My Feature On The Alison McWhinnie Podcast

I recently had the pleasure of joining Alison McWhinnie on her podcast What the Dog Feels. Together, we explored one of my passions — the connection between emotions and behaviour in dogs, and how this understanding can completely change the way we approach our dogs’ struggles and behaviours.

Why emotions matter

You can’t train your dog out of feeling certain emotions — and that’s where so many dog owners go wrong.

Behind every bark, lunge, snap or anxious moment, there’s often an emotional trigger behind it. When we take the time to understand those emotions, we’re not just managing and understanding the reasoning behind our dogs' behaviour; we’re helping our dogs feel safer, calmer, and happier.

You will find this helpful if you are a dog owner managing behavioural challenges right now. We cover several different behavioural approaches from puppyhood, reactivity, separation anxiety and emotional trauma.

Here are some of the key insights we discussed:

• Reactive behaviours are rooted in emotions — and addressing the underlying feelings is essential.
• Pain plays a big role in behaviour. If a dog is uncomfortable or in pain, no amount of training alone will make the problem go away.
• Separation anxiety can often be traced back to early experiences and even breed tendencies.
• Building independence in puppies is one of the best gifts we can give them, laying a foundation for confidence later in life.
• Patience is non-negotiable. Training is never about rushing; it’s about understanding your dog’s perspective and working with them, not against them.
• Socialisation should be gradual, not just introducing them to every dog and person they meet.
• Simple calming strategies like licking mats or even ice cubes can make a big difference.
• Healing approaches like the Emotion Code and Bach remedies can benefit not only our dogs but us as owners, too.

As you can see, we covered a lot in this hour-long episode, and I can't wait for you to listen. It will truly open your eyes to the emotional challenges your dog may be facing every single day and show you the true reasons why they are behaving in certain ways.

A message I want every dog owner to hear

So often, we expect our dogs to just “behave” without considering how they feel. But the truth is, behaviour is communication. Whether it’s reactivity, anxiety, or stress, your dog isn’t giving you a hard time - they’re having a hard time.

When we meet them with patience, understanding, and the right support, we create the space for confidence to grow and undesirable behaviours to unravel and positive behaviours to take their place.

🎧 You can listen to the full episode of What the Dog Feels below

With love,
Agnes & Lexi 🐾💛
PawsAgnes Build the Bond with the Dog®