How To Reshape Your Dog's Brain For Confidence & Calm
In this week’s episode of The Walk & Talk, we take a deep dive into one of the most game-changing approaches in modern dog training: concept training.
This method goes far beyond obedience and surface-level behaviour fixes… Instead, it teaches us how to shape the way our dog’s brain works - building the core concepts that drive lifelong emotional stability, focus, and resilience.
Whether you’ve got a bouncy adolescent, a nervous rescue, or a reactive firecracker, this episode will give you a totally new lens on behaviour - and the science-backed tools to make lasting change from the inside out.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
What concept training really is and how it differs from traditional obedience methods
The neuroscience behind behaviour: why your dog’s brain does what it does
How core concepts like calmness, optimism, impulse control, and focus shape behaviour
Why bad behaviour is often just a symptom of an underdeveloped skill
How to use short, joyful games to reshape your dog’s mindset and emotions
Why concept training is one of the most effective ways to create long-term transformation
Practical tips to get started today - no fancy tools or long sessions required
How this method builds connection, confidence, and clarity for both ends of the lead
Grab all the exercises you need to start your concept training journey with my Design Your Own Dog Training Pack ⬇️
https://listendogtraining.com/product/dog-training-exercises/
💻 Want to dive deeper into transforming your dog’s behaviour with science-backed strategies that actually work?
Check out my digital training products, freebies and online courses at: www.listendogtraining.com
You can use code PODCAST10 for 10% off all my digital dog training packages, guides & courses!
📱 Let’s connect!
Follow me on Instagram and TikTok → @listendogtraining
🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover—it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy!
--------
19:50
--------
19:50
Why Adolescence Is the Golden Hour of Dog Training
Think your teenage dog is just a chaotic, cue-ignoring menace you have to survive? Think again.
Today I’m flipping the narrative on canine adolescence—and showing you why this misunderstood phase is actually a once-in-a-lifetime training window.
If your dog is between 6 months and 2 years old (ish) this is not the time to throw in the towel or cross your fingers and hope they grow out of it. It’s time to get strategic. Because biologically, behaviourally, and emotionally, your dog is primed for growth. You just need to know how to work with it.
And if you're craving more focus, more connection, and more joy on your walks? This is also the perfect time to jump into my 21-Day Engagement Training course... a science-led step-by-step program to help you become the most rewarding and compelling thing in your dog’s world.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why the “just survive adolescence” mindset is sabotaging your training
What’s actually going on in your dog’s brain during this stage
The 3 major neurological changes shaping your dog’s behaviour right now
How to turn independence-seeking into a bonding opportunity
Why adolescent dogs are more trainable than puppies in key ways
How to use novelty, reward upgrades, and real-life reinforcement to boost your results
Practical training tips to get better focus and cooperation—without the overwhelm
How to lay the foundations now for an adult dog you’ll be proud of for life
💻 Want to dive deeper into transforming your dog’s behaviour with science-backed strategies that actually work?
Check out my digital training products, freebies and online courses at: www.listendogtraining.com
Or jump into my 21-day engagement training program at:
https://listendogtraining.com/product/21-day-engagement-training/
You can use code PODCAST10 for 10% off all my digital dog training packages, guides & courses!
📱 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram and TikTok → @listendogtraining
🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover—it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy!
--------
19:35
--------
19:35
5 Foundational Skills That Make or Break Reactivity Training
If you’ve been working on your dog’s reactivity and it feels like nothing’s changing, this episode is for you.
Because the truth is, most reactivity training skips the most important bit - the foundation work that actually sets your dog up for success before they’re anywhere near a trigger.
In this episode, I’m sharing the essential, often-overlooked steps that make or break reactivity rehab. These are the pieces I teach every client, and they’re the difference between progress… and plateau.
Whether your dog reacts to people, dogs, sounds, or everything in between, this episode will help you rethink what progress really looks like - and give you a clear, science-backed starting point to build lasting change.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why desensitisation isn’t working (and what your dog actually needs first)
The neuroscience behind emotional regulation and reactivity
The 5 core skills every reactive dog should master before exposure work
How calm patterned movement rewires your dog’s brain for safety and focus
The difference between obedience and emotional availability—and which one matters most
The missing piece that’s keeping your training stuck on repeat
Practical ways to build focus, settle, and co-regulation without needing to tire your dog out
Why foundational work makes your trigger training 100x easier
The exact daily steps to start turning things around right now
🎓 Ready to train smarter, not harder? Explore my science-led dog training programs:
🔗 21-Day Engagement Training Course
🔗 Reactivity Training Program
Use code PODCAST10 at checkout for 10% off any course or download!
