The Dog Who Asked for More: Turning Dog Training Frustration Into a Deeper Relationship With Your Dog

You’ve changed the food. Worked on the behavior. Tried the supplements, the training, the routines… and somehow the same problems still keep coming back. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em sits down for a layered conversation about chronic gut issues, sensitivities, reactivity, nutrition, stress, and what happens when dog parents realize they may only be looking at one piece of a m...

You keep trying to do the right thing in the moment your dog reacts… and somehow nothing ever seems to work. The barking. The lunging. The feeling that your dog suddenly can’t hear you anymore, even though you know they know these skills. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em talks about the exhausting cycle so many dog parents get stuck in: trying to calm their dog down once the reac...

At first it looks small. A skipped meal here. Weird digestion there. A day where your dog just feels a little “off.” Not because one skipped meal feels like an emergency. But because deep down, you know something feels different — even if you can’t fully explain why yet. In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em talks about the subtle signs dog parents often brush off at first: inconsiste...

Why do so many dog parents only start questioning food when their dog gets sick? In this episode of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em sits down with Jessica, for a deep conversation about dog nutrition, dog food labels, gut health, allergies, and the emotional reality of trying to help a dog who still isn’t thriving — even when you’re following all the advice you’ve been given. From pancreatitis and...

You’ve Changed Everything For Your Dog… So Why Do They Still Seem Restless, Reactive, Or Unable To Settle? In This Episode Of The Dog Who Asked For More , Em Shares The Story Of Fitz — And The Realization That More Walks, More Play, More Activity, And More Dog Enrichment Were Actually Making His Dog Behavior Harder Instead Of Helping. Like So Many Dog Parents, Em Thought The Answer Was Doing More....

You can love your dog deeply… and still feel like living with them is breaking you. There are moments most people don’t talk about. Not the training. Not the good days. The ones where you feel exhausted. Where everything feels hard. Where you sit there and wonder if you can keep doing this. You go on the walks. You manage the triggers. You plan everything out. And over time… it starts to wear on y...

Locked: Ep 185 — "You Keep Reading the Ingredient List and Still Don't Know What You're Feeding Your Dog" | Canine Nutrition That closes out the entire "The Reason ___" cluster (48, 120, 168, 185) — all four reworked. Now the description, in the standard format: You read the labels. You compare the ingredients. You try to make the right choice. And the more you look, the less clear it feels. One p...

Why does it still feel like nothing’s working—even after all the training you’ve put in? You bring treats. You practice focus. You try to stay consistent. And sometimes it works… until it doesn’t. One walk goes well—and the next feels even harder. The reactions come back. The pulling returns. And suddenly, it feels like you’re right back where you started. This is where so many dog parents get stu...

You tried to figure out dog food… so why does it feel more confusing than ever? You read the labels. You look at the ingredients. You try to do what’s best. And somehow… you end up feeling worse about what you’re feeding your dog. Feeding your dog should feel simple. But once you start hearing different opinions, comparing raw vs kibble, seeing grain-free warnings, and reading confident marketing...

Have you ever felt like you're doing everything for your dog, more training, more enrichment, more effort, and it still feels off? Like something isn't quite clicking, even though you're trying? Sometimes behavior isn't about effort. It's about fit. The rhythm of your life. Your dog's temperament. The expectations you didn't realize you were carrying. In this episode, Em sits down with Kay, The Ca...

You watch other dogs walk calmly, ignore distractions, settle without being asked twice, and you wonder why none of that comes easy for yours. It's not a thought you'd say out loud, but it's there. In this episode, Em unpacks where that quiet comparison actually comes from, and what it does to the way you see your own dog. Through honest reflection on life with Fitz, she gets into the gap between...

Have you ever loved your dog deeply… and still quietly wondered, I don’t know if I can keep doing this ? A lot of overwhelmed dog parents carry a kind of exhaustion they don’t feel safe talking about. The constant management. The disrupted routines. The hypervigilance. The canceled plans. The walks that feel stressful instead of peaceful. The feeling that your nervous system never fully turns off....

