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Enlightened By Dogs: Living with Cooperation, Not Obedience — Kids & Family
Enlightened By Dogs: Living with Cooperation, Not Obedience

Welcome to our podcast where we dog moms discuss modern, enlightened dog parenting! Each week, we’ll take a dive deep into the human-dog connection and explore strategies that will inspire you to create connection and cooperation with your dog…no obedience training needed!

We meet up at the intersection where training and behavior meet Heart and Soul…and where we leave behind the ‘power over’ obedience training paradigm we inherited and lead the way to an enlightened ‘power with’ approach. Join us for an inspirational and educational journey as we explore what living in cooperative partnership with our beautiful dogs looks like in real life.

Brilliant Partners are kind, loving, calm, clear, confident, and cooperative … and when WE learn how to be a Brilliant Partner, our dogs do too.

Kathy Kawalec is an author, writer, the founder of Dancing Hearts Dog Academy and creator of the Brilliant Partners Academy, The Foundation Formula, Herding Partners Academy, and Creative Alchemy Passion Plan.

Latest Episodes:

EBD068 The Dangers of Over-Arousal Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

Over-arousal is a real problem that shows itself in a lot of different ways. In some cases, it can look like chasing cars, animals, or running along the fence. In other cases it can look like digging hundreds of holes in the yard or jumping on strangers. The extreme cases can be horrific and lead to people or other dogs getting seriously hurt. No matter how it manifests on the outside, the cause of over-arousal looks pretty common on the inside. Over-arousal has been linked to high stress hormones in the brain, and while the solution may not happen overnight, there is definitely a way to get your dog feeling less stressed out, and more safe, calm and happy! Want to know how it's done? Tune into this episode of Enlightened By Dogs!

The horrific reason why overarousal needs to be addressed in an episode of its own.
We're responsible for our lives, our dogs lives, and the lives that our dogs can impact. How do we best handle that responsibility?
Looking for ways to be safe, calm and happy for everyone.
How do we avoid the worst case scenario of someone getting bitten by your dog?
The definition of arousal, how it differs from over-arousal, and how to determine calm activities to do with your dog.
Getting started today for a much better tomorrow!

"I hope you are enjoying life with your dog and finding ways to be safe, calm and happy every day"

"We're also responsible for others that our dogs might impact"

"We want to be happy, we want to enjoy life. That's why we have dogs in our life in the first place"

"Your dog is not happy behaving that way! Trust me! Your dog is over-aroused"

"Let's do this!"

Register for Kathy's Free Partnership Workshop…Transform Your Rocky Relationship with Your Dog into A Brilliant Partnership!

http://dancinghearts.link/bpaworkshop

Want More of Kathy?

EBD067 Hope For Living With Difficult Dogs with Sue Mimm Aug 26, 2019

Show notes

Does life with your difficult dog frustrate you? Are you feeling stressed out or overwhelmed by their behaviour? Does it feel like there's no end in sight? Never fear! Brilliant Partner and recurring podcast guest Sue Mimm is joining Kathy on the show today to talk about how she went from dreading her days with her difficult dog, to loving every single minute of their time together! Sue sheds light on some of her difficult moments early on in their relationship, and explains how she managed to turn it around. She describes where she put her focus and how things progressed into such an amazing transformation! A year and a half ago, Sue would have never imagined things going the way they are today, but it has happened, and she's here to help you see the hope in your story!

We get an introduction to Sue, her dogs, and the golden standard of partnership.
What got Sue from being overwhelmed and stressed out by her difficult dogs, to having the greatest partnership possible
Facing the inner pressure created by thinking "this isn't how it should be" versus "this is how it is, but we can improve it."
The core things that Sue focused on to make the transformation happen!
Does your dog get better, or is it actually you who gets better?

"Can I just make it through one day in a semi-normal way?"

"Life is good"

"You never think that's something that you can attain or that you can have with your dog and it's just a very beautiful thing"

"They had to be big transformations before I was willing to celebrate them and then I realized these big transformations just weren't coming"

"Why do you have a dog? What do you want to do with your dog?"

"Don't put your dog in a situation that they cannot handle"

"I want to take all of the hard stuff away, and whittle it down to the most crucial pieces"

"I can start to enjoy life with my dog today"

"Believe in yourself, believe in your dog, it is possible way beyond your wildest dreams"

Register for Kathy's Free Partnership Workshop…Transform Your Rocky Relationship with Your Dog into A Brilliant Partnership!

http://dancinghearts.link/bpaworkshop

Want More of Kathy?

