Beyond Obedience | Dog Training, Dog Body Language, Anxious Dogs, Scared Dogs, Reactive Dogs

Tracy Franken- Dog Trainer, Vet Tech, Dog Lover, šŸ¾
  • 4.9 (77)
  • Pets & Animals
  • Updated Weekly

Do you wish you could enjoy life with your dog again? Are you struggling with a reactive, fearful, anxious, or misunderstood dog? Do walks, visitors, or everyday situations leave you feeling stressed, frustrated, or embarrassed? I'm Tracy Franken, a retired vet tech turned dog trainer. I discovered the secret to a life of ease with my dogs; Through trust-based training, and a deeper understanding of dog behaviour, I'll help you build confidence, strengthen your relationship, and create a dog you can trust in the real world. Because lasting change starts with understanding the dog you love.

  1. 11h ago

    245 | What Are You Missing When You Walk Your Dog?

    Hey Dog Lover šŸ¾ Ever feel like youā€™re trying to do ALL the right things on a walk with your dog, but something still isnā€™t quite working? Wonder what you might be missing in those tiny moments before your dog reacts, pulls, worries, or gets stuck on something in the environment? What if the answer isnā€™t another training technique ā€” but learning to see whatā€™s actually happening between you and your dog? In this episode, Iā€™m taking you behind the scenes of a real coaching call where I watched video of one of my students walking her dog. And this is one of my favourite things to do because when we slow these everyday interactions down, we start seeing things that are almost impossible to notice when youā€™re the one actually holding the leash. Weā€™re looking at body position, movement, timing, where the dogā€™s attention really is, what happens when we add pressure or create space, and even what can happen when your dog decides they need to poop at exactly the wrong moment. But this isnā€™t about finding everything youā€™re doing ā€œwrong.ā€ Itā€™s about learning to see the conversation. Because there isnā€™t always a perfect sequence of steps to follow. Sometimes we try something, watch what our dog tells us, adjust, and try again. And the better we get at noticing those tiny moments, the less we have to rely on somebody else telling us the ā€œrightā€ thing to do. We can start asking the dog in front of us instead. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox RESOURCES šŸ¾ Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp! October 20th, 21st & 22nd https://beyondobedience.ca/bootcamp šŸ¾ Take the Dogonality Quiz! https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz šŸ¾ Read the Beyond Obedience Blog! https://beyondobedience.ca/blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact ā†’ info@beyondobedience.ca Podcast ā†’ https://beyondobedience.ca/podcast Connect ā†’ Living Beyond Obedience Facebook Community https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Resources ā†’ https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz Merch ā†’ https://www.beyondobedience.ca/store šŸ¾ NEXT STEPS šŸ‘£ 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 dogā€™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 šŸŽ¶: Shawn Trotter http://www.shawntrotter.com

  2. 4d ago

    244 | The Reactive Dog Win Nobody Talks About

    Hey Dog Lover šŸ¾ Does one bad reaction from your dog leave you wondering what you did wrong? Do you find yourself embarrassed, frustrated, or worried about what everyone else thinks when your dog loses it? What if progress with your reactive dog isnā€™t only about whether your dog reacts ā€” but about what happens at your end of the leash too? In this episode, weā€™re talking about a kind of progress with reactive dogs that we donā€™t talk about nearly enough: learning to trust yourself. Iā€™m sharing a real-life story from one of my students that reminded me just how much can change even when our dogs still have difficult moments. Weā€™ll talk about why confidence doesnā€™t mean knowing your dog will never react, how too much conflicting advice can leave you second-guessing every decision you make, and why learning to ask the dog can help you stop searching for the perfect answer and start trusting yourself to figure out what to do next. Because maybe progress isnā€™t getting to the point where nothing ever goes wrong. Maybe itā€™s knowing that when something does, you can handle it. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox šŸ¾ NEXT STEPS šŸ‘£ šŸ¾ Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp!October 20th, 21st & 22ndBeyondObedience.ca/bootcamp šŸ¾ Take the Dogonality Quiz!BeyondObedience.ca/quiz šŸ¾ Read the Beyond Obedience Blog!BeyondObedience.ca/blog RESOURCES Contact ā†’ info@beyondobedience.ca Podcast ā†’ BeyondObedience.ca/podcast Connect ā†’ Living Beyond Obedience Facebook Communityhttps://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedience Resources ā†’ BeyondObedience.ca/quiz Merch ā†’ 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 dogā€™s unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and experience the world. 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. šŸ‘‰ BeyondObedience.ca/bootcamp Music Credit šŸŽ¶: Shawn TrotterShawnTrotter.com

