Takeaways:

1. Dog parents often face overwhelming responsibilities without support, leading to emotional fatigue.
2. Reflecting on our own responses to dog behaviour is common yet can lead to self-doubt.
3. Having a supportive space to discuss dog training experiences alleviates emotional burdens significantly.
4. Shared responsibility in dog training enhances clarity of thought and emotional regulation.
5. It is essential to recognise that struggling in dog parenting doesn't mean disengagement but rather deep investment.
6. The absence of a supportive environment can lead to a constant state of mild activation within the nervous system.

Trusting yourself again with your dog can feel confusing, especially when nothing looks “fixed” yet.

For overwhelmed dog parents, progress often shows up internally before behaviour changes become visible, and that’s where self-doubt can creep back in.

In this episode of The Mindful Dog Parent, Siân Lawley-Rudd explores what happens when your nervous system starts to settle, but your confidence hasn’t caught up yet. Through a personal story about Bonnie and a trauma-informed lens on dog training, this episode gently reframes what real progress looks like when you’re rebuilding calm, trust, and emotional capacity.

Rather than pushing for results or perfection, this conversation focuses on recognising the quieter signs of growth, the ones that matter most for anxious dog owners and their dogs.

1. Why trusting yourself again can feel unsettling with dog training
2. How nervous system regulation affects confidence and decision-making
3. Why progress often feels neutral before it feels positive
4. What co-regulation really looks like between you and your dog
5. How self-trust supports calm dog training more than consistency alone
6. Why “not doing more” can actually create safer behaviour change

This episode is a reminder that dog training doesn’t start with fixing behaviour, it starts with feeling steady enough to stay present.

1. When You Can’t Bring Yourself to Train Your Dog: Why Your Motivation Disappears (And How to Get It Back)
2. When Dog Training Feels Like Too Much: 3 Ways to Bring Back Calm and Confidence
3. The One-Minute Reset: A Simple Way to Regulate Your Dog (and Yourself)

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💜 Subscribe for calm dog training advice, nervous-system support, and compassionate guidance for overwhelmed dog parents.

Takeaways:

1. The pivotal moment in dog training occurs when internal shifts happen before visible changes in your dog's behaviour.
2. Self-trust often develops in the absence of observable progress, marking a crucial phase in training.
3. The nervous system's regulation is essential for effective dog training and co-regulation between the dog parent and dog.
4. Recognising subtle internal progress is vital, as it creates a platform for further development in both dog and dog parent.

Have you ever come home from a walk feeling like all your progress has disappeared?

Your dog reacts, your body tightens, and suddenly your mind is telling you that you’ve failed, that something is wrong, or that you’re back at the beginning again.

In this episode of The Mindful Dog Parent Podcast, Siân Lawley-Rudd shares a calm, nervous-system-aware reframe for those moments, including a personal story about her own dog, Bonnie, and how a “bad walk” changed the way she understood progress.

You’ll learn why reactive moments don’t mean regression, how stress affects both your dog’s nervous system and your own, and what actually helps you both recover faster after a hard day.

This episode is especially supportive if:

1. your dog has reactivity or emotional outbursts
2. you feel discouraged after difficult walks
3. you tend to blame yourself when things go wrong
4. you want a calmer, kinder way to measure progress

1. Why progress in dog training isn’t linear
2. What’s really happening in your nervous system after a hard walk
3. How stress and safety affect reactivity
4. Why “bad days” are part of real healing
5. A gentle reframe to stop the self-blame spiral
6. How to support both you and your dog after reactive moments

1. When You Feel Like You’re Failing With Your Dog: The Growth You Can’t See Yet
2. When Staying Calm Feels Impossible: Why You Keep Losing It (And How to Come Back Faster)
3. When You’re Tired of Dog Training: Why Taking a Break Helps You Make Real Progress

If this episode brought you a sense of relief, you’re not alone, and you’re not doing this wrong.

🎧 New episodes every Tuesday

💜 Subscribe for calm dog training, nervous-system support, and emotional guidance for overwhelmed dog parents.

Takeaways:

1. After a challenging walk, it is crucial to understand that feelings of regression do not indicate actual setbacks in progress with your dog.
2. Both your nervous system and your dog's nervous system react simultaneously to stressful situations, influencing each other's responses.
3. Real progress in dog training is characterised by shorter recovery times and the ability to return to a baseline state after a reaction.
4. Instead of self-blame following a difficult moment, cultivate curiosity by asking what factors may have made the situation harder today.