g

🐾 Hey Dog Lover,

Let’s be honest — most of us were taught to talk at our dogs before we ever learned how to listen to them.

In this second step of our Untrain Your Dog to Build a Better Bond series, we’re flipping the script.

This episode is all about the magic that happens when you get quiet. Like, really quiet.
No obedience cues. No “Sit!” or “Stay!” Just presence, awareness, and curiosity.

We’ll explore:
→ The Be Quiet Game: what happens when you stop talking and start observing
→ How to “Ask the Dog” without commands — using movement, intention, and gentle gestures
→ Why your energy, posture, and presence already speak volumes
→ And the first big step to learning how to talk dog… is learning how to be still

It’s all rooted in one of my favourite Nelson-isms:
"If you want to learn to talk to your dog... shut your mouth."

Hope you enjoy this one.
– Tracy xoxo

👣🐾 Next Steps:
Join the Untrain Your Dog Challenge inside the Living Beyond Obedience Facebook group.
See the pinned post for details on how you can win a 30-minute free coaching call with me.

Want to take your relationship a step further?
Join the Fearless Framework — where you learn how to control yourself and influence the dog, not control the dog. (~N. Hodges)

🎶 Music Credit: Shawn Trotter – www.shawntrotter.com

Hey Dog Lover,🐾

What if the behaviours you’ve been trying so hard to train… aren’t actually what you want?

In this episode, we’re kicking off Untraining Week with a powerful mindset shift. We’re diving into the heart of what “training” really means—and why letting go of task-based obedience can open the door to deeper connection with your dog.

You’ll hear me unpack:

• Why traditional obedience cues might be missing the mark

• What “heel,” “sit,” or “stay” are really about (spoiler: it’s usually not about the command itself)

• How to spot the difference between compliance and communication

• What it means when your dog checks out on a walk—and why that’s a how interesting moment, not a mistake

• Ways to reconnect by observing, listening, and letting your dog be a dog

Whether you have one dog or five, this episode will help you start noticing the subtle ways your dog is already showing you what they need—you just may need to untrain your ears (and ego) to hear it. 😉

Hope you enjoy this one!

Tracy xoxox

NEXT STEPS 👣🐾

Now is your time to join The Fearless Framework, my 12-month online program designed to help you break the fear cycle, build trust, and raise a confident dog—without obedience drills or treat-dependency.
👉 www.beyondobedience.ca/fearless

🎶 Music credit: Shawn Trotter of shawntrotter.com

Hey Dog Lover 🐾

If you caught Part 1 of my conversation with Nelson Hodges, you already know the kind of deep, perspective-shifting wisdom he brings to the table.

In this second half of our talk, we go even deeper into the emotional landscape of dogs—and how our being matters so much more than our doing. We unpack the question at the heart of it all:
What is a dog, really?
Not just behaviorally—but emotionally, relationally, instinctually.

Together, we explore:

• Why most trainers are missing the point

• How your internal state shapes your dog’s world

• What leadership looks like when it’s rooted in calm, connection, and relevance

• And why understanding your dog on a feeling level changes everything

If you’ve ever felt like your dog is misunderstood by mainstream training advice, this conversation will feel like coming home. You’ll walk away seeing your dog—and yourself—through a new, compassionate lens. And probably saying “How interesting!” more than once. 😉

✨ Special note: If you sign up for Nelson’s monthly class subscription before the end of the year, you’ll receive one month FREE! His teachings are a gift, and now’s a great time to dive in.

To learn more or sign up:
🌐 www.CHRInstitute.com

📘 Follow Nelson on Facebook: Nelson Hodges

I hope you enjoy this one.

Tracy xoxox

NEXT STEPS 🐾👣

Ready to deepen your relationship with your dog?

Join me inside the Fearless Framework—an online program and community designed to help you build trust, confidence, and a more connected relationship with your dog. This isn’t about obedience. It’s about understanding.
👉 www.beyondobedience.ca/fearless

And come hang out with us in the Living Beyond Obedience Facebook group! It's a free, safe, and encouraging space for curious dog lovers like you.
👉 Join the group here

Hey Dog Lover,🐾

This episode is one for the books. I got to sit down with my mentor and dear friend, Nelson Hodges, for a conversation that honestly felt like cracking open the soul of our work with dogs.

We explored one foundational (and often misunderstood) question:
👉 What is a dog?
…and why getting that right changes everything else.

This is part one of a two-part conversation, and believe me, you’ll want to listen with a pen in hand and your curiosity dialled all the way up.

Because Nelson doesn’t just talk about dogs… he helps you see them. Really see them.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Dogs can smell your thoughts ( I know this one hit me hard!)

• How a dog’s survival instincts shape their behaviour — and how our responses often miss the mark

• What it actually means to “know” a dog on their terms, not ours

  And so much more!