  3. Sep 28

    243 | Do This First When Your Dog is Reacting

    Hey Dog Lover šŸ¾ Your dog sees another dog. And suddenly theyā€™re at the end of the leash barking, lunging, pulling, jumping around, completely losing their you-know-what. And youā€™re standing at the other end thinking: ā€œWhat the heck am I supposed to do right now?ā€ Do you ask them to sit? Tell them to look at you? Offer a treat? Turn around? Keep walking? Get the heck out of Dodge? When your dog is reacting, itā€™s really easy to start running through every training technique youā€™ve ever learned, desperately trying to figure out which one is going to make the behaviour stop. But before you do any of that, thereā€™s one question I want you to ask yourself: ā€œAm I even in this conversation?ā€ Because your dog can be physically attached to you and still have absolutely nothing to do with you in that moment. And if youā€™re not part of the conversation, youā€™re going to have a very hard time influencing what happens next. In this episode, weā€™re talking about the very first thing to do when your dog reacts, and why it has less to do with finding the perfect technique and more to do with figuring out whether you and your dog are actually communicating. Weā€™ll talk about: šŸ¾ The first question to ask yourself when your dog starts reactingšŸ¾ Why holding the other end of the leash doesnā€™t necessarily mean youā€™re part of the conversationšŸ¾ The important difference between physical control and influencešŸ¾ How to recognize when your dog is still able to communicate with youšŸ¾ What to do when your dog is so overwhelmed that you have no influence in that momentšŸ¾ Why creating distance doesnā€™t have to mean running away from the problemšŸ¾ How your body, movement, position, leash, and communication can help you get back into the conversationšŸ¾ Why there isnā€™t one right answer for every dog in every situation Because sometimes you absolutely need physical control. Sometimes you need to hold that leash. Sometimes you need to get your dog out of there. But I donā€™t want you to confuse: ā€œI physically stopped my dog from getting thereā€ with: ā€œI was able to influence my dog.ā€ Those are two very different things. So the next time your dog is barking, lunging, pulling, or completely overwhelmed, before you start asking: ā€œHow do I stop this?ā€ Start here: ā€œAm I in this conversation?ā€ If the answer is yes: Can I influence it? And if the answer is no: What needs to change so that I can get back into it? Because you cannot influence a conversation youā€™re not part of. And if youā€™re wondering HOW to become part of that conversation, how to use your body, movement, communication, and influence when your dog is struggling, thatā€™s exactly what weā€™re going to be exploring together inside the free CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp, happening October 20th, 21st and 22nd. I really think this is going to help you. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox RESOURCES šŸ¾ Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp!BeyondObedience.ca/bootcamp šŸ¾ Take the Quiz!Dogonality Quiz šŸ¾ Read the Blog!Beyond Obedience Blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact ā†’ info@beyondobedience.caPodcast ā†’ Beyond Obedience PodcastConnect ā†’ Living Beyond Obedience Facebook GroupResources ā†’ Dogonality QuizMerch ā†’ Beyond Obedience Store šŸ¾ NEXT STEPS šŸ‘£ 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. Join Living Beyond Obedience Step 2: Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog's unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and respond to leadership. šŸ‘‰ Take the Dogonality Quiz Step 3: Ready to stop second-guessing yourself when your dog is struggling? Join me for the completely free CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp, October 20thā€“22nd. šŸ‘‰ Save your spot for CALM DOWN, DOG! Music Credit šŸŽ¶: Shawn TrotterShawn Trotter

  4. Sep 24

    242 | Is Your Dogā€™s Training Actually Making Things Worse?

