239 | The Goal Was Never a Well-Trained Dog
Beyond Obedience | Dog Training, Dog Body Language, Anxious Dogs, Scared Dogs, Reactive DogsShow Notes
Hey Dog Lover 🐾 What did you actually want when you brought your dog home? Probably a dog you could do life with. A dog you could walk with. Take places. Go on adventures with. Hang out with. A dog you enjoyed being around and who enjoyed being around you. And yes, you probably wanted them to listen to you. You wanted a good recall. Some basic manners. Because nobody wants to live with an absolute hooligan. But somewhere along the way, we started confusing training the dog with the actual goal. Sit. Stay. Come. Heel. Leave it. Place. Don’t jump. Don’t bark. Don’t pull. And suddenly, we’re measuring success by how well our dog performs the things we’ve taught them. But was that ever really the point? In this episode, we’re talking about why a well-trained dog and a dog who can successfully navigate the world aren’t necessarily the same thing, and what we might start paying attention to if obedience isn’t the ultimate goal. We’ll talk about: 🐾 Why being well trained and being confident aren’t necessarily the same thing 🐾 How a dog can perform beautifully and still feel uncomfortable, overwhelmed, or unsure 🐾 Why compliance doesn’t tell us the whole story about what’s happening underneath the behaviour 🐾 The difference between “I know how to do this” and “I believe I can handle this” 🐾 Why I don’t want my dogs to need me for every answer 🐾 How we move from “You’ve got me” to “I’ve got this” 🐾 Why skills, boundaries, recall, and dog training still absolutely matter 🐾 What we could start celebrating if obedience wasn’t our only measure of success 🐾 Why training is a tool for helping our dogs navigate the human world, not the destination Because ultimately, I want something bigger than a dog who knows how to perform everything I’ve taught them. I want a dog who knows how to live successfully in the human world without losing who they are in the process. I want communication. Trust. Confidence. Skills. Boundaries. Freedom where freedom is appropriate. Guidance where guidance is needed. And a relationship strong enough to hold all of it. The name of this business is Beyond Obedience for a reason. Obedience isn’t bad. Training isn’t bad. But I don’t want my dog’s greatest accomplishment to be that they’re easy for humans to live with. I want the dog who once needed: “You’ve got me.” to eventually be able to say: “I’ve got this.” So train your dog. Teach them skills. Give them boundaries. But remember what all of that is supposed to serve. Training is a tool. It was never the goal. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox RESOURCES 🐾 Join the Online Program Fearless Framework! https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless 🐾 Take the Quiz! https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz 🐾 Read the Blog! https://beyondobedience.ca/blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact → [email protected] Podcast → https://beyondobedience.ca/podcast Connect → https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Resources → https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz Merch → https://www.beyondobedience.ca/store 🐾 NEXT STEPS 👣 Step 1: Join the free Living Beyond Obedience community and connect with other dog owners who are learning to lead through trust, relevance, and understanding. https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Step 2: Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog's unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and respond to leadership. 👉 https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz Step 3: Ready to stop second-guessing yourself and start understanding what your dog actually needs from you? Join the Fearless Framework. 👉 https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless Music Credit 🎶: Shawn Trotter www.shawntrotter.com
More from Beyond Obedience | Dog Training, Dog Body Language, Anxious Dogs, Scared Dogs, Reactive Dogs
Hey Dog Lover 🐾 Is having an obedient dog the same thing as having influence over your dog? Not necessarily. Have you ever stopped to think about WHY you're asking your dog to do something? Is it because it's necessary, because it helps your dog navigate a situation, or simply because you expect them to listen? In this episode, I'm sharing a little encounter I had at the feed store with a very happy chocolate Lab and an interaction that made me say, out loud, "Ooh, gross!" And no, this isn't about whether asking your dog to sit is right or wrong. It's about something much bigger. The difference between obedience and influence. We're talking about what happens when we become so focused on getting our dogs to do what they're told that we forget to pay attention to what they're actually experiencing. Because influence isn't about controlling every moment or demanding compliance. It's about understanding your dog, recognizing what's happening around you, and making decisions that help the two of you navigate life together. And sometimes, the most important question isn't whether your dog listened. It's whether you were listening to your dog. