Enlightened By Dogs: Living with Cooperation, Not Obedience

Behavior is communication. Since our dogs can't tell us what they want or how they feel, they bark, growl, or pull away – especially when they feel unheard. And once a dog feels unheard, their behavior escalates from a whisper to a shout. Since we want them to hear our whispers, it's important that we learn to hear their whispers too. On this episode of Enlightened by Dogs, Kathy delves into diffe...

What's causing the recent spike in reactivity among our dogs? It's easy to blame it all on the recent lockdown. After all, dogs everywhere were cooped up indoors without the opportunity to socialize and take in the world around them. While that's one way to look at it, it's not quite accurate, and Marika Bertram joins Kathy on this episode of Enlightened by Dogs to explain why. She delves into the...

For all of us, the end game is to build trust between our dogs and us and eventually learn how to live a good life together. But before we get to that point, it's important to accept where we are in that journey. Of course, no one likes to struggle, but once you accept where you are, it's a lot easier to transcend to a place of cooperation and a trusting partnership. In this episode of the Enlight...

Sometimes it's comforting to know that you aren't the only dog mom out there tackling a few bumps in the road on your partnership journey. But it's also empowering to know that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and you can have that brilliant partnership you always hoped for. To offer some guidance, Kathy shares segments from a Q&A session with real dog moms facing very real challenges. Sh...

How do you get your dog to feel safe and calm in your RV, apartment, or home? How do you get them to feel the same way while you're out and about? The answer lies in focusing on your inner circle of influence and making it a safe space for your dog. In this episode of the Enlightened by Dogs Podcast, Kathy shares a segment from a recent Q&A session where she delves into how to create a safe inner...

Did you know that your thoughts and expectations for your dog can shape who they become? If you believe that they're too reactive or too difficult to live with, they eventually morph into that. A huge part of being a brilliant partner is accepting your dog for who they are. But that's not to say they'll remain reactive or difficult to live with. Acceptance, patience, and love eventually make your...

Being a loving and conscious dog mom isn't always easy. Yes, you love your dog so much and you want to be the best dog parent you can be. However, sometimes it's hard to remain patient and mindful when your dog seems to be doing everything but what you asked them to do. When this happens, Kathy suggests trying your best to step back into the role of a mindful dog mom. It's tough, but you can do it...

We're celebrating 200 episodes of the Enlightened By Dogs podcast with a very special announcement – so tune in to hear more about that! I can't believe we've hit 200 episodes! Time really does fly when you're having fun. I want to thank each and every one of you for tuning in each week because without you guys, I wouldn't be here making this show that has brought so many of us together. As a spec...

Are you ready to become the best version of yourself and the human that your dog needs you to be? Well, it all starts with inspired action. It's one thing to seek guidance on how to become a wholesome person and a brilliant partner. But it's another to actually take these insights and use them to build an amazing partnership. On this episode of the Enlightened by Dogs podcast, Kathy takes us throu...

Does leading a balanced life, whether on a personal level or with your dog, often seem out of reach? Perhaps it's time to look at balance from a whole new perspective. While finding balance, it's important to look for it in the little moments and approach it more holistically. Balance is not a destination but a process that we all strive to achieve every single day. Joining this episode of the Enl...

What's holding you back from living out your dreams of a perfect relationship with your dog? Most time, it boils down to misinformation and limited beliefs drawn from the outdated obedience training culture. There's lots of advice out there for dog parents looking to navigate the tricky parts of their relationship with their dogs. But not all of them are right for you or your dog. Perhaps that's w...

Do you sometimes feel out of your depth as you try to understand your dog and form that meaningful connection with them? Well, you're not alone. Many dog parents before you have struggled with confidence in the fact that they are doing right by their dogs. Naturally, once these feelings creep in, it becomes a bit harder to establish that incredible bond with their dogs. In this episode of the Enli...

