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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.
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
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
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
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
So Many Smells! So Many Noises!
Charlie plays with me too. Not wild — steady. He knows the game. I chase him, he lets me win (sometimes), and then we stop. Then we start again.
Elsie
Mar 191 min read
Two! (Still Learning. Definitely Louder.)
Sometimes I rushed in when I should have paused.
Sometimes I bounced when I should have waited.
Sometimes I thought “mine!” when it wasn’t.
Elsie
Feb 231 min read
Beating the January Blues for You and Your Dog
They feed off our mood. If we’re sluggish, they pick it up. If we’re anxious, they carry it too.
Russ
Jan 81 min read
Helping Dogs Through the Festive Season
I protect my dogs from unnecessary change.
Russ
Dec 11, 20251 min read
Helping Dogs Through Fireworks Season
Fireworks don’t end on the fifth of November.
Russ
Nov 20, 20251 min read
Peace, Even When It’s Loud
If he wasn’t worried, then I didn’t need to be either.
Charlie
Nov 5, 20251 min read
Monsters at the Door!
Actual monsters. Some tiny, some tall, some with glowing sticks and scary masks.
Elsie
Oct 30, 20251 min read
The Night of the Intruder
Then Charlie barked, short and certain, and leapt down with his eyes fixed on the bedroom door.
Russ
Oct 12, 20252 min read
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