog barking at every knock and pacing until the last trick or treater goes home? Constant doorbells, strangers in masks, kids shrieking down the street, and a house that suddenly feels different can stack up fast for a dog who likes things predictable. Halloween isn’t the night to work on that. It’s the night to protect your dog’s peace, and that can mean skipping the costumes, the…
Oct 15, 2025 Why Your Dog Smells Even After a Bath | Dog Health
Does your dog smell fine for a day or two after a bath, then right back to stinky? It’s easy to assume the fix is another bath, but every wash can strip away the natural oils that protect your dog’s skin, and skin that can’t do its job tends to smell. This conversation with veterinarian Dr. Lisa Chimes, creator of Dog by Dr. Lisa, covers how often most dogs really need a bath, what to do in between, and why a daily…
Oct 13, 2025 What to Do When Your Dog Is Bouncing Off the Walls | Dog Enrichment
Is your dog bouncing off the walls now that it’s dark by dinnertime? Shorter days and colder weather can leave a high energy dog with nowhere to put it all, and more fetch or longer walks often wind them up instead of settling them down. This episode walks through seven indoor enrichment games that work your dog’s nose and brain, use things you probably already have at home, and help them actually rest afterward.…
Oct 8, 2025 Why Nobody Sends Flowers When a Dog Dies | Pet Loss
Has anyone ever told you it was just a dog? When a pet dies, the grief can hit as hard as any loss you’ve lived through, but the world around you doesn’t always treat it that way. There may be no time off, no cards, and no one who understands why you can’t stop crying at work. This conversation with grief counselor and author Anne Marie Farge, founder of the Rochester Center for Pet Grief and Loss, walks through…
Oct 6, 2025 How the Dog Advice You Trust Most Is Keeping You Stuck | Dog Training
Are you still stuck with your dog even after following all the advice you were told was right? Some of the most repeated dog training advice sounds sensible and comes from people who mean well, but it can leave you fighting your dog instead of understanding them. This episode breaks down ten popular myths, what each one gets wrong, and what to do instead, with real moments from life with Fitz and Toby. You’ll hear:…
Oct 1, 2025 What Your Dog Is Missing When They Solve Every Puzzle Toy in Seconds | Dog Enrichment
Does your dog finish a puzzle toy faster than it took you to load it? When a puzzle is too easy, the fun is over in seconds, and when it’s too hard, your dog gives up. The sweet spot is a challenge they can just barely figure out, and finding it takes more than buying a new toy every week. This conversation with Aina, co-creator of the modular puzzle system Puzzler, gets into setting the right difficulty, building…
Sep 29, 2025 Why Your Reactive Dog Has Your Life on Hold | Dog Training
Have you been putting your plans on hold until your reactive dog gets better? The vacation, the group class, the business idea, it all gets pushed to someday, after the training clicks and the barking stops. But someday has a way of never showing up. This episode is about making room for the life you want while things are still messy, and building it around what your dog needs instead of waiting for them to become…
Sep 24, 2025 What Happens to Your Dog When a Court Decides Who Keeps Them | Dog Law
If you and your partner split up tomorrow, who would get the dog? Most of us see our dogs as family, but in many courtrooms they’re still treated like furniture, something to be awarded rather than cared for. That gap shows up in breakups, after a death, and in shelters where healthy animals still lose their lives every day. This conversation with Susanna Gartner, who founded Canada’s first animal law firm, looks…
Sep 22, 2025 How a Long Walk Leaves Your Reactive Dog More Wired | Dog Training
Does your reactive dog come home from a long walk even more wound up than when you left? The usual advice is always more: more walks, more exposure, more practice. But for some dogs, every outing piles on more than they can process, and the pacing and restlessness at home are the result. This episode looks at how overstimulation can pass for bad behavior, the signs your dog may be overwhelmed rather than defiant,…
Sep 17, 2025 The Reason This Trainer Says Prison Dogs Brought Her Back to Life | Dog Training