    Hey Dog Lover šŸ¾ Your dog sees something theyā€™re worried about. Their body gets tense. Maybe they want to move away. Maybe they start barking. Maybe everything about their body is telling you: Iā€™m not comfortable here. So you ask them to sit. And they do. Success... right? Maybe. Because your dog may be sitting quietly beside you, but that doesnā€™t necessarily mean anything has changed about how theyā€™re actually feeling. Sometimes we get so focused on changing what our dogs are doing that we forget to ask whatā€™s happening to the dog underneath the behaviour. Sit. Stay. Heel. Place. Look at me. Stop barking. Stop moving. And when our dog complies, it can look like weā€™ve solved the problem. But have we? Or have we simply changed what the problem looks like? In this episode, weā€™re talking about what can happen when we become so focused on getting the behaviour we want that we stop reading the dog standing right in front of us. Weā€™ll talk about: šŸ¾ Why sitting doesnā€™t necessarily mean your dog is calmšŸ¾ How stillness, silence, and compliance can sometimes hide whatā€™s happening underneath the behaviouršŸ¾ What can happen when your dogā€™s body is telling them to move and youā€™re asking them to stay stillšŸ¾ Why changing your dogā€™s body position isnā€™t necessarily the same as changing how they feelšŸ¾ The important difference between managing your dog and influencing your dogšŸ¾ Why management and physical control are sometimes absolutely necessaryšŸ¾ What it looks like when your information starts to matter to your dogšŸ¾ How focusing only on obedience can cause us to miss what our dogs are communicatingšŸ¾ Why listening to your dog doesnā€™t mean they always get what they wantšŸ¾ The question I want you to ask instead of blindly following a training protocol This isnā€™t an episode about never asking an uncomfortable dog to sit. It isnā€™t about throwing away your training. And it definitely isnā€™t about letting your dog make every decision. Itā€™s about reading the room. What is happening with THIS dog in THIS moment? What are they communicating? What are you actually trying to accomplish? Because thereā€™s a difference between: My dog didnā€™t bark. and My dog felt safe enough that they didnā€™t need to bark. Thereā€™s a difference between: My dog sat while another dog passed. and My dog was able to experience another dog passing and actually feel okay. And thereā€™s a difference between physically controlling what your dog does and becoming someone who can influence the decisions they make. So the next time you reach for a sit, stay, heel, look at me, leave it, or whatever behaviour youā€™ve been taught to use, I want you to ask yourself: What am I actually trying to change here? Because sometimes the behaviour that looks best to us isnā€™t telling us the whole story about the dog underneath it. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox RESOURCES šŸ¾ Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp!BeyondObedience.ca/bootcamp šŸ¾ Take the Quiz!Beyond Obedience Dogonality Quiz šŸ¾ Read the Blog!Beyond Obedience Blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact ā†’ info@beyondobedience.caPodcast ā†’ Beyond Obedience PodcastConnect ā†’ Living Beyond Obedience Facebook CommunityResources ā†’ Dogonality QuizMerch ā†’ Beyond Obedience Store šŸ¾ NEXT STEPS šŸ‘£ 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. Join Living Beyond Obedience Step 2: Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog's unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and respond to leadership. šŸ‘‰ Take the Dogonality Quiz Step 3: Ready to stop second-guessing yourself when your dog is struggling? Join me for the completely free CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp, October 20th, 21st and 22nd. šŸ‘‰ Save Your Spot for CALM DOWN, DOG! Music Credit šŸŽ¶: Shawn TrotterShawn Trotter

  5. Sep 21

    241 | Want to Build a Deeper Connection With Your Dog? Stop Telling Them to ā€œLook at Meā€

