Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul

By Bethany Bell

A thought-provoking podcast for dog lovers and ethical professionals who want more than obedience. Hosted by Bethany&nbs... more

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FAQs about Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul:

How many episodes does Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul have?

The podcast currently has 8 episodes available.

Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul episodes:

September 18, 2025 When Breeds Don’t Match Our Lifestyle: Rethinking Expectations of Dogs
Collies told not to herd. Huskies told not to run. Guarding breeds told not to guard.
In today’s world, we often expect dogs to suppress the very instincts they were bred for — all to fit into human lifestyles. And when they can’t, we turn to training, conditioning, and behaviour management to “fix” the mismatch.
In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, Bethany Bell (founder of the Canine Dialogue Dynamics Method) explores what happens when dogs and lifestyles clash — and why the answer isn’t more control, but more understanding.
You’ll discover:
– Why lifestyle matters more than space or climate.
– How over-conditioning and suppression are used to “force the fit.”
– The emotional cost for dogs when their instincts are constantly restrained.
– Real alternatives: adapting our lives to meet dogs’ needs, instead of the other way around.
This isn’t about blame — it’s about rethinking the way we live with dogs, opening up conversations, and creating more sustainable, compassionate matches between humans and their canine companions.
Next week’s episode: Enrichment vs. Pressure. Are Kongs, puzzle toys, and scatter feeding really enriching our dogs’ lives — or are they sometimes adding stress instead?
Further resources
Free Learning:
What is the CDD method?
Our Free Facebook Group
Our YouTube Channel
Facebook Page
Bethany’s Facebook Page
Our Blog
Website
Free Rescue Course
Take The Next Step
Our Programmes – Work With Bethany One To One
Our Online Courses
Bethany’s Books
Rewriting the Rules: The CDD Mentorship
Online Programmes
Surrey & Surrounding Areas- Programmes
Student Group
If you’re ready to step into something different—something kinder, wiser, and more meaningful—you’re in the right place.
Let’s raise dogs with dignity. Let’s teach through connection. Let’s begin the conversation.

...more
19min
September 04, 2025 Beyond Behaviourism: A Holistic Approach to Dogs with Rebecca Hanlon (The Dog Witch)
What does holistic dog care really mean? And how is it different from traditional behaviourism? In this in-depth conversation, I sit down with Rebecca Hanlon - also known as The Dog Witch - to explore what holistic health and behaviour truly involve. We talk about:
✨ Moving beyond behaviourism and why it matters for dogs today
✨ What “holistic” really means in practice - whole-dog wellness, emotions, health, and behaviour
✨ The challenges of running an ethical business in the dog industry
✨ Rebecca’s exciting new project, The Canine Wellness Circle - a membership bringing dog parents access to holistic advice, videos, and webinars This is a powerful, honest chat that pulls back the curtain on the dog industry and invites you to rethink what true wellness for dogs looks like. 💬 Do you think the dog world is ready to move beyond behaviourism? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Rebecca's Resources
Join the Canine Wellness Circle! https://www.thedogwitchwholehealthand...
Website https://www.thedogwitchwholehealthand...
Facebook Community
...more
1h 20min
August 28, 2025Raising Puppies Naturally: Rethinking Sleep, Socialisation & Early Learning
Bringing a new puppy home is magical — and overwhelming. Everywhere you turn, there’s advice: crate train right away, enforce 18–20 hours of sleep, limit walks to 5 minutes per month of age, socialise with everyone and everything. But what if much of this advice is outdated, misunderstood, or even harmful?
In this episode of Rewriting the Rules, Bethany Bell gently dismantles some of the biggest puppy myths and explores what raising a puppy naturally really looks like. You’ll learn:
Why early weeks should focus on emotional grounding, not obedience drills.
The truth about puppy sleep needs (and why enforced crate naps can backfire).
Why over-socialisation creates overwhelm, not confidence.
The myth of “5 minutes per month” and how to let your puppy guide their own exercise safely.
How to use dialogue, observation, and choice to build trust and resilience.
Why play, exploration, and gentle guidance shape a confident adult dog better than strict rules.
This episode is for anyone who wants to go beyond training checklists and raise a dog who is secure, intelligent, and deeply connected.
Bethany also shares a short poem from her book Raising Puppies Naturally, capturing the heart of puppyhood as a journey of love, trust, and dialogue.
👉 Whether you’re a first-time puppy parent or an experienced dog professional, this episode will help you see puppyhood in a whole new way.
Rewriting the Rules – Raising Puppies Naturally with the CDD Method
Perfect for new puppy parents who want to raise their dog without harsh commands or robotic training. Gentle, grounded, and full of heart.
Grab your copy here! https://mybook.to/B9SQz

