We're all screwed up (and that's OK)

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist, sit in Dawn's car down by the River Tay and talk about all the different versions of ourselves we have and how it's ok to wear different hats in different circumstances.

The counter to this 'lack of authenticity' is connection and purpose / hope.

Jess is also trying to cut out sugar as she has learned of the damage it can do to our brains. This means she is going through a detox, and so there is a discussion about addiction etc.

And of course there is the normal meandering through random subjects!

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist, sit outside Starbucks, in the sunshine, and discuss stress. Is it different from fear? How do we recognise a stressed state in dogs and humans, and how do we change it?

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist, sit in Dawn's car looking out over the River Tay in Dundee, and discuss stress.

What happens when a dog or a person is stressed? How does it affect Cognitive function and what can we do about it?

They explore the concept of behaviour coming from somewhere and how easy it is to fixate on the behaviour without understanding what is creating it.

They discuss why desensitisation and counter conditioning are limited in their effectiveness, in people and dogs.

And of course, as usual, there are the normal random topics, including the distraction of a group of 7 Jet Skis making their way down the Tay

Link to data on the effectiveness of Dawn's therapy approach vs CBT etc https://www.qchpa.com/evidence-based-therapy/

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist, return to their old patch in Starbucks to catch up on what has been happening in the last few weeks (Hint: it's a lot!)

They mainly talk about how the social landscape of dog ownership has changed over the last few years, and the knock on effect to dogs and their owners. Behaviour problems, particularly aggression, in dogs is getting worse and seems to be more and more normalised.

In 2020 there were around 9 million dogs in the UK. By 2022 that number shot up to 13 million. But by 2023 it had dropped to 12 million. Where did they all go? I think you can work out what happens when a new dog owner realises they no longer have a pet that fits in with their life.

Jess is on the coal face of this. Where dogs have been through multiple trainers and multiple homes. These dogs can't be rehomed. So what options are there for them?

Please note this episode is an informal conversation recorded in Starbucks so there is lots of background noise including children and chairs!

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist, sit in Jess's house and continue the discussion started in the previous episode around identity vs behaviour.

What is the difference between who we are and how we behave? Is it different for dogs and people?

Jess and Dawn discuss their unique relationship and skills, and how lucky they are to have crossed paths with each other.

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist, sit in Jess's house catching up on stuff that's happened in the weeks since their last podcast.

The only background noise is from the feisty Bean the black and tan Dachshund who doesn't settle for the whole hour of the podcast, while Jess's other dogs snooze happily.

They begin to explore the concepts of identity vs behaviour (continued in the next episode)

They talk about retreats and residentials, and the difference between trainers looking for 'what' behaviour is, and not necessarily looking at 'why' the behaviour happens. The 'what' is an important first step, but the 'why' must come after to create lasting change.

Once behaviour in a dog has been observed, we need to do a pattern interrupt, to change the state and see what's behind it. After the pattern interrupt, we then need to positively reinforce the new behaviour we want. Dawn also does the pattern interrupt with her clients, getting underneath the behaviour to find where it comes from, and then changing the programming of the brain so that new patterns can form.

Dawn introduces the concept of resting b**ch brain. It's like a resting b**ch face but for the brain!

Want to understand more? Listen to this episode now, and tell us your thoughts.

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist, sit in Dawn's car and discuss the latest social media trend where you have to decided if you'd rather be alone in a forest with a bear, or a man.

Dawn was surprised when most people choose bear. What would you choose?

Dawn talks about the theme that clients have where their expectations stop them actually seeing progress - expectation is the killer of progress. And they go on to discuss how this also affects dog owners and the trainers that work with them.

This is also the episode where they talk about their exciting new mentorship programme for dog trainers that will be running in 6 month blocks.

This episode is recorded in Dawn's car so will include the random noises you'd expect of a public setting!

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist are taking a trip to Costco and decide to do a podcast to record their conversation as they drive (Dawn is driving while Jess holds the microphone. All safe!)

Along with the normal meandering conversation, this episode includes a discussion of the difference between Tonic Immobility (as experienced by sharks and chickens when they are upside down, possums and fainting goats, among others) and the Shutdown state. As with everything, the conversation involves exploring how this applies to dogs, and how we can see this in autistic humans. They discuss what we can actually do to help a dog or person in a shutdown state, particularly by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.

They also discuss the favourite topic of labels. Particularly how important it is to treat every individual (dog or human!) based on what you see in front of you. Decision trees can be used to ask the right questions and eliminate things that aren't relevant. So instead of A =B you can instead ask a series of yes or no questions to narrow things down. This can avoid falling into the trap of making assumptions, and of thinking that what you are doing is automatically right just because that is what you were taught.

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist sit in Dawn's car and discuss Jess’s current existential crisis.

Dawn explains the 3 A’s that she asks her clients to practice:

Awareness (I am in this different state)

Acceptance (of course I’m in this state because…)

Action (what am I actually going to do next)

This allows you to throw away the spiky stick and focus on what’s important. Resilience is not about the absence of a reaction - it’s about speed of recovery.

Dawn Walton, a human therapist, and Jess Probst, a dog behaviourist sit in Dawn's car and discuss how different industries all have different 'camps' where each group believes they are doing things the only way that is right.

There is a residential for dog owners happening and there is a videographer attending to put together a documentary about what happens during the week. Jess was surprised to learn that, just like with dog training, there are different camps with different ways of doing things. Each one is critical of the other's approach.

How about we just be curious instead? Open your mind and explore different possibilities. Remember, as Dr. Seuss said " Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You"

They also discuss how a dog peeing everywhere is their equivalent of a Social Media post!

And of course they meander through the normal range of random topics during the hour.