Stress Free Dog Walks podcast | Listen online for free

49 episodes

Why Dog Training Works for Some Owners (And Not Others)
2026/1/24 | 10 mins.
Same dog. Same training. Different outcomes. Why do some dog owners fix pulling, barking and lunging fast, while others stay stuck for years?
The difference is not the lead, the treats, or the dog’s behaviour. It's the human operating system under pressure.
In this episode, I break down the exact mindset pattern that keeps some dog owners stuck in reactive dog training loops, versus the pattern that creates progress fast.
If your dog pulls, barks, lunges, fixates, ignores recall, or loses their head around distractions, this will reset how you approach training.
📈Dog Walking Diagnostic - Discover Your Dog’s Walking Style!
Do you know the REAL reason your dog pulls, barks, lunges or ignores you? It’s often not what you think!
Discover why your dog struggles on walks - and more importantly, what you can do about it. The Dog Walking Diagnostic Quiz is completely free, takes just 5 mins, and could be your first step toward calmer, stress-free walks with a well-behaved dog you’re proud of.
https://stressfreedogwalks.com/diagnostic

🐕 Calm Canine Blueprint
Leave a rating/review, and head over to https://stressfreedogwalks.com/review to upload your screenshot. Then I’ll send you my Calm Canine Blueprint completely free as a gift.

🍿 Watch the YouTube Show
https://www.youtube.com/@StressFreeDogWalks

💬 Connect with me and join the conversation!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogwoodadventureplay
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DogwoodAdventurePlay
Stop Training Loose Lead Walking & Recall Until You Hear This
2026/1/16 | 11 mins.
Crazy idea, but what if you *didn’t* need to drill loose lead walking or recall?
Sounds mad, but it’s exactly what happened for Em and her high-energy spaniel Sweep.
She didn’t train loose lead walking.
She didn’t drill recall over and over.
She didn’t follow 8-week programmes for either.

And yet:
Loose lead walking improved ‘naturally’.
Sweep recalled from deer
He started checking in and staying close without being asked.

The training industry will have you believe you need an 8 week loose lead walking programme, THEN a 6 week recall class - when all you actually need is a calm brain and strong relationship.
When the brain calms, the behaviour follows. Without tedious heelwork or endless recall reps.
Press play to hear the full breakdown of how Em and Sweep did it.
When Dog Walks Cause Shame & Embarrassment
2026/1/10 | 12 mins.
Here’s a scene you might recognise: Your dog fixates, weight shifts forward. You try your training cue, do what you’ve practiced. He explodes anyway. A bark that turns heads, a lunge that yanks your arm. The jogger makes a face. Someone mutters “train your dog” 🙄
That’s when the shame rush hits. Heat in your cheeks, lead in your stomach. Your body wants to fold in on itself, to disappear.
Your brain starts the story:
“They think I’m incompetent.”
“Everyone is judging us.”
“My dog is beyond fixing.”
Slowly, without intending to, you build a life around minimising shame instead of building confidence. Walks get shorter, less enjoyable for both of you, and you start to feel guilty that your dog is unfulfilled.
Shame does not STAY on the dog walk. It’s what makes you hesitate to try new things. It’s why you replay conversations, worrying you said too much or not enough. It’s why you apologise when you haven’t done anything wrong 😢
Hit play to understand what shame is doing to your confidence, and how to stop it running your walks, your freedom, and your relationship with your dog.
One Toolkit That Solves Multiple Dog Training Problems
2026/1/03 | 8 mins.
If you’re searching “how to stop jumping up,” “why my dog barks at everything,” or “how to stop pulling”… you’re playing behaviour whack-a-mole.
Fix one thing this week…
A new problem pops up next week…
Tackle that one… another appears…
Whack whack whack you go 🔨🔨🔨
Jumping, barking, pulling, reacting, ignoring you, etc etc etc. These aren’t 10 different problems. They’re 10 symptoms of the same thing 📣
Therefore you don’t need 10 training plans. You just need ONE toolkit that works everywhere.
🧰 One toolkit that helps your dog stay calm when the world gets exciting.
🧰 One toolkit that supports recovery so they can think again faster.
🧰 One toolkit you can use for jumping, barking, pulling, chasing, ignoring… all of it.
You’ll learn the smarter way to train - using one versatile toolkit that solves many behaviour problems at once.
Reactivity Is Not a Behaviour Problem (Why Training Isn’t Working)
2025/12/27 | 9 mins.
If you’re trying to fix the barking, pulling and lunging whilst the barking, pulling and lunging is happening - you’re already too late.
By the time your dog *does* the behaviour, their body has already fired off an entire chain reaction that you did not see.
📈 Heart rate up.
🫁 Breathing quickened.
💪 Muscles primed.
⚡ Stress chemicals dumped into the system.
🧠 Thinking brain already offline.
So if you’re trying to stop the behaviour, you’re only reacting to your dog’s reaction (which means you are just as reactive as they are).
Reactivity isn’t a behaviour problem. It’s a brain and body problem 📣📣📣
One more time: Reactivity isn’t a behaviour problem. It’s a brain and body problem.
What you see on the OUTSIDE (the barking, the spinning, the pulling) is just the END result of everything that happened seconds earlier on the INSIDE.
This is why cueing, commending or correcting will only ever be a sticking plaster, and you’ll plateau at your current level, no matter what you try.
Stop addressing the end of the chain, and start at the beginning. Press play before you waste another walk trying to fix the symptom instead of the cause.

More Education podcasts

Trending Education podcasts

About Stress Free Dog Walks

Join me, Katie G, for the Stress Free Dog Walks show every week on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts from! You’ll get real-world practical advice that you can apply immediately to your own dog, out there on your very next walk, so they ignore distractions and listen to you, walk nicely, and come back when called - even when there’s something more exciting going on! Even more importantly, I’m showing you why dog training alone will NOT solve your problems. We’re diving deep into everything they DON’T tell you in face-to-face training: the psychology of turning your pulling, barking, lunging dog into a stress free walking companion! There are SO MANY training classes, 1-1 programmes, books, reels, blogs... but so few dog owners ACTUALLY enjoying relaxing walks. I untangle the common misconception that dog training is all it takes to fix the pulling, barking and lunging... and what you need instead! It’s free to listen and subscribe, and some episodes I’ll be joined by a stress free dog owner spilling their secrets to success - so you can steal their strategy for your own dog! Plus look out for longer behind-the-scenes juicy bonus episodes with my team of dog trainers and behaviourists! Find Stress Free Walks on all your major podcast players. Prefer to watch the show instead? YouTube. Or grab a cuppa and read the full written article. Did I mention? It’s free! Tune in while you’re commuting in the car, jogging at the gym, and of course, walking your dog! 🎙️ Connect with me and join the conversation: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StressFreeDogWalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dogwoodadventureplay Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DogwoodAdventurePlay Learning Centre: https://www.stressfreedogwalks.com

Podcast website

Education Health & Wellness Kids & Family Tutorials Mental Health Pets & Animals

Listen to Stress Free Dog Walks, Motivation Daily by Motiversity and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app

Stations and podcasts to bookmark
Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
Supports Carplay & Android Auto
Many other app features

Open app

Get the free radio.net app

Stations and podcasts to bookmark
Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
Supports Carplay & Android Auto
Many other app features

Stress Free Dog Walks

Scan code,
download the app,
start listening.