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Owned by Gemma
Learning more about ourselves to help us have a better relationship with our animals. Science and spirituality in equal measures ☕🙏
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34 contributions to Animals Make Us Human
1d •
The power of pause
One thing I keep noticing is how quickly we jump from a feeling to a story, especially with animals we care about. For example: Nelly will flinch if I take his harness off and I have my keys in my hand. The story that comes into my mind immediately is that he's scared of me. The reframe is that he is scared (not necessarily of me) because he is noise sensitive. This week’s gentle invitation: Notice one moment where you paused before judging yourself or your animal. What did you notice instead?
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4d •
Coffee chat tomorrow
Last minute I know but I've popped a coffee chat in tomorrow at 10am as I'm free, who can make it?
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21d •
Puppy nervousness
Hello all! Hope you are having a good week. I have a nearly 6 month old Labrador girl puppy and I am struggling with her nervousness about the world. She had an incident about a month ago now where she sadly got attacked by another dog and I’m thinking it’s linked to that. But when I take her out (away from where the incident happened) she is spooked by just about everything - people, dogs, rain, cars, any movement. It is becoming really challenging as she then wants to go home but then has lots of built up energy :(. Has anybody got any tips on nervousness and how to build confidence please? I am currently going through a ‘sit on a bench and observe the world’ phase but I’m not sure if that is working. Thank you 🐾
0 likes • 21d
Hey Jade 💛 Firstly, I’m really sorry that happened to her, being attacked at that age can absolutely have an impact, and it sounds like you’re reading her really well rather than trying to push through it. A few important things to gently reframe first: At ~6 months she’s right in a fear-sensitive developmental stage, so big feelings about the world are very common even without an incident Confidence doesn’t come from exposure alone, it comes from feeling safe during exposure Wanting to go home isn’t her being stubborn or dramatic, it’s her nervous system saying this is too much right now A few ideas that often help in cases like this: 1. Shrink the world (for now) Instead of trying to build confidence out there, temporarily build it where she already feels okay. Very short outings that end before she wants to flee can be more powerful than longer ones. 2. Ditch the observing the world if she’s already overwhelmed Sitting and watching can actually backfire if she’s over threshold it can turn into flooding rather than learning. Movement + choice is often more regulating than stillness. 3. Follow the curiosity line Let her choose how close she gets to things. If she looks, sniffs, pauses, then disengages that’s success. We don’t need braver, we need safer. 4. Separate exercise from exposure If walks are too much, meet her energy needs at home: Scatter feeding / sniff games Enrichment (licking, shredding, chewing) Pattern games or gentle training she already enjoys That way she’s not carrying pent-up energy into scary situations. 5. Think recovery, not confidence After a scare, the goal isn’t to build confidence but restore a sense of predictability and trust. Confidence often emerges after safety is re-established. You’re not doing anything wrong, and she’s not broken. This is a young dog with a sensitive nervous system who needs time, choice, and a lot of reassurance. If you want, I’m happy to help you tweak what you’re already doing rather than adding more ❤️
0 likes • 4d
Hey Jade, how are you getting on with this now? 🙏
8d •
Learning Self Trust Replay
Well somehow I actually managed to keep this session to 30 mins! Here's a little recap of what was included: Opening and grounding What self-trust is and what it isn't Tool 1 - Pause before the story During times of self-doubt, firstly notice where the feeling is in your body, second ask yourself what story is coming up. In moments of self-doubt, pausing and noticing interrupts automatic thoughts and allows you to gently separate the body and mind. Tool 2 - The state check Ask yourself, am I tired, hungry, rushed, overwhelmed or feeling chaotic? If the answer is yes, do I need to make a decision right now? Can I go and get a snack, take some deep breaths or have a nap instead? Tool 3 - Language softening How do I speak to myself when self-doubt comes up? Do I use words like failure or not good enough? Do I compare myself to others? Some examples of softening language: Instead of "I should know this" --> say "I'm learning" Instead of "I've messed this up" --> say " this feels really difficult right now" Please feel free to share your reflections in the comments, I'd love to know which parts of this session resonated with you.
0 likes • 7d
@Jade Urbanski yay thanks Jade glad you found it useful 🥰👌
8d •
February theme
Morning, Our theme for this month is Learning Self Trust as an Animal Carer. This is something that I hear people talking about time and time again. Whether it's being told to use aversive training methods and feeling bad about it, getting anxious about your animals health or behaviour or not believing you're good enough, we have all been there. Self-doubt is usually a sign you care a lot about your animals and you want to do right by them. Tonight's session will be grounding, reflective and leave you feeling more confident in your abilities with your animals. You'll leave with at least 2 practical tools you can use when you feel you need to trust yourself more (not just with your animals). The article I've based this month's theme on is here, if you'd like to have a read: https://morethanhuman.uk/learning-self-trust-as-an-animal-carer/ Looking forward to seeing some of you later and if you can't make it the call will be recorded.
0 likes • 8d
@Kimberly Dave so many things 🤣 my business started as a dog walking service but we now do house sitting, equine care & cat visits. I also do coaching and sell some welfare aligned products
0 likes • 8d
@Kimberly Dave no I haven't but it's not something I'm interested in thanks 🙏 got plenty to keep me busy
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@gemma-sheppard-6677
Pet relationship coach, yogi & animal welfare advocate. Equal parts science & spirituality
Active 20h ago
Joined Nov 23, 2025