Neutral dogs, hospital visits, and The Bear let me down...

Hey {first_name},

How's your week been?

Mine’s been a fucking chaotic little rollercoaster, but — surprisingly — there’s good news in the mix.

My brother was in an accident (that's obviously not the good news) and is currently in hospital (he’s okay, thank god), so there’s been a fair bit of stress on that front. But amidst all the chaos…I finally found a new place (this is the good news).

A real house. With a garden. And a door that leads directly to the outside, not a corridor that' starting to smell like damp and regret.

I’m moving out at the end of the month, and while I’m currently deep in the “why do I own this many mugs?” phase of packing avoidance, I’m also genuinely excited. A bit anxious. A bit emotional. But definitely excited.

Also, if you were wondering — yes, I did binge-watch Season 4 of The Bear, and honestly? Safe space? I was a bit underwhelmed, honestly. Some solid moments, but it didn’t quite hit the way I hoped.

Anyway — let’s talk about something that does still hit: neutrality in dogs...

What neutrality looks like (and what it doesn’t)

Last week, we talked about why neutrality needs to come before socialisation...because you can’t build calm on top of chaos.

This week, I want to dig into what neutrality actually is and what it isn't...

Neutrality isn’t obedience. It’s not distraction or forced focus. And it’s definitely not a dog who’s been exposed to so much that they’ve stopped reacting out of burnout.

Neutrality isn’t about suppressing behaviour — it’s about your dog genuinely feeling safe and regulated enough to not respond. To make better decisions.

Neutrality is your dog:

• Not reacting to something — and not obsessing over it either

• Glancing at a trigger, then choosing to disengage

• Existing near dogs, people, noise — without spiralling

• Recovering quickly if something does spike their nervous system

It’s not about being “unbothered.”

It’s about being learning to be resilient and more regulated.

And resilience? That’s not about your dog never reacting.

It’s about how long it takes them to come back to baseline after they do.

It’s the bounce-back. The recovery time. Our goal is to improve resilience while building neutrality.

This stuff matters. It’s where progress actually happens — not in the big flashy “he didn’t react to anything!!” walks, but in the boring, nothing-special moments where your dog chose peace instead of violence.

More on how to build that next week!

🐾 Paws of Wisdom is evolving...

I’ve been deep in audit mode lately — cleaning up the website, fixing dead links, and making sure everything actually makes sense (and isn’t just a mess of half-thought-out chaos).

But that’s just the start.

I’m refining the freebies and building out a resource library — a proper vault where you’ll be able to log in and access every free guide I’ve ever made (and the ones still to come). Right now, it’s mostly PDFs, but soon it’ll have video lessons, deep dives, and extra nerdy stuff for those of you who like to go all in.

This is becoming way more than a blog. It’s becoming a space to learn, reflect, and grow — and I want it to feel like that.

I’ve got loads bubbling up, including:

• Industry Q&A sessions (think: vets on medication + pain, sport dog trainers on impulse control)

• A few new mini frameworks in development

• And something big for the Reactivity Reset that I’m quietly scheming…

• Oh — and I might be looking for volunteers soon 👀
  
  

New Blog Post

• Please bear with me for new content when my life actually decides to take a break.

Updated Blog Posts

• Why Your Dog Never Relaxes: 5 Core Elements to Reduce Restlessness & Support Calm

• 5 Dog Confidence Building Exercises for Reactive or Fearful Dogs

Virtual Coaching Availability

Now that the Spring coaching coupons are done and things are a bit quiet, I'm using this time to take a break from coaching while I get moved and everything.

I probably won't be set back up until August time. If you do need help though, I'm up for helping through others ways, if I have time...emalis, facetime, whatsapp/telegram etc.

Catch more daily tips, support, memes, insights, motivation and more!

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Hope your weekend gives you at least one deep breath, a solid snack lineup, and zero plot twists. After The Bear let me down, I’ve been seriously considering de-stressing life with a bit of gaming — so I’m treating myself to a £50 Steam sale haul and planning a very therapeutic weekend before the moving chaos begins.

Talk soon {first_name}