Enlightened By Dogs: Living with Cooperation, Not Obedience

Kathy has connected and cooperated with so many dogs over the years. It's something that dog parents long for. We all want our dogs to feel safe, calm and happy. We want them to know that we have their backs. But how do you build that true connection and natural cooperation with your dogs? In this Enlightened by Dogs episode, Kathy explores the what, why and how of cooperation and connection. She...

Kathy has spent so many years with so many dogs. They've all been wonderful. But they've all brought their own challenges. It's so easy to look to the future, to a time when these challenges are solved, and everything is OK. But the only way to become a true, brilliant partner for your dog is to cultivate calm, confidence and happiness today. A dream life with your dog starts with you thinking lik...

How do we become more deeply connected with our dogs? As Kathy explains, it's when we step into our place as trustworthy role models and loving leaders. When we are able to do that, we and our dogs are safe, calm and happy – we are in the green zone – which is what we all want from our life with our dogs! As Kathy emphasizes in this episode of Enlightened By Dogs, we need to move away from the des...

Kathy has spent her life with so many wonderful dogs. Sadly, that means she's experienced loss many times too. The grief that dog moms experience is often uncontrollable and makes us feel a confusing mixture of emotions from sadness to longing. But how do we deal with these feelings? How do we navigate the grief we feel when we lose our beloved dogs? In this episode of Enlightened by Dogs, Kathy e...

When your dogs' actions and responses don't match your expectations, it can be so easy to obsess and worry about it. You could be struggling to deal with their on-leash reactivity, their behavior around other dogs, or their incessant barking at the neighbors. It can sometimes feel like these frustrations consume every ounce of you! Does any of this sound familiar? Kathy has experienced this first-...

It's totally normal to experience ups and downs with our dogs. The good times come with the bad because, well…that's just life! There are so many factors that influence how we think, feel and respond from past experiences to expectations, our peers and our communities. Sometimes these things can also affect our relationships with our dogs. However, there are ways we can minimize the negative effec...

As Brilliant Partners (BP), it's so important to build a strong level of understanding with our dogs. Sometimes their behaviors challenge us or leave us feeling frustrated, but reaching a higher level of insight is so important to keep that bond unbreakable. In this episode of Enlightened by Dogs, Kathy shares 3 top tips on how to better understand your dog's behavior, and addresses some common mi...

Being a Brilliant Partner (BP) is wonderful when you and your dog are in sync and you're communicating flawlessly. But what happens when your dog flat-out refuses to listen? It's something that all dog parents go through on their journey to brilliant partnership and that's what Kathy discusses in this episode of Enlightened by Dogs. To provide a deeper level of insight, Kathy shares a segment of a...

Mindset plays a huge role in the partnerships we have with our dogs. Sometimes we have to challenge our own thoughts and what we know to be 'right' in order to live a better life with them. In this Enlightened by Dogs episode, Kathy explains how tapping into our creative and executive brains can help us design the life we dream of having with our dogs. Through defying what we know, we can find bra...

One of the main lessons Kathy has learned from dogs over the years is that you can find the truth in your dogs' reflections of your own behavior. In this episode of Enlightened by Dogs, she explores how we can become better dog moms through practicing compassion, kindness, empathy, and clarity. Interspecies cooperation doesn't come from heavy obedience training, compliance, and transacting. Kathy...

Kathy has shared many tales of the dogs she's known over the years, but in this guest edition of Enlightened by Dogs, she introduces Erin who tells us about her journey with her Border Collie Jess. Erin, a lovely member of the Brilliant Partners Academy, picked up Jess with the hope of love, joy and adventure. To start off with, things were really tough! Jess' behaviors left Erin anxious, stressed...

Throughout her career, Kathy has been in many different social situations with her dogs. Whether out in public, at the vet, or on a long hike, these social interactions can pose a few problems when people want to say 'hi' to your dog or treat your dog in ways you wouldn't usually. In these situations, it's crucial to remain a calm, confident role model, stepping in as your dog's voice to reassure...

