Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul

In this episode of Rewriting The Rules, I sit down with Jess Jones to discuss the REGAIN Method, a compassionate and relationship-focused approach to supporting dogs and the people who love them. We explore some of the challenges facing dog guardians today, the importance of understanding behaviour through a wider lens, and how approaches rooted in empathy, connection, and emotional well-being can...

  Are we truly living with our dogs, or are they quietly living around us? In this thought-provoking episode of Rewriting the Rules, Bethany Bell explores the difference between simply owning a dog and truly sharing life with one. Modern life is busy, distracting, and often focused on managing behaviour, schedules, and responsibilities. Without realising it, many dogs slowly become part of the bac...

Do dogs grieve? What does dog grief actually look like? And how can you support a dog after the loss of another dog, a person, or an animal companion? In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, we explore canine grief in depth. When a dog loses a companion, whether that is another dog in the home or a beloved human, their world changes in ways that are often misunderstood. Grief in dogs can show up a...

In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, we explore what it really means to build a meaningful relationship with a dog, and why obedience is not the same as understanding. Rather than focusing on commands like sit, stay, or down, this conversation looks at life skills that help dogs live safely and confidently in the real world. We explore the difference between training behaviours and teaching con...

Dog Play: What’s Healthy, What Isn’t, and Why It Matters More Than You Think   Dog play is one of the most misunderstood topics in the dog world. In this episode, we explore what healthy dog play actually looks like, what is commonly mistaken for play, and why getting this wrong can quietly contribute to stress, over-arousal, and behaviour struggles. We talk about the emotional state behind play,...

In this episode, we explore diet and nutrition through a much wider lens than calories, protein percentages, or trends.   Food does not just affect the body. It affects the gut. The nervous system. Emotional regulation. And ultimately, behaviour.   We talk about why dogs are facultative carnivores, what that actually means in real life, and why carbohydrates have been so heavily misunderstood and...

As our dogs grow older, so do we — not just in years, but in depth, awareness, and presence. In this reflective episode, Bethany shares the emotional landscape of ageing dogs: the quiet grief that begins long before goodbye, the slowing rhythms of daily life, and the sacred shift that happens when we stop rushing and start noticing.   With deeply personal stories of her own dogs — Steve, Dave, and...

What if the calmest dogs aren’t truly calm — just quietly overwhelmed? In this powerful and thought-provoking episode, canine behaviourist and CDD Method creator Bethany Bell explores the widely accepted, yet deeply misleading, idea of the “neutral” dog. You’ll learn why neutrality is often confused with emotional maturity, how stillness can signal shutdown, and why aiming for a dog who ignores th...

Have we mistaken obedience for understanding? In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, I’m exploring what I call “The Obedience Hangover” - that quiet, uneasy space we find ourselves in after years of teaching our dogs to behave, only to realise that something still feels disconnected. We’ll talk about what really happens when dogs are praised for being calm, quiet, and compliant - and why that cal...

  Once upon a time, I thought there was such a thing as the perfect dog. The one who walked calmly on the lead, ignored every distraction, greeted other dogs politely, never barked, never chewed, and somehow understood every word I said. I thought if I just worked hard enough — read enough, learned enough, and did everything “right” — we’d get there. That mythical point where everything fell neatl...

Are we really in control - or just afraid of what happens if we’re not? In this powerful episode of Rewriting the Rules, Bethany Bell explores our deep-rooted fear of letting go of control when living and working with dogs. Modern dog culture often tells us that structure, rules, and constant supervision equal safety and success. But what if those same habits are quietly exhausting us - and discon...

We’ve all heard of “impulse control training” - teaching dogs to wait, leave food, or stay calm when excited. But are these exercises truly helping dogs develop emotional regulation… or just teaching them to perform calmness on cue? In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, Bethany Bell (founder of the Canine Dialogue Dynamics Method) explores the crucial difference between trained impulse control a...

We’re told enrichment is essential for our dogs -  puzzle feeders, lick mats, Kongs, scatter feeding, and endless “mental stimulation.” But is it really enriching our dogs’ lives… or adding more pressure?   In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, Bethany Bell (founder of the Canine Dialogue Dynamics Method) explores the shadow side of food enrichment: how making dogs “work for their food” puts the...

Collies told not to herd. Huskies told not to run. Guarding breeds told not to guard. In today’s world, we often expect dogs to suppress the very instincts they were bred for — all to fit into human lifestyles. And when they can’t, we turn to training, conditioning, and behaviour management to “fix” the mismatch. In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, Bethany Bell (founder of the Canine Dialogue...

What does holistic dog care really mean? And how is it different from traditional behaviourism? In this in-depth conversation, I sit down with Rebecca Hanlon - also known as The Dog Witch - to explore what holistic health and behaviour truly involve. We talk about: ✨ Moving beyond behaviourism and why it matters for dogs today ✨ What “holistic” really means in practice - whole-dog wellness, emot...

Bringing a new puppy home is magical — and overwhelming. Everywhere you turn, there’s advice: crate train right away, enforce 18–20 hours of sleep, limit walks to 5 minutes per month of age, socialise with everyone and everything. But what if much of this advice is outdated, misunderstood, or even harmful? In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, Bethany Bell gently dismantles some of the biggest p...

We’re told that crates are a “safe space,” a necessity for toilet training, or a tool to stop chewing. We’re told dogs love their crates if we train them positively. But what if those claims don’t hold up? What if crates aren’t the kindness we’ve been led to believe? In this episode, I unpack the myths surrounding crate use — from the idea that dogs are “den animals” to the marketing that disguise...

Welcome to another episode of "Rewriting the Rules" with Bethany Bell, where we venture beyond conventional dog training methods to foster deeper connections. Today, we're exploring the often-overlooked aspect of canine behaviour: the distinction between teaching dogs to tolerate and compelling them to like certain situations. Throughout the episode, Bethany invites listeners to reconsider the tra...

🎙️ Episode 3: The Nervous System – What’s Really Happening Beneath the Behaviour In this episode of Rewriting The Rules, we explore what’s really going on under the surface when our dogs seem anxious, overwhelmed, excited, or "reactive." We take a deep dive into the nervous system- fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and shutdown- and how understanding these states helps us support dogs more compassionat...

Welcome to this episode of Rewriting the Rules, where we shift the focus from control to understanding in our relationship with dogs. Host Bethany Bell, creator of the Canine Dialogue Dynamics Method, challenges the conventional approach of labelling dogs based on behaviour, advocating for a deeper connection through empathy and curiosity. In this thought-provoking discussion, Bethany invites list...

Welcome to the first episode of "Rewriting the Rules," where we introduce the transformative Canine Dialogue Dynamics (CDD) Method. This innovative approach moves beyond traditional & conventional training, focusing instead on building genuine communication and trust with your dog. By prioritising emotional understanding, safety, and relationship-building, the CDD Method encourages a deep, two...