    Hey Dog Lover šŸ¾ Your dog notices another dog coming down the road. Their ears go up. Their body changes. Theyā€™re looking at that dog because, for whatever reason, that dog matters to them. And what do we so often do? ā€œLook at me.ā€ ā€œLook at me.ā€ ā€œLOOK AT ME.ā€ But why? Your dog knows the other dog is there. You know the other dog is there. Everybody knows the other dog is there. So why are we trying so hard to get our dogs to stop paying attention to the world and pay attention to us? What if we did something completely different? What if we looked too? In this episode, weā€™re talking about what connection with your dog actually looks like and why I think weā€™ve gotten part of it a little bit backwards. Because connection canā€™t just be about getting your dog to pay attention to you. Connection also requires you to pay attention to your dog. Weā€™ll talk about: šŸ¾ Why I question our obsession with teaching dogs to ā€œlook at meā€ when something important is happeningšŸ¾ What your dog may actually be communicating when they stop, stare, listen, or notice something in their environmentšŸ¾ Why acknowledging what your dog sees doesnā€™t mean letting them make every decisionšŸ¾ The difference between distracting your dog from something and experiencing it with themšŸ¾ Why being heard isnā€™t the same thing as getting your wayšŸ¾ How simply saying, ā€œYep, I see it too,ā€ can change the conversation between you and your dogšŸ¾ Why connection isnā€™t necessarily constant eye contact, a perfect heel, or a dog who is always focused on youšŸ¾ How those tiny moments when you and your dog notice the same sound, sight, or experience can build connectionšŸ¾ Why caring about what matters to your dog can make you more relevant when you need your dog to care about what matters to you Because maybe weā€™ve made connection a little too one-sided. Come into my world. Look at me. Listen to me. Walk with me. Care about what I care about. Ignore what I tell you to ignore. But what happens when we occasionally turn that around and say: Show me yours. The next time your dog suddenly stops and looks at something, try looking too. What did they notice? What changed? What are they experiencing? You donā€™t have to fix it. You donā€™t have to turn it into a training exercise. And you donā€™t necessarily have to let your dog do what they want to do next. Just get curious. Because maybe building a deeper connection with your dog isnā€™t about getting them to pay more attention to you. Maybe sometimes it starts when you pay more attention to them. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox RESOURCES šŸ¾ Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp!BeyondObedience.ca/bootcamp šŸ¾ Take the Quiz!Beyond Obedience Dogonality Quiz šŸ¾ Read the Blog!Beyond Obedience Blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact ā†’ info@beyondobedience.caPodcast ā†’ Beyond Obedience PodcastConnect ā†’ Living Beyond Obedience Facebook CommunityResources ā†’ Dogonality QuizMerch ā†’ Beyond Obedience Store šŸ¾ NEXT STEPS šŸ‘£ 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. Join Living Beyond Obedience Step 2: Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog's unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicate, and respond to leadership. šŸ‘‰ Take the Dogonality 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, October 20th, 21st and 22nd. šŸ‘‰ Save Your Spot for CALM DOWN, DOG! Music Credit šŸŽ¶: Shawn TrotterShawn Trotter

  6. Sep 17

    240 | Your Dog Knows the Command. Thatā€™s Not the Problem.

