Episode 027: Are You Doing It Wrong? Trusting Yourself With Your Dog

We'd LOVE to hear from you! Have you ever walked away from a conversation about your dog suddenly wondering if you're doing everything wrong? Episode 027 begins with exactly that experience. A dog guardian asks for advice about food, mentions her puppy's behavior along the way, and leaves the conversation feeling like the worst dog mom in the world. That sends Kim, Rachel, and Sue into a conversation about unsolicited advice, experts, confidence, intuition, criticism, and the pressure to raise our dogs according to someone else's rules. How do we know which advice to listen to? What happens when someone else's certainty makes us question ourselves? And are we really "too soft" for our dogs?  ... Or have we simply been taught that relationship should look like leadership, authority, and control? Along the way, Kim shares the experience with Jango that changed the course of her relationship with dogs,  Rachel explores why softness and confidence aren't opposites, and Sue asks what our dogs might be here to teach us about living alongside differences instead of forcing change. Because our dogs aren't generic dogs off-the-shelf models. And we're not generic off-the-shelf humans. Maybe one relationship doesn't need to look like anyone else's. Plus: rebellious night walks, flopsy tennis, hard bendy rubber, long-line adventures, questionable trough water, essential oils, and several reasons you should never casually dump peppermint into your bath. Stay curious. Stay connected. Stay unruly. Thanks for wandering the wild edges with us on Unruly By Nature.  If you loved this conversation, share it with someone who’s ready to explore the deeper side of life with dogs. Rachel Knott - Animal Communicator Website: rachelknott.com Instagram: @rachelknott1 Kim Howatt - Author and Imaginal Adventurer Website: kimberlyhowatt.com Substack: https://kimberlyhowatt.substack.com/ Sue Mimm - Life Explorer Substack: https://suemimm.substack.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pawsreflectconnect Until next time — stay curious, stay connected, stay unruly. xoxo  Kim, Sue, and Rachel