Found It, Fetched It - Your Weekly Dose of Gundog Wisdom from the LWDG

If training feels hard work rather than teamwork, this episode is for you.

In this final live of the week, Joanne pulls together everything we’ve explored and explains what actually shifts when you stop guessing… and start understanding what your dog is telling you.
This isn’t about better commands.
It’s about better conversations.

In this episode, we explore:
Why training feels exhausting when you don’t share the same “language”
Living with a high-drive dog without understanding their operating system is like being abroad permanently — lots of effort, lots of frustration, and very little ease.
Why most handlers over-talk, over-handle, and second-guess
Not because they’re doing it wrong — but because they’re trying to communicate in human logic with a dog brain.
The moment things start to feel calmer (without calming your dog)
When you understand state, arousal, and readiness, your timing improves — and suddenly everything needs less effort.
Why this isn’t about obedience — or being stricter
It’s about relationship, rhythm, and responding rather than reacting. More like a dance than a drill.
How the five topics from this week are actually one problem
Being outpaced, doing more exercise, feeling like a passenger, trying to calm drive, and feeling misunderstood all come back to one missing system.

The big takeaway:
When you finally “get” your dog’s dialect, the tension drops.
You stop guessing.
You stop battling.
And you start working with the dog in front of you.
That relief isn’t accidental — it’s teachable.

🎓 What’s next?
This episode leads directly into our free masterclass:
Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring
A live, supportive session on how to finally speak gundog — even if you never plan to see a shooting field.
You’ll learn how to:
Slow things down mentally (for you)
Read what your dog is actually telling you
Respond with confidence instead of hesitation
📅 Thursday 29th January
⏰ 7.30pm (UK)

Come live if you can — the energy and clarity are different when we do this together.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Found It, Fetched It. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve got muddy boots and a seasoned dog by your side, we’re here to walk the journey with you. We’re all about real talk, practical tips, and celebrating every little win—because in this world, progress isn’t always perfect, but it’s always worth it.

💬 We’d love to hear from you
Got a story to share, a question to ask, or just fancy saying hi? Come chat with us on socials or pop over to the website.

📚 Want to go further with your training?

Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring
A Free Masterclass for Owners of High-Drive Dogs on How to Finally ‘Speak Gundog’ even if You Never Plan to See a Shooting Field. When you sign up, I’ll send you a short reflection, Are You Driving or Just Hanging On, to help you notice whether you’re leading or reacting before the session. Jan 29th 2026 7.30pm

🎓 The LWDG Society
Expert-led courses, community support, and the kind of training that actually makes sense.
📱 Stay connected with the pack:
Website: ladiesworkingdoggroup.com
Facebook: Ladies Working Dog Group
Instagram: @ladiesworkingdogs
✨ And remember… Every session, every stumble, every breakthrough, it all counts. You’re not just training a dog. You’re building trust, confidence, and a community that’s right behind you.
Keep going. We see you. 💛

Why Direction Comes Before Calm in High-Drive Dogs
In this Monday Morning Mindset episode, Jo explores a truth that changes everything for owners of high-drive dogs:
👉 Calm doesn’t come from slowing your dog down.
👉 Calm comes from direction, boundaries, and leadership.
If you’ve ever found yourself saying “I just need them to calm down” — this one’s for you.

What This Episode Covers

Why “waiting for calm” doesn’t work
Taking your foot off the accelerator without steering doesn’t stop the engine.
High-drive dogs don’t need us to step back — they need us to step in.

The difference between a gap and a void
A gap is a moment where the dog waits, steady and available.
A void is when the handler checks out — and the dog fills the space by self-appointing.

Suppression vs regulation
A quiet dog isn’t always a calm dog.
Suppression looks still, but it’s pressure waiting to explode.
True calm is regulation:
• movement with purpose
• stopping when asked
• thinking even when excited

Why boundaries create calm (not conflict)
Boundaries aren’t punishment.
They’re information.
They answer the dog’s constant question: “What do you want me to do next?”

