Visit us at shapedbydog.com When a new puppy arrives, the change in routine can create big feelings for an adult dog who has been part of every training session. Behaviors that look surprising are often signs of stress rather than spite or defiance. When we stay curious, it becomes easier to notice what our dogs may be trying to communicate. I'm sharing simple ways to support your adult dog so they can feel calm and confident while you focus on training your new puppy. In this episode, you'll he...
Dec 12, 2025•16 min•Ep. 321
Visit us at shapedbydog.com A lick mat can feel like magic when it brings instant peace to a whiny or restless puppy, but sometimes that calm comes after a buildup we don't even notice. I'm taking a closer look at what drives that rising anticipation and how small, thoughtful changes can shift the pattern toward calm, confidence, and comfort. With a bit of intention, lick mats can become tools that support your puppy's emotional well-being rather than fuel anxious routines or unwanted behaviors....
Dec 10, 2025•11 min•Ep. 320
Visit us at shapedbydog.com If you've ever had someone twist your training philosophy into something it's not, you've likely run into a Straw Man argument. In this episode, I'm breaking down ten of the most common ones aimed at positive reinforcement-based dog training, why they're not valid, and what you can do to create genuine conversations with people who hold a different view of dog training than you, all while staying centered and calm. In this episode, you'll hear: • What Straw Man argume...
Dec 03, 2025•13 min•Ep. 319
Visit us at shapedbydog.com Many dogs start spinning, barking, or rushing when the leash comes out or you head toward the door, but what if the hidden source of that on leash chaos actually begins earlier than you think? In this episode, I'm sharing how to uncover what is reinforcing your dog's unwanted behaviors and how to build calm, connected exits using simple conditioning strategies and games so every walk begins with confidence and connection rather than chaos and pulling. In this episode,...
Nov 26, 2025•15 min•Ep. 318
Visit us at shapedbydog.com Your dog's movement can reveal a lot about their long-term comfort and health. That's why I'm sharing more than 20 simple fitness exercises to help support your dog at every stage of their life, so they can move better, stay strong, and age with confidence. You'll discover the four key categories of canine fitness and how each one builds strength, balance, flexibility, and awareness in ways that support your dog's lifelong mobility. In this episode, you'll hear: • Why...
Nov 19, 2025•16 min•Ep. 317
Visit us at shapedbydog.com Helping senior dogs live their best lives starts with simple, intentional choices that nurture their body, mind, and heart. In this episode, I'm sharing the four pillars that lead to longevity and how they can help your senior dog stay active, confident, and connected as the years go by. You'll discover how small daily habits can support lasting wellness and create a joyful, purpose-filled life for your dog, one where every stage of aging is celebrated and full of pos...
Nov 12, 2025•16 min•Ep. 316
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Why I Don't Use The Word "No" With My Dogs And What I Teach Instead I'm sharing why I don't use the word "no" in dog training and what I teach instead to create understanding an...
Nov 07, 2025•5 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Shaping Q&A: Non-Reward Markers, Reinforcement Strategies, And Making Training Work For Every Dog In this mini Shaping Q&A, I'm diving into your top questions about non-...
Oct 31, 2025•4 min
Visit us at shapedbydog.com What might look like digging, chewing, or shredding is often a dog's way of saying, "I need more enrichment." In Part 2 of our enrichment series, I'm sharing how to build a 30-day plan that meets your dog's natural needs for curiosity, challenge, and balance. You'll get over 30 meaningful ideas to build confidence, support calm focus, and strengthen your connection so your dog feels happy, relaxed, and fulfilled. In this episode, you'll hear: • How digging, shredding,...
Oct 29, 2025•20 min•Ep. 315
Visit us at shapedbydog.com If you've ever thought a stuffed Kong was enough to keep your dog enriched, you might be in for a surprise. Enrichment is about more than keeping our dogs busy. It's about creating experiences that meet their emotional, mental, social, physical, and instinctive needs in ways that truly matter to them. In this episode, you'll discover how everyday activities can turn into meaningful experiences that build your dog's confidence and connection with you while giving them ...
Oct 24, 2025•17 min•Ep. 314
Visit us at shapedbydog.com When training your dog stops being fun, it's often a sign that something in the process needs a reset. In this episode, I share how to recognize when you're looping instead of learning and how to shift your mindset to get back on track. With a few simple changes, you can bring clarity, confidence, and joy back into your training sessions for both you and your dog In this episode, you'll hear: • What to do when dog training no longer feels fun or rewarding. • How to re...
