The Dynamic Dog Owner

Debbie talks about life with her new kitten in a house of three adult dogs, and why bringing a cat into a dog home can be far easier than adding a puppy to a cat home. She shares her theory that the age old feud between dogs and cats may really come down to frustration rather than hatred, and wonders whether cats who grow up with dogs start to act like dogs themselves. Get your 3 Day Free Trial at...

Debbie talks about control and management, a phrase you will hear a lot in dog training, and explains why it is essential for real progress. Using everyday examples like dashing out of the front door and recall around rabbits, she shows how simple tools such as stair gates, locked doors and long lines stop your dog rehearsing unwanted behaviours while you train.    Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The...

Debbie talks about the behaviours we so often label as naughty, from jumping up and mouthing to ragging on the lead, and why they are usually a sign of overwhelm rather than deliberate mischief. She explains how these behaviours become rewarding, why timing matters so much when redirecting them, and how quieter signals like a “thinking scratch” can warn you before things escalate.    Get your 3 Da...

Debbie reflects on the four dogs she has shared her adult life with and how each one arrived at exactly the moment she needed the lesson they brought, from steady consistency to patience and working at a dog’s own pace. She shares how her most challenging dogs reshaped not only her approach to training but her parenting too. Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now! https://po...

Debbie explores why some dogs bark at everything from the car when they are perfectly calm on walks, and how barrier frustration and being unable to move, sniff or read body language play a part. She explains why barking at passers by is rarely about protecting you, and why the confidence work you do outside transfers into the car and the window at home.  Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pa...

Debbie tackles a question many dog owners quietly worry about: what happens if your dog never reaches the goal you have been training towards. She explores how character, breed and history shape what each dog can achieve, sharing honest stories about her own dogs, Dave, Rem and Fred, and the guilt and grief that can come with adjusting your expectations. Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Paw...

Debbie talks about something every dog owner reaches for without a second thought, the humble treat, and how, delivered in the wrong way, it can stop working as a reward. She explains how asking a nervous dog to overcome its fear to reach food can tip it into internal conflict, so the treat becomes a warning rather than a welcome. Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now! http...

Debbie explores how training should actually feel, arguing that enjoyment and connection matter just as much as results. She talks through the common reasons training starts to feel like a chore, from difficulty and lack of purpose to the pressure of expecting instant results, and explains why small wins deserve celebrating along the way.  Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start...

Debbie explores why asking for help is one of the fastest ways to accelerate progress with a reactive, anxious or struggling dog, and why so many dog owners resist reaching out until they're at breaking point. Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now! https://potter-pawcademy.mn.co/plans/1820577?bundle_token=01b2cc425e6324dc8f034beb4fc55837&utm_source=manual Get our emails...

Debbie is joined by Tash to unpack residential training, day training and walk-and-trains, weighing up honestly when sending your dog away to be trained genuinely helps and when it falls short. They explore why a skill learned with a trainer does not always transfer back to you at home, why the handover and your own expectations matter so much, and how the relationship between you and your dog sit...

Debbie explores why so many dog owners can rattle off everything their dog struggles with, yet go blank when asked what their dog does well. She unpacks negativity bias, the natural human tendency to fixate on problems rather than celebrate progress, and explains how it quietly erodes confidence on the training journey.  Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now! https://potter...

Debbie is joined by Tash to explore why reactivity has become such a common word when it barely existed a generation ago. They dig into the many pressures that have reshaped dog ownership, from a world that expects dogs everywhere to the roles of social media, judgement culture, overlooked pain, and modern breeding.  Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now! https://potter-paw...

Debbie talks about why your life with your dog does not have to look like anyone else's, because every dog, every family and every lifestyle is unique.   Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now! https://potter-pawcademy.mn.co/plans/1820577?bundle_token=01b2cc425e6324dc8f034beb4fc55837&utm_source=manual Get our emails - https://mailchi.mp/potterpaws.co.uk/jointhelist

Debbie is joined by Tash to talk about something dog owners rarely admit out loud, that even the dogs they adore can, on some days, really wind them up. Together they unpack why that irritation is almost always trigger stacking on our side rather than anything the dog has actually done, and why feeling it does not make you a bad owner.  Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now...

Debbie talks about introducing a new kitten into a household of three dogs who had never lived with a cat, and why the whole thing went far more smoothly than she ever expected. She explains how prior training, solid engagement and disengagement skills, and thoughtful management of space set her dogs up to accept the new arrival calmly.   Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start N...

Debbie is joined once again by Tash to unpack one of the most misunderstood words in modern dog ownership: reactivity. Together they explore the difference between a dog who is reacting and a dog who is simply communicating, and why so many ordinary dogs get wrongly labelled reactive or aggressive. Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now! https://potter-pawcademy.mn.co/plans/...

Debbie talks about one of the most common summer struggles for dog owners: wanting to bring your dog to the pub or cafe, but not being able to. Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now! https://potter-pawcademy.mn.co/plans/1820577?bundle_token=01b2cc425e6324dc8f034beb4fc55837&utm_source=manual Get our emails - https://mailchi.mp/potterpaws.co.uk/jointhelist

Debbie is joined by Tash for her monthly cameo to talk about trainers bringing their own dogs to class. Together they explore when a demo dog genuinely helps, such as visual learners and technical disciplines like gundog work and agility, and when it hinders, from divided attention to leaving owners feeling their dog will never measure up. Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start...

Debbie talks about one of the most uncomfortable challenges dog owners face: how to advocate confidently for your dog in public without feeling rude or awkward. Get your 3 Day Free Trial at The Potter Pawcademy - Start Now! https://potter-pawcademy.mn.co/plans/1820577?bundle_token=01b2cc425e6324dc8f034beb4fc55837&utm_source=manual Get our emails - https://mailchi.mp/potterpaws.co.uk/jointhelis...

Debbie talks about welcoming a new kitten into a household with three adult dogs, sharing the honest, practical reality of introducing a cat the "wrong way round" from how it's usually done. She walks through the preparation work, from stair gates and cat flaps to playing meowing sounds in advance, and shares the early days of supervised introductions with each of her dogs. Debbie reflects on what...

Debbie talks about why dog training can look so effortless when a trainer demonstrates it, and why it so often feels much harder when you try it yourself at home. She explains that this isn't down to your ability or your dog's, but to the fact that you're learning a brand new skill at the same time as teaching it, while your dog senses every bit of your uncertainty along the way. Debbie also share...

Debbie talks about one of the most practical challenges dog owners face: how to manage working life alongside having a dog. Joined by Tash, she explores the considerations to make before getting a dog when you work, from shift patterns and daycare to dog walkers and flexible hours. The conversation covers how to set your working day up for success if you work from home, including the value of morn...

Debbie talks about what a recent holiday in Norfolk revealed about her dogs' progress, and why revisiting the same experiences year after year is one of the most honest ways to measure how far your dog has come. Debbie also recounts an unplanned and heart-pounding encounter between her dogs and an unknown dog who bulldozed through a garden fence, and reflects on what the whole situation showed her...

Debbie talks about the judgement that quietly follows owners of reactive dogs, sparked by yet another online comment designed to shame rather than help. She unpacks why reactivity is not aggression, why it is actually a sign of emotional honesty in your dog, and why the owners working through it tend to be the most aware and committed dog people around. Expect a candid look at online opinions, mis...

Debbie talks about the gap between the dog you imagined and the dog you actually live with, and why so many owners feel like they're quietly failing when reality doesn't match the expectation. She unpacks why we only ever see the dogs who find public life easy, why that creates a misleading picture for every new owner, and why a method that worked for someone else's dog might not work for yours. W...