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox RESOURCES 🐾 Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp! October 20th, 21st & 22nd https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp 🐾 Take the Dogonality Quiz! https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz 🐾 Read the Beyond Obedience Blog! https://beyondobedience.ca/blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact → [email protected] Podcast → https://beyondobedience.ca/podcast Connect → Living Beyond Obedience Facebook Community https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Resources → https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz Merch → https://www.beyondobedience.ca/store 🐾 NEXT STEPS 👣 Step 1: Join the free Living Beyond Obedience community and connect with other dog lovers who want to understand their dogs, build better partnerships, and enjoy more of life together. https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Step 2: Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog's unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and experience the world. https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz Step 3: Ready to stop guessing what to do when your dog is struggling? Join me for the completely FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp, happening October 20th, 21st & 22nd. Today's our final day! https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp Music Credit 🎶: Shawn Trotter http://www.shawntrotter.com
Hey Dog Lover 🐾 What happens when you don’t have a treat? Or your dog can’t have one? What happens when the equipment you usually rely on isn’t available—or when life hands you a situation you’ve never actually trained for? Let me be clear: I use treats. I use equipment. And I train my dogs. This isn’t an anti-treat episode. It’s a conversation about what we build underneath all of those things. In this episode, we’re talking about the difference between teaching your dog useful skills and building the foundation that helps the two of you navigate real life together. Because life with dogs isn’t a controlled training session. Eventually, the loose dog appears. Someone unexpectedly comes through the door. Something scares your dog. Your dog isn’t interested in the food in your pocket. Or you find yourself in a situation you never practiced for. And then what? We’ll talk about communication, influence, relevance, learning to read the dog in front of you, and why I don’t want a treat, tool, or training technique to be the reason this works. Use the treat. Use the equipment. Teach the skills. But build something underneath them. Because when the treat isn’t there, the equipment fails, or life hands you something you never trained for, I still want you and your dog to have each other. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox 🐾 NEXT STEPS 👣 🐾 Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp! October 20th, 21st & 22nd https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp 🐾 Take the Dogonality Quiz! https://beyondobedience.ca/quiz 🐾 Read the Beyond Obedience Blog! https://beyondobedience.ca/blog RESOURCES Contact → [email protected] Podcast → https://beyondobedience.ca/podcast Connect → Living Beyond Obedience Facebook Community https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Resources → https://beyondobedience.ca/quiz Merch → https://beyondobedience.ca/store CONNECT WITH ME! Step 1: Join the free Living Beyond Obedience community and connect with other dog lovers who want to understand their dogs, build better partnerships, and enjoy more of life together. https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Step 2: Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog’s unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and experience the world. https://beyondobedience.ca/quiz Step 3: Ready to stop guessing what to do when your dog is struggling? Join me for the completely FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp, happening October 20th, 21st & 22nd. 👉 https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp Music Credit 🎶: Shawn Trotter http://www.shawntrotter.com/
Hey Dog Lover 🐾 You're personally invited to join me for my FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp! If you've been struggling with your dog's behaviour, feeling frustrated by everything you've tried, or wondering why things just aren't getting better, I'd love for you to join me. We're spending three days together looking at dog behaviour differently, learning to understand what's really happening, and exploring how you can become a more confident partner for your dog. No more guessing. No more searching for the next training technique. Just you, me, and a whole lot of dog talk! CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp 📅 October 20th, 21st & 22nd ⏰ 12 PM Eastern / 1 PM Atlantic 💻 LIVE on Zoom — with replays available! Save your FREE spot here: https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp I can't wait to see you there! Tracy xoxox