Have you ever felt like you messed up too badly to ever start over? Shame has a way of convincing you there’s no path back. For Madison Skoog Simpson, founder of Freed By Training, that path started in a prison dog program, where she walked an empty leash for 30 days before she was trusted with a real dog. This conversation follows how training dogs helped her rebuild her health, her confidence, and her sense of…
Sep 15, 2025 What Chasing a Dream With Dogs Really Costs When Nobody Is Clapping Yet | Pet Industry
Are you working nonstop on something you love and still wondering if it’s ever going to be enough? From the outside, a dog business or podcast can look polished and full of momentum. Behind it, there are often side jobs keeping the lights on, editing at midnight, a body that doesn’t always cooperate, and a lot of quiet doubt. This episode pulls back the curtain on what building a dream around dogs really looks…
Sep 10, 2025 When Your Dog Gets Talking Buttons, You Learn What You’ve Been Missing | Dog Training
What if your dog has been trying to tell you something specific this whole time? Dogs already understand far more words than most people give them credit for, which is why so many of us have to spell out certain ones. Talking buttons give some dogs a way to use those words back. This conversation with Melissa, whose dog Tilda now uses close to 80 buttons, gets into how Tilda first figured them out, the moments that…
Sep 8, 2025 The Reason Your Dog Feels Like Too Much to Handle | Dog Behavior
Have you ever called your dog “a lot” and really meant it? Big energy, big reactions, a dog who never seems to switch off. It’s easy to assume the answer is more structure, more exercise, more rules. But sometimes what looks like too much is a dog who’s overwhelmed and has been trying to say so for a long time. This episode is about the moment that label fell apart for Fitz, and what changed once the focus moved…
Sep 3, 2025 Why Most Dog Advice Is Old Mythology Wearing a New Face | Dog Training
Did most of what you know about training dogs come from a TV show? A lot of the advice still floating around, from being the boss to projecting calm energy, traces back to decades-old television, not to the science of how animals actually learn. This conversation with trainer and author Annie Grossman, founder of School for the Dogs in New York City, breaks down what behavior science really says, why punishment can…
Sep 1, 2025 How It Feels to Try So Hard and Still Watch Your Dog Struggle | Dog Training
Have you been working your heart out with your dog and still ended up in tears because they’re struggling? There’s a part of the behavior journey nobody warns you about: putting in real, consistent effort and still not seeing the progress you were promised. It wears down your confidence and can turn life with your dog into one long test you feel like you’re failing. This episode is about the emotional toll of that,…
Aug 27, 2025 Why a Shelter Dog’s Survival Can Depend on What State They’re In | Rescue Dog
Have you ever wondered what actually happens after a dog leaves an overcrowded shelter? Every year, shelters across the United States struggle with overcrowding, limited resources, and difficult decisions. But behind many successful adoptions is an entire network of people working tirelessly to give animals a second chance. In this episode, I sit down with Michael Schneider, founder of Pilots To The Rescue, a…
Aug 25, 2025 The Reason Your Reactive Dog Seems to Be Getting Worse | Dog Training
Have you ever felt like you're doing everything right with your reactive dog, but nothing seems to be working? You follow the advice. You buy the equipment. You practice the training exercises. And somehow, your dog still struggles. It's frustrating, discouraging, and can leave you wondering if you're failing your dog. In this solo episode, I'm sharing the three biggest lessons I wish I had learned sooner during my…
Aug 20, 2025 How GPS Fences and AI Coaching Are Changing the Way You Keep Your Dog Safe | Dog Training
Have you ever worried about what would happen if your dog got loose? Whether you have a reactive dog, an adventurous dog, a service dog, or simply a dog who loves to explore, the thought of losing them can be one of the biggest fears dog parents carry. As technology continues to evolve, new tools are changing the way we think about dog safety, dog training, and staying connected to our dogs. In this episode, I'm…
Aug 18, 2025 Why Fixing Your Dog's Behavior Is What's Standing Between You | Dog Training
