This episode looks at what happens when a dog’s inner world does not match the life we imagine for them.
Sam Walker-Arends is a force free trainer who works with dogs carrying fear, uncertainty or history in their bodies, and our conversation keeps returning to one truth.
Every dog is an individual. Their needs, thresholds and ways of feeling safe are never the same.
We talk about Ivy the ex racer and Reyna the timid Galgo, and how raising two children alongside two very different dogs forced Sam to confront stress, expectation and the limits of tolerance.
She shares openly about recognising when a dog is no longer coping and why safety matters more than any ideal of the perfect family dog.
At its core, this episode asks a quiet but important question.
What does safety look like for an individual dog, and what does our response to that individuality reveal about us.