EBD066 Hard Days? Let's Focus Forward! Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

Do you have hard days? Well, there are things you can do to make it through those days and come out the other side ready, able, passionate and excited to live life with your dogs! Have you ever noticed that a dog has the ability to show us how to enjoy life? They're so good at brushing off the small stuff, living in the moment and having fun! It's hard to believe that our dogs can have bad days, but they're just as susceptible to them as we are! Sometimes we can even be the cause our dog's bad day! Before we can return the favour and light up their lives, we have to make sure we're brightly lit up too! In this episode of Enlightened By Dogs, Kathy shares her most solid tactics and ideas on how to get through hard days in the most positive ways possible, so that you can be a light for your dog when they need it the most! Click play and find out how to help yourself, and your dog through the hardest of days!

In This Episode

Dogs can illuminate our path forward when we're feeling lost or stuck!
Why you may want to start celebrating your baby steps and small accomplishments.
Focusing forward on the life you wish to live can be a great motivator if done right!
How to avoid creating a giant ball of misery and drama.

"Hard days are just hard"

"Our dogs are amazing at showing us the path forward"

"The power of living a partnership lifestyle lies in baby steps and celebrating each one of those"

"We do need something that helps us focus forward"

"Clear is kind"

"Sometimes it's easier to start with what you don't want"

"Let's choose to be the light for our dogs"

Register for Kathy's Free Partnership Workshop…Transform Your Rocky Relationship with Your Dog into A Brilliant Partnership!

http://dancinghearts.link/bpaworkshop

Want More of Kathy?

EBD065 The Best Way to Calm Your Dog Aug 12, 2019

Show notes

Hello friend! It's been a crazy couple of weeks, and Kathy is here to tell you all about it! Unexpected issues and life happening all over the place caused her usual sense of calm to bubble over and lead to a bit of a meltdown. Luckily, Kathy is a master of calm and it took her no time at all to find it again, and get back to living her best life! Want to know what she did? Tune into this week's episode of Enlightened By Dogs to find out exactly what physical and mental steps Kathy took to go from being stressed and overwhelmed to tears, to being calm and happy while walking her dogs! It's not complicated, and it's something you can start doing right now to improve your health and relationships. Take a deep breath, click play, and unlock the secrets to calming yourself and your dog!

A heartfelt thank you to the new Brilliant Partners and podcast listeners!
Mishaps and mayhem create a perfect storm for Kathy.
The one and only thing you may need to know in order to calm your dog.
Why does breathing play a role in calming the mind and body?

"It influences everything we do and it makes our whole life better"

"I felt renewed, refreshed, ready to take on the day"

"We also have the capacity and capability and everything we need to influence our dogs to be happy and calm"

"Your body senses your breathing and adapts its heart rate in response to that"

"We're generating love, appreciation and gratitude for someone or something special in your life while we breathe"

Want More of Kathy?

EBD064 How to Stop Training and Start Partnering with Your Dog Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

Do you really need your dog to sit and perform for their cookies? Do you truly want your dog to lie down in a specific place all of the time? Or is there something else that is more appropriate, and more aligned with a partnership lifestyle? Ok, so today is a little bit of a rant episode about what we truly want from our dogs! Are we actually giving up what we want most, for what we want right now?

While it is a possibility that you may want these things, we tend to spend a lot of energy trying to train behaviors out of our dogs, or train new habits in, while we fail to ask why we're doing it in the first place.

In this episode of Enlightened By Dogs, Kathy really breaks down for us how to stop training and start partnering with our dogs. She gives tons of examples and stories to back up the silly things we do, and why they may not actually be the best use of your time and effort!

Are you doing this thing over and over again without even thinking about it?
Is our view of the human/dog relationship completely out of touch with reality?
What do you truly want out of your relationship with your dog?

"Move away from habits that are not stepping stones to the life that we dream of living with our dogs"

"It's not about having the perfect dog"

"We're all different. That's okay. Our dogs are all different, and that's okay too."

"When you know what you really want, then true partnership begins to happen"

Want More of Kathy?

EBD063 Becoming A Brilliant Partner Jul 29, 2019

Show notes

Are you ready to become a Brilliant Partner to your dog? To expand into the best human you could possibly be? In this episode, Kathy leads you through a series of very specific exercises to help you blossom into the best possible version of yourself for the benefit of you, everyone around you, and of course: your dogs! The breed of your dog doesn't matter. How old your dog is doesn't matter. How reactive your dog is doesn't matter! If you stick with this and follow the protocol Kathy teaches, you will have an amazing relationship with your furry friend! If you allow it to, and if you take inspired action, this episode will change your life!

In This Episode

Why would you want to be a Brilliant Partner in the first place?
It all starts with you, and your ability to take inspired action!
Who are your dog role models? Why do you admire them?
Why it's important to reaffirm your values, and the values of your dog!

"Your success is inevitable if you stick with it"

"When we are more and more brilliant, our dogs automatically match us"

"Discover the qualities that you most value, discover the qualities that your dog most values in you as a human and expand them"

"What might a dog admire in a human that they would love to engage with?"

"I want to be this way with my dog"

"The qualities that you value, you already have"

Want More of Kathy?

