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THE DOG LISTENING BLOG
Step into the calm, kind world of Let Sleeping Dogs Lie.
Here, we share real stories, reflections, and lessons inspired by everyday life with dogs, written by Russ, Mooby the Cat, and our Boxer duo, Charlie and Elsie. From quiet moments of connection to muddy pawprints of mayhem, each story reveals how Dog Listening brings trust, understanding, and peace to every home.
All Posts
I Am Resting. Not Oblivious.
Apparently, being eighteen is something the humans find remarkable. Personally, I think I'm managing it rather well. From my dining-room headquarters, I continue to supervise the household, remember old friends and question Elsie's claim to being a lady. I may be resting, but I'm certainly not oblivious.
Mooby the Cat
Oct 175 min read
To the Retreat: What We Found When We Got There
We planned, packed and wondered whether we were asking too much. Then we went. Our first camping trip with Charlie and Elsie became a reminder that Dog Listening isn't something we learn and do once. We're always listening, adapting and managing our world together — sometimes by making it a little smaller. Less is more.
Russ
Sep 2914 min read
To the Retreat: Before We Go
We’re going camping with Charlie and Elsie for the first time. The tent has been researched, the pitch chosen and the planning has, naturally, got slightly out of hand. But just because our dogs can come with us, does that mean they should?
Russ
Sep 117 min read
Settling Back In
The humans started saying things were "back to normal." We've never really understood that. Nothing ever goes backwards. Everything simply finds a new rhythm.
The Girls That Gossip
Sep 42 min read
Back to Routine
As summer comes to an end, it's easy to think we're simply getting back to normal. But while our routines change, our dogs are quietly observing something much bigger—the changing relationships, interactions and conversations that shape their world.
Russ
Aug 205 min read
In the Shadows
Perhaps that's the strange thing about safety. You don't always notice it while you have it. Sometimes you only recognise it by what replaces it.
Russ
Aug 1612 min read
Looking Sideways
What began as a personal journey to better understand Charlie eventually became something much bigger. Looking Sideways reflects on rescue, Dog Listening and why helping people understand their dogs earlier may be one of the greatest gifts we can offer.
Russ
Aug 65 min read
The Myth of the Perfect Introduction
Many adopters worry about whether their rescue dog can meet their existing dog before coming home. Reflecting on Charlie and Elsie's story, Russ explores why the first meeting isn't the relationship, why calm coexistence matters more than instant friendship, and why the environment created after arrival often shapes the future far more than the introduction itself.
Russell Anthony Brooks
Jul 306 min read
What's the Worst That Could Happen?
Elsie dreams about the garden party she missed and quickly discovers that food, guests, greetings and garden security might be harder to manage than expected.
Elsie
Jul 133 min read
Separate Spaces, Shared Trust
Sitting on a sunlounger overlooking the sea should make switching off easy. Yet Charlie and Elsie are still on my mind. A reflection on planning ahead, reducing pressure, and why sometimes the best thing we do for our dogs is ask less of them.
Russ
Jul 93 min read
Consistency on Holiday – Why Dogs Still Need Structure
Holidays begin long before we leave home. Suitcases appear, routines shift, energy changes and dogs notice long before we do. A reflection on excitement, responsibility and carrying calm through change.
Russ
Jul 22 min read
Watching Clouds Change
Earlier in the year there were four. Then there were six. Now there are five. A reflection on awareness, change, and how animals quietly find a new rhythm.
Russ
Jun 182 min read
Humans Who Don’t Understand Shade
Cats are superior in this way.
We are in charge.
Dogs, however, are socially loyal creatures.
They follow energy.
Mooby the Cat
Jun 112 min read
Keeping Dogs Safe in Hot Weather
A dog that would normally cope may struggle. A dog that normally pauses may react. A dog that normally ignores another may suddenly guard space or snap.
Russ
Jun 42 min read
Two Sides of the Same Coin
Two moments. Two very different outcomes. One reminded me how easily leadership can drift when life feels relaxed and safe. The other reminded me what dogs are capable of when they trust someone else to carry responsibility completely.
Russ
May 283 min read
Calm Leadership on Outdoor Adventures
Elsie ran beside me. She still has more bounce than sense sometimes, but even she returned quickly. Not because she was called. Because she knew where we were.
Charlie
May 211 min read
Calm Leadership on Outdoor Adventures
A younger dog feels the outside world differently. There is more curiosity, more impulse, more movement. But leadership doesn’t disappear just because the setting changes.
Russ
May 142 min read
May Day. Something’s Going On.
The door is opening more often. There are tools out. Things are being moved. The dogs are watching.
The Girls That Gossip
May 11 min read
Eggs, Smells, and Chewing Everything!
That’s what happens when food changes. When things drop on the floor that don’t normally exist, my brain switches on. I start scanning. Watching. Deciding whether I need to step in.
Elsie
Apr 92 min read
Why Chocolate Is Dangerous – and Other Easter Lessons
When dogs don’t have to watch the floor, the table, or each other, they can switch off. They stop managing the environment and return to being dogs.
Russ
Apr 22 min read
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