Living with a chronically sick dog creates a kind of exhaustion most people don’t see. The middle-of-the-night potty trips. The constant second-guessing. The vet visits. The spiraling thoughts about food, behavior, medications, stress, and whether you’re somehow missing something important. In this deeply honest conversation, Em sits down with Maya to share Loki’s long journey through chronic diar...

Have you ever spent hours walking, playing with, and exercising your dog… only to watch them come home even more restless, reactive, or unable to settle? A lot of dog parents are taught that if dogs have energy, the solution is always more exercise. Longer walks. More outings. More stimulation. More activity. But for many sensitive or anxious dogs, constantly adding input doesn’t create calm — it...

Your house used to feel calm. Lately, it feels like your dog never relaxes. If spring has meant more visitors, more plans, more coming and going, and your dog feels clingier, barkier, or just on edge, you're not imagining it. This time of year quietly changes the rhythm of a house, and for some dogs, that shift is a lot bigger than it looks. In this episode, Em talks about why visitors and busier...

Have you ever looked at your dog’s food, supplements, allergies, or behavior struggles and quietly wondered… am I missing something important? A lot of dog parents feel overwhelmed trying to make the “right” choices for their dog’s health. Labels are confusing. Dog food marketing is loud. Supplements pile up quickly. And somewhere underneath all the advice, many dogs are still struggling with itch...

You finish the walk feeling embarrassed, defeated, like everyone else got the version of dog life you were supposed to have. Pulling, barking, reacting, freezing, scanning, avoiding certain streets, walking at odd hours to dodge the whole thing. At some point it stopped feeling like connection and started feeling like something you're being graded on. In this episode, Em unpacks how leash walking...

Have you ever looked at your dog pacing the house, reacting to every sound, unable to settle… and wondered why they still seem so hyper even after everything you’re doing for them? A lot of dog parents assume restless dog behavior means their dog needs more exercise, more enrichment, more walks, or more activity. But during busy seasons like spring, many sensitive or reactive dogs aren’t under-sti...

Have you ever bought treat after treat for your dog… only to end up feeling confused when they still seem uncomfortable, picky, itchy, unmotivated, or sick afterward? A lot of dog parents assume treat time should be simple — grab a bag, reward the dog, move on. But for many sensitive dogs, treats quietly affect digestion, allergies, energy levels, motivation, inflammation, and even behavior in way...

Have you ever felt like your dog was finally making progress, and then suddenly everything got harder again, with no clear reason why? A lot of dog parents blame themselves when reactive behavior, barking, pacing, or overwhelm suddenly gets worse during seasonal transitions. But spring quietly changes your dog's entire environment: more smells, more dogs, more noise, more activity, more unpredicta...

When you’ve tried everything — more walks, more training, more structure, more toys — and somehow you just feel more tired… it’s hard not to wonder if you’re failing your dog. You’re doing what everyone said to do. Signing up for classes. Practicing every day. Researching late at night. And still, life with your dog feels tense instead of easier. Walks feel heavy. Home doesn’t feel calm. You love...

What if the dog that looks the most “confident” in training… isn’t actually feeling that way at all? Some dogs look engaged. Focused. High energy. Like they’re doing everything right. But underneath that, there can be tension. Pressure. A body that isn’t fully settled. And it’s easy to miss — especially when it looks like progress. A lot of dog parents get stuck here. Not because they’re doing som...

Your dog isn't acting wild. They just can't get comfortable, and you can't figure out why. Spring is supposed to feel like a reset. But for a lot of dogs, this season brings more pollen, more irritation, more discomfort in their bodies. And when a dog doesn't feel good physically, behavior often shifts quietly. More pacing. More scratching. More getting up and lying back down. Less rest. Nothing d...

You finally get a calm day. And then the next one feels even harder. The barking is louder. The pacing comes back. And suddenly it feels like all your progress disappeared overnight. A lot of dog parents live in this cycle. One good day, one hard day, back and forth. And it's easy to start blaming yourself. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Maybe nothing is working. Maybe we're just stuck. But what...

When your dog starts slowing down, it’s hard to know what you’re really seeing. They hesitate before jumping. Walks get shorter. They sleep more. And underneath it all, there’s that quiet question—is this just aging… or does something hurt? Watching a senior dog change can feel heavy. You want to do right by them. You don’t want to miss something important. And no one really prepares you for how s...