Every dog is unique. But one of the common myths out there is that all dogs are more or less alike, and with the right obedience training, they'll get their acts together, become more well-behaved and compliant. What this mindset does is set us up for a world of disappointment because it turns out that "real-life behavior" is nothing like what happens at the training class. So, we end up believing...

Has anyone ever told you that exercise (and lots of it) is the best way to get your hyperactive dog to calm down? Even a quick Google search would land you on a page that recommends rigorous workouts and tons of activities whenever your dog seems over-energetic. While exercise is vital to your dog's general wellbeing, it's not the key to calming them down when they're triggered or simply acting ou...

What does a partnership lifestyle with your dog mean to you? While it may vary from one dog parent to the other, it's safe to say that there are a few underlying principles to look out for. Altogether, partnership with your dog involves more than a quid pro quo exchange on a daily basis. It's a state of coexistence where both you and your dog are intimately interdependent through a two-way flow of...

A new year is always the perfect time for new beginnings, resolutions and meaningful reflections. Which makes it a great time to revisit what it means to be a leader for our dogs, beyond the stereotypical "boss" or "master" figures. In this episode of the Enlightened by Dogs podcast, Kathy highlights the benefits of approaching leadership from a platform of love. She also explains why good listeni...

How you treat your dog and others is directly informed by who you are. So, the next important question is, are you simply "who you are" or "who you truly want to be?" The difference between the two lies in your genuine heart's desires — what do you value? What qualities are actually important to you? The answer to these questions fuels your conscious intention to be the person you've always wanted...

Naturally, you want your dog to feel safe, calm, and happy as much as possible. But stressful situations are part of life as we know it. Often, these situations affect you long before your dog gets triggered and end up provoking a cascade of thoughts that could sever your connection with your dog. How do we control these thoughts and, in turn, ensure that our dogs don't learn to be anxious or reac...

You want to protect your dog from traumatic situations just as you want to protect all your loved ones. But, as we all know, it's not always possible to prevent bad things from happening. So, when an unfortunate incident does happen, how can you help your dog move past it? Building your dog's social confidence back up after a traumatic event requires a lot of trust from both you and your dog. In t...

Did you know that your puppy or young dog is at the most impressionable stage of their life? They're experiencing most things for the first time, which is thrilling! But it's equally scary because unpleasant experiences can have a long-lasting impact on how they experience ordinary life events moving forward. So, we need to be intentionally mindful of our puppies and young dogs, until they're conf...

It's no secret that our dogs make us feel happy and safe, that's one of the many reasons we're on this partnership journey with them. Have you ever wondered if we do the same for them? The connection we share with our dogs is a two-way street, but it's often easy to forget that their idea of 'happy and safe' is quite different from what we think it is. In this episode of the Enlightened By Dogs po...

How do you react when your dog is triggered by external factors while you're enjoying a walk together? The answer is almost never the same across the board, however, a common mistake is to react to the trigger alongside our dogs. Unfortunately, we can't guard our dogs against all the potential triggers in the world. What we can do is offer support. In this episode of the Enlightened By Dogs podcas...

Creating clear opportunities for our dogs to say yes or no brings us one step closer to that brilliant life we want with them. This may seem a bit odd, especially since we live in a world where having a well-trained dog is considered a badge of honor. However, the true badge of honor is earned when our dogs choose to be responsible as opposed to being trained to be responsible. Realizing they have...

When did you last think about resiliency in terms of your partnership with your dog? Unfortunately for most people, the answer is "never". Life tends to throw curveballs every now and then, both in the human and dog communities. How you deal with these unfortunate occurrences is a function of your resiliency. But what does this mean for your partnership with your dog? In this episode of the Enligh...

Our dogs give us so much, don't they? Each day they make our lives better. Every time we connect with them, admire them, appreciate them, we experience a love of life unlike anything else. In this special episode, Kathy invites you to join her in sharing gratitude and appreciation for your dog. She also shares two materials dear to her heart and pays tribute to her dogs and her relationship with t...