EBD062 Don't Lock Yourself in Judgement Jail Jul 22, 2019

Show notes

Judgement is a slippery slope when it comes to holding ourselves and our dogs back! We misjudge ourselves, we misjudge our dogs and we lock ourselves in Judgement Jail all the time. Never Fear! Kathy is here with 3 different keys to unlock those doors and let you out! On top of that, she's handing the keys over to you so that you can use your "get out of judgement jail free" card whenever you find yourself locked up! Another week brings another Brilliant Partners secret on this episode of Enlightened By Dogs Podcast!

Measuring the gap between your current place and where you want to be isn't the best approach!
Stop comparing yourself to others.
How blossoming into the next version of yourself benefits not only you and your dog, but the world at large.
Are you forcing a timeline on yourself and your dog where there doesn't have to be one?
Can you reframe your pain into something better?

"I've been sentenced to failure"

"How far have you come?"

"You already know where you measure the gap"

"Your first chapter may be another's twelfth chapter"

"Your dog that is challenging you is a gift"

"Our dogs don't have a timeline"

"Forcing timelines creates pressure, stress, frustration and even more judgement"

Want More of Kathy?

EBD061 What Are You Thinking? The 'Secret' That Changed My Life Jul 15, 2019

Show notes

If you consider yourself to be a savvy, dog-centric individual, then this episode will definitely resonate with you! It can be extremely disheartening and frustrating when we're constantly finding ourselves in situations that are making us and our dogs upset! So what do we do about it? What is this big life changing secret that will make our lives and the lives of our dogs so amazing? In this episode of Enlightened By Dogs, Kathy shares her first of many skills that will help change the relationship you have with your dog, and with life itself! This one has everything to do with how you think. How you think about you, how you think about your dog, and how you think about the situations you keep finding yourself in!

How your thinking can hold you and your partnership with your dog back from being as enjoyable as it could be.
Clearing out your mental clutter is a big part of perfecting the skill!
The chain reaction of thoughts and emotional response.
When is it appropriate to change your emotional state and how do you do it?
Building and protecting your self image!

"We need to learn to be loving leaders and role models for our dogs"

"We won't be able to do the things if we're not thinking about it correctly"

"We can't untangle ourselves from the mental clutter until we get to critical mass"

"Becoming conscious and aware of what you are creating with your thoughts is the first step"

"We are way more powerful than we know"

"We keep getting better and better"

Want More of Kathy?

EBD060 Help Your Fearful or Reactive Dog Be Resilient Jul 08, 2019

Show notes

There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to being resilient. Things like genetics, your environment, your level of activity and how often you get outside can greatly impact your response to ugly situations. Now if this is true for you, imagine how true it is for your dog! The exact same thing applies to them as well! Our socially intelligent furry friends require the same care we do if we expect them to be strong and resilient in the face of adversity! In this episode of Enlightened By Dogs, Kathy invites us to sit in on a masterclass she hosted about creating resiliency and balance in the lives of our dogs! She pulls back the curtain and shares a segment of an in depth teaching designed to help us build our dogs up and help them succeed in ways that only a Brilliant Partner possibly can!

Why do we neglect talking about resiliency?
Dogs can feel support in a few different ways, how does your dog feel supported?
Giving your dog choices in life will create a more balanced life!
The beautiful benefits that come from unstructured play.
Strategies for dealing with unfavourable situations you find yourself in with your dog.

"Resilient partners don't give up when life gets hard"

"There's a lot to be said about the power of resilience"

"What is this difficulty teaching me?"

"They need to feel like they have some amount of control over their own life"

"Resiliency in us and our dogs comes from the inside out"

"There's nothing as renewing and healing as being connected to nature"

"There are no failures, there are only opportunities to learn"

Want More of Kathy?

EBD059 The Magic of Meditation With Dogs! Jul 01, 2019

Show notes

Dogs are masters of meditation. It sounds crazy, but it's 100% true! Our dogs live in a constant state of presence, and rarely (if ever) allow mind drama to cloud their judgement. If we can learn anything from our furry friends, it's to slow down and take in the moment. In this episode of Enlightened By Dogs, Kathy takes us along for a walk with her dogs and shows us exactly how they help her connect with the present moment and reach a meditative state! Are you truly connecting with your dogs as deeply as you could be in the moment? Click play and find out exactly what that looks like!

A few reasons why you may want to start meditating on a regular basis.
The benefits of not being caught up in mind drama.
Debunking meditation myths.
Kathy takes us for a walk with her and her dogs!
How your dog can help you reach a meditative state.
Kathy's meditation challenge.

"By observing your own mind and your own thoughts, our perspective shifts"

"We don't have to be a slave to our own mind"

"Meditation is simply an act of being present in the moment"

"I'm seeing what my dogs are curious about. I'm noticing what they're noticing"

"Every time I make a connection with my dogs, it's a meditation."

"All those moments add up to clearing that mental clutter"

"Dogs live in a state of presence"

Want More of Kathy?

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