Kathy has shared the stories of so many dogs she's had the pleasure of knowing. But this week, she turns the spotlight on a member of the Brilliant Partners Academy. BPA member, Terri joins Enlightened By Dogs to tell the tale of her beloved Bella and what she's learned during her time with her. Every dog has different needs, personality types, and complexities, and the learning process never real...

Kathy has used kindness, compassion and patience to form strong relationships with dogs for so many years. She has proven that even those that were deemed a "lost cause" can become attentive and loyal life partners. In this episode of Enlightened by Dogs, Kathy shares the story of Maya (aka Noodle). She takes us back to when Maya was seven months old and labeled "untrainable" by three families. Ka...

Kathy has had the pleasure of building partnerships with all types of dogs. But sometimes, the most challenging relationships are the most rewarding. Each dog she has spent time with has contributed to the way she lives and works. And Phoenix is certainly no exception. In this Enlightened by Dogs episode, Kathy takes us back to the first moment she met the most challenging dog she's ever known. De...

Kathy's partnerships with dogs have seen her experience laughter, joy, tears and heartache. But the overall emotion is pure love. A strong partnership with your dog means that love never falters. In this episode of Enlightened by Dogs, Kathy shares the story of Russell – the dog that taught her the meaning of true partnership. Kathy explains how she became Russell's student and, eventually, his le...

Sometimes, meeting a new dog with a new personality can make you question the methods you've tried over the years. Throughout her career, Kathy's relationships with different dogs have seen her mindset and approach evolve time and time again. In this Enlightened by Dogs episode, Kathy takes us back around 30 years to the first time she met her long-term companion, Haley. This partnership opened Ka...

Kathy's journey with her dogs over the years has taught her so much. They've been her friends, healers, and confidants in so many things. So, in this Enlightened by Dogs episode, she's taking us back to where it all began. Kathy shares her experience with the first dog she lived alone with as an adult, Max. Losing him was the turning point that inspired her to explore a holistic approach to life....

As dog parents, we all want what's best for our dogs. We want them to live up to their full potential and lead rewarding lives within our partnerships. But sometimes, our wants and goals end up overshadowing the most important part of the equation…our dogs. The result? It becomes more of a struggle to reach our desired outcomes and create a beautiful partnership with our dogs. So, in this Enlighte...

Most of our dogs are reactive when it comes to grooming, visiting the vet or other unavoidable tasks. The truth is that most of these aren't the most pleasant activities for our dogs. But while we can't blame our dogs for reacting, these are must-do tasks. We've got to find a way to carry them out so that our dogs are left safe, calm, and happy in the end. That's where consent comes in. In this En...

Dog greetings are such an important part of our dogs' socialization process. But guess what? It's also one of those things we dog parents don't always understand. While we're all social beings, dogs approach greetings in a totally different way, and that's what Kathy explores in the Enlightened by Dogs episode. She highlights the actions that count as greetings for dogs and discusses nine things t...

We often think our dogs are giving us a hard time, but we never stop and think… maybe they are having a hard time! What can we do to improve our relationships with our dogs and stop ourselves from thinking so negatively about them? Well, the answer lies in this episode of the Enlightened by Dogs podcast. Kathy explores some of the most common dog personality categories. She runs through a method o...

As a dog mom, you probably have a clear picture of the life you want to create with your dog. And that's amazing because the trick to creating your ideal life is visualizing it first. It only becomes an issue when we get stuck in that visualizing stage and neglect to start living that wonderful life in the here and now. That's why in this episode, Kathy addresses some of the common myths and limit...

While the ultimate goal is to constantly be proactive, not reactive, when it comes to our dogs, the simple truth is that we're only human. Stressful situations are part and parcel of everyday life, and we all succumb to them every now and then. That's why this episode of Enlightened by Dogs is all about various ways we can recover quickly when we get into difficult situations with our dogs. It all...

There's a lot of information floating around about what's right and wrong for our dogs. While some of it is accurate, the rest could ultimately slow you down on that journey towards a brilliant partnership. Kathy understands how easy it is to make mistakes that ultimately cost us down the road. So, in this episode of the Enlightened by Dogs podcast, she shares three things to avoid if you want to...