    Hey Dog Lover šŸ¾ Come. Stay. Leave it. Off. Down. Letā€™s go. No. We humans are incredibly verbal. And somewhere along the way, we seem to have decided that because our dogs live with us, they must also be fluent in English. So when we say ā€œcomeā€ and our dog doesnā€™t come, what do we do? We say it again. Usually louder. ā€œCOME!ā€ As though the problem is that they didnā€™t hear the English the first time. Sometimes dog training looks an awful lot like shouting English as a second language at your dog. And then comes the sentence I hear all the time: ā€œBut my dog KNOWS come.ā€ Okay. Maybe they do. But do they know what ā€œcomeā€ means here? And even if they do, is the word really the entire conversation? In this episode, weā€™re talking about what weā€™re actually communicating to our dogs, what theyā€™re paying attention to besides our words, and why knowing a command might not be the problem at all. Weā€™ll talk about: šŸ¾ What we really mean when we say ā€œMy dog knows thisā€šŸ¾ Why knowing a command in one situation doesnā€™t necessarily mean your dog understands it everywherešŸ¾ Why we put so much responsibility on a single word like ā€œcomeā€šŸ¾ Everything your dog is paying attention to besides whatā€™s coming out of your mouthšŸ¾ How movement, body language, spatial pressure, intention, and your history together are all part of the conversationšŸ¾ What happens when your body and your mouth are saying two completely different thingsšŸ¾ Why your dog may need a reason to choose you, not just a command telling them tošŸ¾ How your relevance and relationship with your dog influence whether they follow your guidancešŸ¾ Why relationship-based communication doesnā€™t mean we stop teaching or using cuesšŸ¾ The question I want you to ask instead of ā€œWhat command should I use?ā€ Because I absolutely use words with my dogs. I teach cues. Recall matters. Skills matter. But the word isnā€™t carrying the entire conversation. Your dog is also learning what you mean. Your movement. Your body. Your patterns. Your intentions. Your history together. Your relationship. So the next time you find yourself thinking: ā€œMy dog knows this. Why arenā€™t they listening?ā€ Get curious. What are you actually communicating? What does your dog understand in this situation? And instead of immediately asking: ā€œWhat command should I use?ā€ Try asking: ā€œWhat am I trying to communicate?ā€ Because once you know the answer to that, the word becomes just one of the many ways you can say it. And maybe we can finally stop shouting English as a second language at our dogs. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox RESOURCES šŸ¾ Join the Online Program Fearless Framework!https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless šŸ¾ Take the Quiz!https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz šŸ¾ Read the Blog!https://beyondobedience.ca/blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact ā†’ info@beyondobedience.caPodcast ā†’ https://beyondobedience.ca/podcastConnect ā†’ https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedienceResources ā†’ https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quizMerch ā†’ https://www.beyondobedience.ca/store šŸ¾ NEXT STEPS šŸ‘£ 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. šŸ‘‰ 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. šŸ‘‰ https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless Music Credit šŸŽ¶: Shawn Trotterwww.shawntrotter.com

  7. Sep 14

    239 | The Goal Was Never a Well-Trained Dog

    Hey Dog Lover šŸ¾ 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. Donā€™t jump. Donā€™t bark. Donā€™t pull. And suddenly, weā€™re measuring success by how well our dog performs the things weā€™ve taught them. But was that ever really the point? In this episode, weā€™re talking about why a well-trained dog and a dog who can successfully navigate the world arenā€™t necessarily the same thing, and what we might start paying attention to if obedience isnā€™t the ultimate goal. Weā€™ll talk about: šŸ¾ Why being well trained and being confident arenā€™t necessarily the same thingšŸ¾ How a dog can perform beautifully and still feel uncomfortable, overwhelmed, or unsurešŸ¾ Why compliance doesnā€™t tell us the whole story about whatā€™s happening underneath the behaviouršŸ¾ The difference between ā€œI know how to do thisā€ and ā€œI believe I can handle thisā€šŸ¾ Why I donā€™t want my dogs to need me for every answeršŸ¾ How we move from ā€œYouā€™ve got meā€ to ā€œIā€™ve got thisā€šŸ¾ Why skills, boundaries, recall, and dog training still absolutely matteršŸ¾ What we could start celebrating if obedience wasnā€™t our only measure of successšŸ¾ 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 Iā€™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 isnā€™t bad. Training isnā€™t bad. But I donā€™t want my dogā€™s greatest accomplishment to be that theyā€™re easy for humans to live with. I want the dog who once needed: ā€œYouā€™ve got me.ā€ to eventually be able to say: ā€œIā€™ve got this.ā€ 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 šŸ¾ Join the Online Program Fearless Framework!https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless šŸ¾ Take the Quiz!https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz šŸ¾ Read the Blog!https://beyondobedience.ca/blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact ā†’ info@beyondobedience.caPodcast ā†’ https://beyondobedience.ca/podcastConnect ā†’ https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedienceResources ā†’ https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quizMerch ā†’ https://www.beyondobedience.ca/store šŸ¾ NEXT STEPS šŸ‘£ 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. šŸ‘‰ 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. šŸ‘‰ https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless Music Credit šŸŽ¶: Shawn Trotterwww.shawntrotter.com

  8. Sep 10

    238 | Your Dog Said No. Now What?

