In today’s Calm Collective Live, Matt and I tackled two of the biggest myths we hear in dog training: 🐾 “My dog shouldn’t need treats to perform behaviours.” 🐾 “We need to remove treats as quickly as possible.” Food isn’t cheating, bribery or a sign that your training isn’t working. It’s a powerful reinforcer, and when used properly, it helps your dog understand which behaviours are worth repeating. We also answered one of the most common questions we receive: “My dog is perfect at home, but as soon as we enter a distracting environment, they forget absolutely everything and lose their shit.” The truth is, your dog hasn’t suddenly forgotten their training. The environment has changed, the level of difficulty has increased, and the behaviour may not be as strong or generalised as you thought. In this replay, we break down why this happens, how distractions affect your dog’s ability to perform, and how to build behaviours that hold up in the real world. Watch the replay, then let us know your biggest takeaway in the comments. 💩 Extra points to anyone who comments with the exact number of shits Polly takes during this recording.

Nobody here has a broken dog, so why do we all keep trying to fix them? That's the question this session pulls apart. Fixing is reactive and brittle: you're forever one step behind, stopping behaviours after they've already happened. Developing is proactive and it sticks, because you're building the calm and the impulse control underneath, not just slapping a rule on top. I cover both sides honestly, including when a quick correction actually helps and when it sets you back. You'll walk away with one simple challenge to run all week, and a completely different way of looking at your dog.

Feat. Polly