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EPISODE 37
Dog Training Anxiety: When You’re Holding It All Together and Feeling the Pressure
Do you feel solely responsible for everything that happens with your dog?
Many overwhelmed dog parents carry invisible pressure. You monitor behaviour. You anticipate triggers. You replay moments afterwards. You try to improve things constantly.
Over time, that responsibility turns into tension. And that tension affects both you and your dog.
In this episode of The Mindful Dog Parent Podcast, I explore the nervous system side of dog training anxiety and why being the “responsible one” can quietly keep your body in a state of readiness.
“When responsibility becomes hyper-responsibility, your nervous system pays the price.”
Sian Lawley-Rudd
Share this episode with a fellow dog parent who needs it
Episode Takeaways:
The experience of dog parenting often involves an invisible burden that’s often unseen by others, leading to increased feelings of fatigue.
Those dog parents who also take on the role of the 'fixer' in their dog's life (like I did!) do so not just from a place of care, but more so due to an instinctive desire for safety and control.
The psychological concept of cognitive load shows that high mental effort can diminish one's flexibility and creativity, resulting in increased anxiety and tension.
Recognising the subtle ways in which our own stress manifests can increase our ability to regulate both ourselves and our dogs, which leads to a more connected relationship.