💻 Want to dive deeper into transforming your dog’s behaviour with science-backed strategies that actually work?
Check out my digital training products, freebies and online courses at www.listendogtraining.com
📱 Let’s connect!
Follow me on Instagram & TikTok →@listendogtraining
🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover—it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy!
--------
18:02
--------
18:02
How to Build Food Motivation from the Ground Up: Dog Training Unlocked
Is your dog the kind that turns their nose up at treats during training? Do you feel stuck because everyone says to ‘just use food’… but your dog couldn’t care less?
In this deep-dive episode, I unpack one of the most misunderstood training challenges: food refusal.
Because here’s the truth: your dog probably is food motivated. What’s actually getting in the way is often a mix of emotional state, stress chemistry, and misunderstood arousal.
This episode will change the way you look at your dog’s behaviour, help you understand the real reasons they might not engage with food, and give you science-backed strategies to transform your training approach - without blame, frustration, or gimmicks.
🧠 In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why ‘not food motivated’ is usually a symptom - not a trait
How stress, arousal, and cortisol shut down appetite and engagement
The neuroscience behind your dog’s shifting motivation
What to do when your dog won’t take food outside
The difference between high arousal and true engagement
Simple, practical strategies to build food motivation from the ground up
How to choose the right food for your dog’s emotional state
Why food refusal is a powerful communication cue - not a training failure
💻 Want to dive deeper into transforming your dog’s behaviour with science-backed strategies that actually work? Check out my digital training products, freebies and online courses at www.listendogtraining.com
You can use code PODCAST10 for 10% off all my digital dog training packages, guides & courses!
📱 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram and TikTok → @listendogtraining
🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover—it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy!
--------
18:04
--------
18:04
Outsmart Every Distraction: How to Hack Your Dog’s Brain for Focus
Does your dog seem to forget everything you’ve taught them the moment you step outside? Are squirrels, smells, joggers, or birds stealing their focus — no matter how hard you try to get their attention?
You’re not alone — and more importantly, you’re not doing anything wrong. In this eye-opening episode, I dive deep into the neuroscience of attention, arousal, and distraction, helping you understand what’s really going on inside your dog’s brain when they seem to ignore you outdoors.
It’s not disobedience. It’s biology. And once you understand it, you can train around it, not against it.
This episode is packed with juicy brain science, real-world examples, and practical strategies to help you compete with the chaos of the outside world and build strong, focused engagement — even when distractions are everywhere.
🧠 In this episode, you’ll learn:
What attention really is — and why your dog literally can’t hear you when they’re overstimulated
The science of saliency and why some distractions win your dog’s focus instantly
How competing reinforcers hijack training (and what to do about it)
What’s happening inside the adolescent dog brain, and why focus gets harder, not easier
How to increase your value to your dog without bribing or begging
Step-by-step strategies for building focus and engagement in distracting environments
Simple training games and hacks to use movement, reinforcement, and patterning to your advantage
Why your dog’s ‘stubbornness’ isn’t a personality flaw... it’s a nervous system in overload
The biggest mindset shift that will change how you approach training forever
👉 This episode is a perfect companion to my best-selling 21-Day Engagement Training course - a transformational programme designed to help you become magnetic to your dog’s focus and build unshakable connection.
✨ Use code PODCAST10 for 10% off:
https://listendogtraining.com/product/21-day-engagement-training/
💻 Want to dive deeper into transforming your dog’s behaviour with science-backed strategies that actually work? Check out my digital training products, freebies and online courses at www.listendogtraining.com
📱 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram and TikTok → @listendogtraining
🎧 If you found this episode helpful, I’d be so grateful if you left a review 🌟 or shared it with a fellow dog lover — it helps the podcast grow and helps more people train with confidence, clarity, and joy!
Leash up your dog, hit the pavement, and tune in to The Walk & Talk with award-winning dog trainer Lisa Burton. In each episode, Lisa pulls back the curtain on dog behaviour, sharing the real, no-nonsense strategies for tackling everyday challenges and achieving lasting, positive results. No fluff, no gatekeeping—just practical tips and expert advice that makes dog training fun, accessible, and achievable for every dog owner.
Listen to Listen Dog Training: The Walk & Talk, Greeking Out from National Geographic Kids and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
South Africa