    Hey Dog Lover šŸ¾ Your dog says no. Maybe they pull their paw away when you try to trim their nails. Maybe they move away when you reach toward them. Maybe theyā€™re very clearly communicating: ā€œI donā€™t want you to do this.ā€ So... now what? Because I think weā€™ve created two extremes when it comes to listening to our dogs. On one side: ā€œIā€™m the human. Youā€™re the dog. Weā€™re doing this whether you like it or not.ā€ And on the other: ā€œMy dog said no, so I have to stop.ā€ But healthy relationships arenā€™t quite that simple. Sometimes your dog is going to say: ā€œPlease donā€™t.ā€ And sometimes youā€™re going to have to say: ā€œI hear you. I know you donā€™t want me to do this. And I still need to do it.ā€ In this episode, weā€™re talking about what it actually means to listen to your dog, respect their communication, and still make the decisions you sometimes need to make for their health, safety, and wellbeing. Weā€™ll talk about: šŸ¾ Why listening to your dog doesnā€™t mean they always get the answer they wantšŸ¾ The difference between being heard and getting your wayšŸ¾ Why your dogā€™s ā€œnoā€ might change the decision, how you do it, or when you do itšŸ¾ What happens when something like nail care, grooming, medication, or veterinary care simply needs to happenšŸ¾ Why HOW you do something matters just as much as what you došŸ¾ The difference between helping your dog through something and fighting them through itšŸ¾ How much trust it takes for your dog to let you make a decision they disagree withšŸ¾ Why one difficult interaction doesnā€™t mean youā€™ve damaged your relationship Because respecting your dogā€™s communication doesnā€™t mean: ā€œIf my dog says no, nothing they dislike can ever happen.ā€ It means their communication matters. You hear them. You stay in the conversation. You adjust when you can. And when the answer still has to be no, you remain someone they can trust through it. So maybe the question isnā€™t simply: ā€œDid I respect my dogā€™s no?ā€ Maybe itā€™s: ā€œWhat did my dog learn about me when I had to override it?ā€ Because trust isnā€™t built by never doing something your dog doesnā€™t want. Itā€™s built, in part, by how you show up when you have to. Hope you enjoy this one! Tracy xoxox RESOURCES šŸ¾ Join the Online Program Fearless Framework!https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless šŸ¾ Take the Quiz!https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quiz šŸ¾ Read the Blog!https://beyondobedience.ca/blog CONNECT WITH ME! Contact ā†’ info@beyondobedience.caPodcast ā†’ https://beyondobedience.ca/podcastConnect ā†’ https://facebook.com/groups/LivingBeyondObedienceResources ā†’ https://www.beyondobedience.ca/quizMerch ā†’ https://www.beyondobedience.ca/store šŸ¾ NEXT STEPS šŸ‘£ 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. šŸ‘‰ 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. šŸ‘‰ https://beyondobedience.ca/fearless Music Credit šŸŽ¶: Shawn Trotterwww.shawntrotter.com

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4.9
out of 5
77 Ratings

About

Do you wish you could enjoy life with your dog again? Are you struggling with a reactive, fearful, anxious, or misunderstood dog? Do walks, visitors, or everyday situations leave you feeling stressed, frustrated, or embarrassed? I'm Tracy Franken, a retired vet tech turned dog trainer. I discovered the secret to a life of ease with my dogs; Through trust-based training, and a deeper understanding of dog behaviour, I'll help you build confidence, strengthen your relationship, and create a dog you can trust in the real world. Because lasting change starts with understanding the dog you love.

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