Further resources
Free Learning:
What is the CDD method?
Our Free Facebook Group
Our YouTube Channel
Facebook Page
Bethany’s Facebook Page
Our Blog
Website
Free Rescue Course
Take The Next Step
Our Programmes – Work With Bethany One To One
Our Online Courses
Bethany’s Books
Rewriting the Rules: The CDD Mentorship
Online Programmes
Surrey & Surrounding Areas- Programmes
Student Group
If you’re ready to step into something different—something kinder, wiser, and more meaningful—you’re in the right place.
Let’s raise dogs with dignity. Let’s teach through connection. Let’s begin the conversation.
...more
22min
August 21, 2025 Crates, Cages, and the Truth We’ve Been Sold
We’re told that crates are a “safe space,” a necessity for toilet training, or a tool to stop chewing. We’re told dogs love their crates if we train them positively. But what if those claims don’t hold up? What if crates aren’t the kindness we’ve been led to believe?
In this episode, I unpack the myths surrounding crate use — from the idea that dogs are “den animals” to the marketing that disguises cages as something comforting. We’ll explore why dogs deserve more than confinement, the rare situations where a crate might be necessary, and how we can create true safety without shutting our dogs away.
This is not an easy conversation — but it’s an important one. Because rethinking the way we use (and misuse) crates means giving our dogs back their freedom, their voice, and their right to feel safe in their own home.
Together, we’re rewriting the rules.

Further resources
Free Learning:
What is the CDD method?
Our Free Facebook Group
Our YouTube Channel
Facebook Page
Bethany’s Facebook Page
Our Blog
Website
Free Rescue Course
Take The Next Step
Our Programmes – Work With Bethany One To One
Our Online Courses
Bethany’s Books
Rewriting the Rules: The CDD Mentorship
Online Programmes
Surrey & Surrounding Areas- Programmes
Student Group
If you’re ready to step into something different—something kinder, wiser, and more meaningful—you’re in the right place.
Let’s raise dogs with dignity. Let’s teach through connection. Let’s begin the conversation.
...more
50min
August 14, 2025 Rethinking Canine Training: Building Trust Over Tolerance
Welcome to another episode of "Rewriting the Rules" with Bethany Bell, where we venture beyond conventional dog training methods to foster deeper connections. Today, we're exploring the often-overlooked aspect of canine behaviour: the distinction between teaching dogs to tolerate and compelling them to like certain situations.
Throughout the episode, Bethany invites listeners to reconsider the traditional and conventional training techniques, questioning whether our objectives are truly about safety or simply about enforcing silence through compliance. We delve into the emotional landscape of our dogs, urging a shift from imposing our will to understanding their genuine emotions and needs.
This episode challenges the norm by highlighting the dangers of pushing dogs towards a "performance" of comfort, rather than nurturing authentic emotional safety. We examine real-life scenarios and offer an alternative methodology - the Canine Dialogue Dynamics Method- that emphasises trust, choice, and relational safety over traditional desensitization strategies.
We often hear advice about training dogs to “like” certain experiences — whether it’s grooming, vet visits, or meeting new people. But do they really need to like it? In this episode, we explore the difference between genuine enjoyment and simple tolerance, and why blurring that line can backfire. We’ll look at how reward-based approaches can sometimes mask a dog’s true feelings, what it means when that mask drops, and why this moment of honesty is actually a breakthrough. we’ll share how to support your dog through tolerance in a way that’s ethical, choice-led, and built on trust — and why not every situation needs to be “trained” at all.
Join us as we reimagine a more empathetic and effective approach to dog training, one that respects their autonomy and emotional signals. Tune in to discover how true progress arises when we stop fixing our dogs, and start understanding them instead.
Further resources
Free Learning:
What is the CDD method?
Our Free Facebook Group
Our YouTube Channel
Facebook Page
Bethany’s Facebook Page
Our Blog
Website
Free Rescue Course
Take The Next Step
Our Programmes – Work With Bethany One To One
Our Online Courses
Bethany’s Books
Rewriting the Rules: The CDD Mentorship
Online Programmes
Surrey & Surrounding Areas- Programmes
Student Group
If you’re ready to step into something different- something kinder, wiser, and more meaningful- you’re in the right place.
Let’s raise dogs with dignity. Let’s teach through connection. Let’s begin the conversation.