Hey Dog Lover 🐾 Have you ever wondered if YOU might be the reason your dog isn't getting better? Maybe you've tried the training, followed the advice, bought the equipment, and done everything you thought you weresupposed to do. And yet, your dog is still struggling. And somewhere along the way, you start wondering whether you're doing something wrong. Whether you're making things worse. Or whether your dog might actually be better off with somebody else. Ouch. That's a tough place to find yourself. In this episode, we're having a conversation that I think an awful lot of dog lovers need to hear. We're talking about the guilt, the second-guessing, and the pressure we put on ourselves when life with our dogs doesn't look the way we imagined. We'll explore the difference between taking responsibility and taking the blame, why struggling with your dog doesn't automatically mean you're failing them, and how a little curiosity can help you start seeing things differently. And I'm sharing one of my favourite questions to ask when things aren't going quite the way we'd hoped: How interesting! Because being part of what's happening doesn't mean you're the problem. It means you have an opportunity to be part of what changes. And maybe, just maybe, you're not the reason your dog can't get better. Maybe you're one of the reasons they can. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox RESOURCES 🐾 Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp! October 20th, 21st & 22nd https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp 🐾 Take the Dogonality Quiz! https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz 🐾 Read the Beyond Obedience Blog! https://beyondobedience.ca/blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact → [email protected] Podcast → https://beyondobedience.ca/podcast Connect → Living Beyond Obedience Facebook Community https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Resources → https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz Merch → https://www.beyondobedience.ca/store 🐾 NEXT STEPS 👣 Step 1: Join the free Living Beyond Obedience community and connect with other dog lovers who want to understand their dogs, build better partnerships, and enjoy more of life together. https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Step 2: Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog's unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and experience the world. https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz Step 3: Ready to stop guessing what to do when your dog is struggling? Join me for the completely FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp, happening October 20th, 21st & 22nd. https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp Music Credit 🎶: Shawn Trotter http://www.shawntrotter.com
Hey Dog Lover 🐾 When did living with your dog stop being fun? Maybe you got a dog because you pictured walks, adventures, companionship, road trips, or quiet nights curled up together. But somewhere along the way, life became less about enjoying your dog and more about managing them. Who’s coming over? Which route can we walk? What happens if we see another dog? Can I bring them? Should I leave them home? What if something goes wrong? And little by little, your world together starts getting smaller. In this episode, we’re talking about what happens when managing your dog begins to take over your relationship—and how to start finding your way back to actually enjoying life together. Because the answer isn’t necessarily throwing your dog into bigger, harder situations and hoping for the best. If your world has gotten smaller, start small and build out. I’ll give you some simple ways to start reconnecting with your dog at home, in your backyard, and eventually out in the world—while paying attention to what your dog actually enjoys and building from the places where you’re already successful together. Because the goal isn’t to create a dog who can go everywhere and do everything. The goal is to build a life that you and your dog actually enjoy living together. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox 🐾 NEXT STEPS 👣 🐾 Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp! October 20th, 21st & 22nd https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp 🐾 Take the Dogonality Quiz! https://beyondobedience.ca/quiz 🐾 Read the Beyond Obedience Blog! https://beyondobedience.ca/blog RESOURCES Contact → [email protected] Podcast → https://beyondobedience.ca/podcast Connect → Living Beyond Obedience Facebook Community https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Resources → https://beyondobedience.ca/quiz Merch → https://beyondobedience.ca/store CONNECT WITH ME! Step 1: Join the free Living Beyond Obedience community and connect with other dog lovers who want to understand their dogs, build better partnerships, and enjoy more of life together. https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Step 2: Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog’s unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and experience the world. https://beyondobedience.ca/quiz Step 3: Ready to stop guessing what to do when your dog is struggling? Join me for the completely FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp, happening October 20th, 21st & 22nd. 👉 https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp Music Credit 🎶: Shawn Trotter http://www.shawntrotter.com/