Have you ever felt like no matter how hard you try with your dog, it still doesn't feel like enough? Many dog parents live with the pressure of getting everything right—the perfect training plan, the perfect walk, the perfect response to every challenge. But what happens when chasing perfection starts creating more stress for both you and your dog? In this deeply personal solo episode, I share the moment that…
Aug 17, 2025 What I Do Before Recommending Anything for Your Dog Isn’t What You’d Guess | Pet Industry
You usually only see the finished part: the episode, the recommendation, the product I say I trust. There's a lot that happens before any of that reaches you. This week I'm recording from SuperZoo, the largest pet industry trade show in North America, walking rows of new gear, meeting founders, testing products, and having real conversations with the people building things for dogs. Not because it's trendy. Not…
Aug 13, 2025 How the “Easy” Golden Retriever Turned Out to Be the Reactive One | Dog Training
What if your reactive dog isn't a problem to solve—but a relationship that's asking you to slow down and listen? In this episode, I sit down with Cobia to talk about life with Magic, her reactive Golden Retriever. Like many dog parents, Cobia expected life with her dog to look a certain way. Instead, she found herself navigating fear, anxiety, sound sensitivity, frustration, and the emotional roller coaster that…
Aug 11, 2025 The Reason Your Dog Might Secretly Hate Walks | Dog Training
Locked: Ep 93 — "Your Dog Might Actually Hate Walks and You've Been Pushing Through It Anyway" | Dog Training Confirmed the duplicated text was just an export artifact, not a real platform issue — no further action needed there. Now the description — checking against Part 10: Do dogs really need a walk every single day? You've probably pushed through one anyway, telling yourself that's what a good dog parent does,…
Aug 6, 2025 Why the Opposite of Addiction Might Actually Be a Dog | Healing With Dogs
Have you ever felt like your dog changed your life in ways you never expected? In this powerful conversation, I'm joined by dog behavior specialist Matt Beisner for a discussion that goes far beyond dog training. We explore mental health, emotional healing, addiction recovery, isolation, compassion, and the profound ways our dogs shape who we become. What starts as a conversation about dogs quickly becomes a…
Aug 4, 2025 What “Complete and Balanced” on Your Dog’s Food Doesn’t Tell You | Dog Nutrition
Is your dog's food actually supporting their health—or are you trusting a label that was never designed to tell the whole story? In this solo episode, I'm sharing the journey that completely changed the way I think about canine nutrition. What started with Toby's pancreatitis diagnosis turned into years of research, difficult questions, and a deep dive into the world of dog food, ingredients, gut health, and…
Jul 30, 2025 How a Color-Changing Pee Pad Can Catch Your Dog’s UTI Early | Dog Health
Why does the pet industry make everyday dog care harder than it needs to be? In this episode, I'm joined by Lindsay and Julia from Pet Life Unlimited for a conversation about innovation, pet products, dog health, and why so many of the products dog parents rely on every day haven't evolved to meet the needs of modern pet ownership. From pee pads and grooming products to ingredient transparency and urinary health…
Jul 28, 2025 Why You Can Start Grieving Your Dog Before They’re Gone | Pet Loss
What do you do when your dog is still here, but you can feel time changing? If you share your life with an aging dog, you may know the feeling. The extra nap. The slower walk. The moment they pause before climbing the stairs. Nothing is wrong, and yet something feels different. In this deeply personal solo episode, I'm talking about anticipatory grief—the quiet heartbreak that begins long before loss. The grief…
Jul 23, 2025 The Reason Your Dog Keeps Peeing in the House | Dog Behavior
Why do dogs keep going back to the same spot to pee? If you've ever dealt with marking, potty training setbacks, or mysterious accidents that seem to happen in the exact same place over and over again, you're not alone. In this episode, I sit down with Glenn, founder of NoPee, to talk about canine scent communication, why dogs are naturally driven to return to certain areas, and how one simple product is helping…
Jul 21, 2025 How Being Ashamed of Her Own Dog Almost Stopped This Trainer From Starting | Dog Training