...more
28min
August 07, 2025 EPS: 3 - The Nervous System – What’s Really Happening Beneath the Behaviour
🎙️ Episode 3: The Nervous System – What’s Really Happening Beneath the Behaviour
In this episode of Rewriting The Rules, we explore what’s really going on under the surface when our dogs seem anxious, overwhelmed, excited, or "reactive."
We take a deep dive into the nervous system- fight, flight, freeze, fawn, and shutdown- and how understanding these states helps us support dogs more compassionately.
I’ll guide you through how these survival responses are not behavioural problems, but biological reactions - and what we can do instead of rushing to fix or suppress them.
We’ll also explore emotional dysregulation, why some dogs escalate faster than others, and how trauma and chronic stress shape the nervous system over time.
You’ll come away with a richer understanding of your dog’s internal world, and a new lens to view their behaviour through: not as disobedience, but as communication.

Further resources
Free Learning:
What is the CDD method?
Our Free Facebook Group
Our YouTube Channel
Facebook Page
Bethany’s Facebook Page
Our Blog
Website
Free Rescue Course
Take The Next Step
Our Programmes – Work With Bethany One To One
Our Online Courses
Bethany’s Books
Rewriting the Rules: The CDD Mentorship
Online Programmes
Surrey & Surrounding Areas- Programmes
Student Group
If you’re ready to step into something different—something kinder, wiser, and more meaningful—you’re in the right place.
Let’s raise dogs with dignity. Let’s teach through connection. Let’s begin the conversation.
...more
18min
August 01, 2025 EPS: 2 - Beyond Labels: Understanding Your Dog's True Needs
Welcome to this episode of Rewriting the Rules, where we shift the focus from control to understanding in our relationship with dogs. Host Bethany Bell, creator of the Canine Dialogue Dynamics Method, challenges the conventional approach of labelling dogs based on behaviour, advocating for a deeper connection through empathy and curiosity.
In this thought-provoking discussion, Bethany invites listeners to view dog behaviour as a form of communication rather than a problem to be fixed. She encourages a pause for reflection on what emotions and needs might be driving the behaviour, promoting a relationship built on trust and emotional connection.
By exploring the limitations of traditional behaviour labels and their impact on our dogs’ lives, the episode inspires dog lovers to replace quick judgments with questions and open-mindedness. Tune in to transform your approach, discover how emotional awareness can lead to natural behaviour shifts, and learn why true understanding begins when labels end.

Further resources
Free Learning:
What is the CDD method?
Our Free Facebook Group
Our YouTube Channel
Facebook Page
Bethany’s Facebook Page
Our Blog
Website
Free Rescue Course
Take The Next Step
Our Programmes – Work With Bethany One To One
Our Online Courses
Bethany’s Books
Rewriting the Rules: The CDD Mentorship
Online Programmes
Surrey & Surrounding Areas- Programmes
Student Group
If you’re ready to step into something different—something kinder, wiser, and more meaningful—you’re in the right place.
Let’s raise dogs with dignity. Let’s teach through connection. Let’s begin the conversation.
...more
15min
July 30, 2025 EPS: 1 - Beyond Training: Discover the Canine Dialogue Dynamics Method"
Welcome to the first episode of "Rewriting the Rules," where we introduce the transformative Canine Dialogue Dynamics (CDD) Method. This innovative approach moves beyond traditional & conventional training, focusing instead on building genuine communication and trust with your dog. By prioritising emotional understanding, safety, and relationship-building, the CDD Method encourages a deep, two-way dialogue, helping dogs become confident and emotionally secure.
In this episode, learn how the CDD Method respects your dog's emotions and intelligence, offering a revolutionary way to foster a meaningful bond without relying on treats, commands, or conditioning. Discover how communication, not compliance, can reshape your relationship, and explore resources for adopting this compassionate mindset to enhance both you and your dog's life.

Further resources
Free Learning:
What is the CDD method?
Our Free Facebook Group
Our YouTube Channel
Facebook Page
Bethany’s Facebook Page
Our Blog
Website
Free Rescue Course
Take The Next Step
Our Programmes – Work With Bethany One To One
Our Online Courses
Bethany’s Books
Rewriting the Rules: The CDD Mentorship
Online Programmes
Surrey & Surrounding Areas- Programmes
Student Group
If you’re ready to step into something different—something kinder, wiser, and more meaningful—you’re in the right place.
Let’s raise dogs with dignity. Let’s teach through connection. Let’s begin the conversation.
...more
21min

FAQs about Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul:

How many episodes does Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul have?

The podcast currently has 8 episodes available.