Oct 22, 2025•14 min•Ep. 313
Visit us at shapedbydog.com If your puppy's potty training isn't going as planned and you're finding puddles where you least expect them, it might be time for a reset. In this episode, I share the 10 most common reasons why puppies have accidents in the house and what you can do to help. You'll discover how to recognize your puppy's "tells," adjust routines, supervision, and expectations and bring clarity and confidence back to potty training for both you and your puppy. In this episode, you'll ...
Oct 17, 2025•19 min•Ep. 312
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Connected, Driven, Or Detached? How To Recognize And Grow The Right Kind Of Focus In Your Dog I'm sharing what it really means for a dog to be connected, driven, or detached, an...
Oct 15, 2025•4 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! How To Set Up A Successful Shaping Session With Your Dog I'm sharing how to set up a successful shaping session that builds clarity, confidence, and success for you and your dog...
Oct 10, 2025•8 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Agility Foundations Before Equipment: What Puppies Really Need To Succeed When it comes to preparing your puppy for dog agility, success starts long before any equipment enters ...
Oct 08, 2025•6 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often, our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Mini Q&A With Susan: When To Start Contacts, Build Foundations, And Stop Zoomies In Dog Agility When should you start dog agility contacts? What foundations do puppies need...
Oct 03, 2025•3 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Using A Variety Of Dog Treats (And Some Of What I Use) To Keep Training Effective, Engaging, And Fun Keeping training effective, engaging, and fun starts with using a variety of...
Oct 01, 2025•4 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Listening To Your Dog's "No" And Building A Better "Yes" Together Every time your dog says "no," they are giving you important information. I'm sharing how to listen to your dog...
Sep 26, 2025•6 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! How To Use Everyday Reinforcement To Grow Lasting Skills I'm sharing my step by step plan on how to use everyday reinforcement to grow lasting skills, helping you open the door ...
Sep 24, 2025•8 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Mini Q&A With Susan: Cue Clarity And Start-Line Focus For Agility Success In this mini Q&A, I'm diving into cue clarity and start-line focus for agility success, sharing...
Sep 19, 2025•3 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Why Consent Matters: Building Trust And Choice In Dog Training I'm sharing why consent matters and how giving our dogs choice builds deeper trust and transforms the way we train...
Sep 17, 2025•5 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Mini Q&A With Susan: Body Awareness Exercises And My Warm-Up For Dog Agility In this mini Q&A, I'm sharing my top body awareness exercises for dogs and the warm-up routi...
Sep 12, 2025•3 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! How I Create A Relationship Where My Dog Wants To Work With Me (And How You Can Too Every great partnership with a dog is built on connection, not control. I'm sharing how I cre...
Sep 10, 2025•5 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Mini Q&A With Susan: How To Keep Connection Strong And Motivation High In Dog Agility In this mini Q&A, I'm sharing how to keep connection strong and motivation high in ...
Sep 05, 2025•5 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! The Step-by-Step Plan That Turns Hesitant Dogs Into Happy Swimmers I'm sharing my step-by-step plan that turns hesitant dogs into happy swimmers by building confidence one stage...
Sep 03, 2025•11 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! How Dopamine Drives Your Dog's Motivation And Training Success I'm sharing how dopamine drives your dog's motivation and training success, and why finding the right balance is t...
Sep 03, 2025•6 min
Visit us at shapedbydog.com Ever wonder how world champion agility dogs are made? I'm sharing how to build dog agility foundations and train skills right in your living room! From simple daily games to fun exercises, discover the secrets that helped all 11 of my dogs reach the top, while creating a confident and focused dog that makes brilliant choices. Whether you're new to agility or already competing, you'll discover practical ways to bring out the best in your dog while having fun together. ...
Aug 29, 2025•15 min•Ep. 311
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! The Kind Of Relationship That Leads To Real Connection With Your Dog I'm sharing how to build the kind of relationship that creates real connection with your dog, bringing out t...
Aug 22, 2025•5 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Inadvertent Time Outs In Dog Training: What They Are, Why They Matter, And How To Avoid Them In dog training, inadvertent time outs happen more often than many realize, so I'm s...
Aug 20, 2025•6 min
Message From Susan Hey everyone, it's Susan, and you're about to hear one of my training tips and tidbits. These are quick, actionable strategies to help you and your dog in everyday life or for dog sport. Often our short videos with tips are created from your most popular segments of podcast episodes. So, let's dive in! Feeling Unmotivated? How To Regain Your Training Drive And Help Your Dog Thrive Feeling unmotivated? We've all been there! I'm sharing how to regain your training drive and help...
Aug 15, 2025•5 min