Have you ever felt like you've tried everything with your dog and nothing is working? Maybe you've followed the advice. Tried the training plan. Bought the tools. Put in the effort. And somehow, you're still feeling stuck. In this solo episode, I'm sharing a part of my story I don't talk about very often: why I almost didn't become a dog trainer and how my own struggles with Fitz made me question whether I was…
Jul 16, 2025 Why an America’s Got Talent Trainer Says Your Pet Dog Can Do More Than You Think | Dog Training
Do dogs actually enjoy dog sports, tricks, and performance training—or are they just doing it because we ask? In this episode, I'm joined by Sarah Carson, professional dog trainer, performer, and the human behind The Super Collies. From America's Got Talent to canine freestyle, agility, disc, dock diving, and trick training, Sarah shares what she's learned from working with dogs at the highest levels of performance…
Jul 14, 2025 What My Dog Taught Me About Peace That 15 Years of Medication Never Could | Healing With Dogs
What if peace isn't something you earn after you've fixed everything? What if it's something you choose right now? In this deeply personal solo episode, I share how breaking my foot forced me to slow down and confront a question I had been avoiding for years: What am I actually chasing? What started as a physical injury became a much bigger lesson about perfectionism, external validation, healing, and the way our…
Jul 9, 2025 How a Leading Canine Researcher Says We’ve Been Reading Dogs Wrong | Dog Behavior
What if your dog is smarter than you realize? In this episode, I'm joined by Jennifer Holland, author of Dog Smart: Life-Changing Lessons in Canine Intelligence , for a fascinating conversation about canine intelligence, dog behavior, body language, working dogs, and what we can learn when we stop viewing dogs through a human lens and start seeing the world from theirs. We explore the many ways dogs demonstrate…
Jul 4, 2025 Why One Woman Says Her Dog Was the Reason She Finally Left a Dangerous Situation | Healing With Dogs
Have you ever felt completely alone in your struggles with your dog? Like everyone else seemed to have it figured out while you were lying awake at night wondering what you were doing wrong? In this very first solo episode of Straight Up Dog Talk, I'm sharing the story behind why this podcast exists and the experiences that shaped the way I approach dogs, behavior, and the people who love them. What started as a…
Jul 2, 2025 What One Backyard Game Did for a High Energy Dog That Fetch Never Could | Dog Enrichment
What if your dog's behavior challenges aren't actually an obedience problem? In this episode, I'm joined by Megan, founder of SwiftPaws, for a conversation about enrichment, play, dog behavior, and why understanding the dog in front of you can change everything. We explore the role of instinct, the predatory sequence, and how activities that tap into your dog's natural behaviors can help create a more fulfilled,…
Jun 30, 2025 When My Reactive Dog Refused to Get Out of the Car, Everything Changed | Dog Behavior
What if your reactive dog isn't giving you a hard time? What if they're having a hard time? In this solo episode, I'm sharing the story of how I spent years misunderstanding my own dog. I thought I was helping. I thought I was doing what every dog owner was supposed to do. More walks. More exposure. More opportunities to "get used to it." Instead, I was missing what my dog had been trying to tell me all along. We…
Jun 25, 2025 The Reason Your Dog’s Bite Has Been Building for Hours | Dog Behavior
What if your dog's aggression isn't coming out of nowhere? Many dog parents are told their dog is being stubborn, dominant, or difficult when the reality is often much more complicated. In this episode, I'm joined by aggression specialist Michael Shikashio for an honest conversation about dog aggression, body language, fear, stress, pain, and the warning signs many people miss before a reaction happens. We explore…
Jun 18, 2025 Why So Many Dog Supplements Don’t Work | Dog Health
What does it really take to build a business that helps dogs? In this episode, I'm joined by Will, co-founder and CEO of Pet Matrix, for a behind-the-scenes conversation about entrepreneurship, canine health, nutrition, supplements, and the realities of running a mission-driven business in the pet industry. We talk about how Pet Matrix got started, the challenges of growing a small business, and why education has…