Expect to be challenged. Expect to be inspired. And most of all… expect to say “How interesting!” more than once. 😉

Hope you enjoy!

Tracy xoxox

🐾 Show Notes & Resources
To learn more about Nelson Hodges and his work, check out:
🌐 www.chrinstitute.com
Facebook: Canine Human Relationship Institute

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going!
We’d love to hear your takeaways from this episode — whether it’s an aha moment or a “how interesting!” shift in perspective.

Come share inside our Living Beyond Obedience Facebook group and let’s continue the conversation together. 🐕

🐾 Hey there Dog Lover,

We’re diving into Part 6 of the Peace in the Pack series — and today’s episode is all about a sneaky dynamic that shows up in a lot of multi-dog homes (especially when you’re adding new dogs into the mix):
Us vs. Them.

Dogs are deeply wired for social structure. In their world, there’s with us… and there’s not with us. And when we humans unknowingly reinforce that division — through the way we set up our homes, introduce new dogs, or even talk about “my dog vs. your dog” — it creates unnecessary conflict and tension in the pack.

In this episode, we’re unpacking:

• Why dogs are hardwired to value group cohesion
• How crates, furniture, baby gates, and guest seating can accidentally send the wrong message
• What “us vs. them” looks like in foster and blended households
• Why even you can become a high-value resource that shifts the group dynamic
• Real-life examples (including what I learned from my own pack and boarding dogs)

You’ll walk away from this episode with a clearer picture of how to structure your environment and mindset to support pro-social, pack-centered living — without accidentally drawing invisible battle lines.

I hope you enjoy this one.
See you next week for Part 7.

Tracy
xoxo

🐾👣 Next Steps:

If you’re ready to go beyond obedience and start living with your dog intentionally, it’s time to join me in The Fearless Framework.

We’ll help you understand your dog — and yourself — in ways that lead to more confidence, connection, and peace in your home.

🐾 Join today: www.beyondobedience.ca/fearless
I can’t wait to start this journey with you.

Music Credit 🎶 Shawn Trotter @ shawntrotter.com

🐾 Hey there, Dog Lover,

We're back with Part 5 of the Peace in the Pack series — and today, we're getting into one of those deceptively simple questions that opens the door to a whole lot of deeper conversations:

Should your dog be allowed on the furniture?

My answer? Yes.
…And also maybe no. 😉

This episode isn’t about setting rules — it’s about understanding what levels mean to dogs. From who gets the couch to who sleeps on the bed, your dogs are constantly making choices based on strategy, safety, and social standing.

In this episode, we dig into:

• How elevation influences canine communication (and conflict)
• Why leadership is more about clarity than control
• The role of the den (your bed!) in pack dynamics
• How little moments — like who moves who — say a lot about the social structure
• Why some dogs show tension in elevated spaces (and what that actually means)

Plus, I’ll share a behind-the-scenes look at Irie and the occasional “toothy whispers” she shares with the rest of the pack — and what that taught me about space, status, and fairness.

I hope you enjoy this one.
See you next week for Part 6.

Tracy
xoxo

👉 Next Steps:

If you really want to understand your dog — and decode the way they move through the world — it starts with learning how to read canine conversations.

That’s exactly what we do inside The Fearless Framework — together.

🎉 Join today: www.beyondobedience.ca/fearless
I can’t wait to start this journey with you.

Music Credit 🎶 Shawn Trotter www.shawntrotter.com

🐾 Hey there, Dog Lover,

We’re continuing our Peace in the Pack series this week with a topic that hits close to home for so many multi-dog households: possession and resource conflict.

Ever said, “Ugh, my dog is so jealous!” when one dog pushes the other away for attention?

Yeah. Let’s talk about that.

In this episode, I’m diving into:

• What dogs actually value (spoiler: it’s not always food)
• Why guarding you is often the biggest source of conflict — and how our human emotions add fuel to the fire
• How possession shows up in subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways
• The difference between healthy play and tension-filled control
• Why “fairness” is a human concept, not a canine one

I’ll also share one of the biggest lightbulb moments I had comparing my house pack to my kennel pack — and what it taught me about my own role in the tension I was seeing.

If you've ever dealt with growling over toys, snippy moments between dogs, or tension when one dog comes in for love, this episode is for you.

I hope you enjoy this one.
See you in the next episode.

Tracy
xoxo

👣🐾Next Steps:

If you really want to understand dog behaviour, canine conversations, and how to create clarity and peace in your pack, you need to be inside The Fearless Framework.

This is where we walk the walk.
Together.
With heart, intention, and a healthy dose of dog nerdiness. 🐾

🎉 Join today: www.beyondobedience.ca/fearless
I can’t wait to start this journey with you.

Music credit: 🎶. Shawn Trotter www.shawntrotter.com