About this episode

Emily shares her experience with her nervous dog Max and offers insights into training sensitive dogs for canicross.

Emily shares the story of Max, her timid and easily spooked Weimaraner who initially struggled with wearing a harness or coping with everyday noises such as wind. As a behaviourist, Emily offers valuable insight into working with nervous dogs, including how to approach training without pressure, why progress isn’t always linear, and how small wins can lead to big breakthroughs. The conversation explores practical techniques such as using positive reinforcement, tracking progress through video, and introducing confidence-building experiences in a safe and supportive way. Listeners will also hear how unexpected moments - like running with another dog or entering a first race - can unlock a dog’s potential. Max’s transformation from a fearful dog to a confident canicross racer, even achieving a fourth-place finish, highlights that success doesn’t require a “perfect” dog. This episode is packed with reassurance, actionable advice, and encouragement for anyone navigating life with a sensitive or reactive dog, showing that with the right approach, canicross can be accessible to all. Timings 0.00 – Introduction to Max’s transformation1.05 – Max’s early behaviour and harness aversion3.10…

People in this episode

Hosts: Michelle Mortimer, Louise Humphrey

Guest: Emily

Topics covered

• canicross
• nervous dogs
• dog training
• positive reinforcement
• confidence building
• pet behavior

Keywords

• canicross
• nervous dog
• Weimaraner
• dog training
• positive reinforcement
• confidence building
• pet behavior
• reactive dog
• training techniques

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Canicross Conversations

Places: Weimaraner

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