Jun 11, 2025 How a Walk Just to the End of the Block Can Be the Best One Your Dog Gets | Dog Training
What makes a good walk for your dog? For many dog parents, the answer is distance, steps, or getting enough exercise. But what if your dog needs something completely different? In this episode, I'm joined by Laura Garcia of Curious Snoots for a conversation about dog walking, leash reactivity, enrichment, advocacy, and what it means to truly see the dog in front of you. We explore why dog parks and daycare aren't…
Jun 4, 2025 The Reason a Dog Trainer Told a Client to Stop Everything for 48 Hours | Dog Training
Do you need a Border Collie, Malinois, or high-drive working dog to get involved in dog sports? Not even close. In this episode, I'm joined by certified dog trainer and behavior consultant Catherine McGuire for a conversation about dog sports, enrichment, training, and the incredible things that can happen when you find an activity you and your dog enjoy doing together. From agility and rally to nose work and…
May 28, 2025 What This Vet Built After Watching Hundreds of Dogs Die in Clinics | Pet Loss
How do you know when it's time to say goodbye? It's one of the hardest questions any dog parent will ever face. In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Benson and Courtney from Paws Into Grace to talk about pet loss, in-home euthanasia, and what it means to create a peaceful, compassionate end-of-life experience for the animals we love. We discuss the conversations many families struggle to have, how to evaluate quality…
May 21, 2025 How Two Dog Trainers Answer the Questions You Were Afraid to Ask | Dog Training
Not every dog is the right fit for every person—and that's okay. In this episode, I sit down with dog trainer Zoë Holloway of The Dreaded Trainer for a candid conversation about dog breeds, training philosophies, behavior, and what it really means to meet the dog in front of you. From Rottweilers and Dachshunds to shelter dogs and designer mixes, we explore how breed traits, genetics, environment, and individual…
May 14, 2025 Why One Rescue Keeps an Empty Kennel for Dogs Who Might Come Back | Rescue Dog
Ever thought about volunteering with dogs… but wondered what it’s actually like behind the scenes? It’s not just cuddling puppies. It’s meds. Laundry. Snowstorms. Poop. Hard days. Big feelings. And a whole lot of love. In this episode, Em sits down with Crystal from Dogs Forever Rescue to talk honestly about what rescue work really looks like — the responsibilities, the heartbreak, the small wins, and the deep…
May 7, 2025 What Happened to the Dog Abandoned With a Cruel Message on His Tag | Rescue Dog
What if making a difference didn't require changing everything? In this episode, I'm joined by Kate, the human behind Boss Dog Rick, to talk about rescue, volunteering, community, and the unexpected ways dogs can change our lives. What started as walking shelter dogs during a lunch break turned into a deeper connection with her community, a passion for advocacy, and eventually adopting Rick, a rescue dog with a…
Apr 30, 2025 How Getting Glasses for Her Senior Dog Changed the Way She Sees Aging | Senior Dog
Have you ever looked at your dog and realized… they’re not young anymore? The jumps are slower. The stairs feel risky. Their eyes don’t see the world the same way they used to. In this episode, Em sits down with Elizabeth to talk about life with her senior dog Charlie—from cataracts and custom dog glasses to TPLO surgery and learning how to adapt their home and routines with care. It’s a gentle reminder that…

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The Dog Who Asked for More: Understanding Life With Your Dog Beyond Dog Training and Behavior

About The Dog Who Asked for More: Understanding Life With Your Dog Beyond Dog Training and Behavior

Episodes

What Pedigree Can&apos;t Tell You About the Dog You&apos;re Bringing Home | Dog Behavior

How the Rush Before Guests Arrive Sets Your Dog Off Before Anyone Walks In | Dog Behavior

What You&apos;ll Wish You Had Done Before Your Dog Got Loose | Dog Safety

The Reason Your Dog Still Flinches at Small Sounds Long After the Stress Is Gone | Dog Behavior

Why Waiting for Your Dogs to Work It Out Lets Tension Turn Into a Real Fight | Dog Behavior

More podcasts and shows

What Pedigree Can't Tell You About the Dog You're Bringing Home | Dog Behavior

What You'll Wish You Had Done Before Your Dog Got Loose | Dog Safety