Calm is not the destination — it’s the journey
Calm is what happens when a dog understands:
• what matters
• when to act
• when to stand down

The handler’s role under pressure
Dogs can’t regulate if we’re also overwhelmed.
You don’t need to be another beach ball under water.
You need to be the anchor.
Because calm travels down the lead.

Key Takeaway
High-drive dogs don’t need less of you.
They need orientation, direction, and follow-through — especially when things feel intense.
When the handler is steady, the dog can be too.

Mentioned in This Episode
• The Calm Dog Blueprint (free resource)
• Why “settle” matters just as much as “sit”
• Live masterclass: Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Found It, Fetched It. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve got muddy boots and a seasoned dog by your side, we’re here to walk the journey with you. We’re all about real talk, practical tips, and celebrating every little win—because in this world, progress isn’t always perfect, but it’s always worth it.

💬 We’d love to hear from you
Got a story to share, a question to ask, or just fancy saying hi? Come chat with us on socials or pop over to the website.

📚 Want to go further with your training?

Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring
A Free Masterclass for Owners of High-Drive Dogs on How to Finally ‘Speak Gundog’ even if You Never Plan to See a Shooting Field. When you sign up, I’ll send you a short reflection, Are You Driving or Just Hanging On, to help you notice whether you’re leading or reacting before the session. Jan 29th 2026 7.30pm

🎓 The LWDG Society
Expert-led courses, community support, and the kind of training that actually makes sense.
📱 Stay connected with the pack:
Website: ladiesworkingdoggroup.com
Facebook: Ladies Working Dog Group
Instagram: @ladiesworkingdogs
✨ And remember… Every session, every stumble, every breakthrough, it all counts. You’re not just training a dog. You’re building trust, confidence, and a community that’s right behind you.
Keep going. We see you. 💛

If you’ve ever felt like your dog is making all the decisions while you’re just trying to keep up… this episode will land.
In this live, Joanne explains one of the biggest missing pieces in gundog training — where the handler actually sits — and why so many capable, caring owners end up feeling out of control despite doing all the right things.
This isn’t about being firmer.
It’s about timing, influence, and learning how to step into the driver’s seat.

In this episode, we cover:
What “passenger mode” really looks like
Not doing nothing — but hesitating, overthinking, and leaving gaps where the dog has to decide for themselves.
Why timing matters more than speed
You don’t need to react as fast as your dog — you need to teach them to give you time before acting.
How influence is lost before the dog runs
The moment your dog commits has already passed — the real work happens in the seconds before.
The difference between self-control and steadiness
And why teaching this gap is what allows teamwork to happen.
Why this isn’t about dominance
Leading your dog isn’t control — it’s partnership, clarity, and shared direction.
How reward timing shapes decisions
Reward doesn’t bribe the next behaviour — it confirms the right choice has been made.

The key shift:
High-drive dogs don’t slow themselves down.
They accelerate when direction is missing.
When you learn how to step in earlier, give one clear direction, and see it through, your dog doesn’t push against you — they start working with you.
That’s the difference between hanging on… and driving.

🎓 What this leads into
This episode feeds directly into our free masterclass:
Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring

A live session on how to guide high-drive dogs with confidence, timing, and teamwork — even if you never plan to work them.
📅 Thursday 29th January
⏰ 7.30pm (UK)
Come live if you can — it’s where all of this slows down and becomes usable.

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Found It, Fetched It. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve got muddy boots and a seasoned dog by your side, we’re here to walk the journey with you. We’re all about real talk, practical tips, and celebrating every little win—because in this world, progress isn’t always perfect, but it’s always worth it.

💬 We’d love to hear from you
Got a story to share, a question to ask, or just fancy saying hi? Come chat with us on socials or pop over to the website.

📚 Want to go further with your training?

Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring
A Free Masterclass for Owners of High-Drive Dogs on How to Finally ‘Speak Gundog’ even if You Never Plan to See a Shooting Field. When you sign up, I’ll send you a short reflection, Are You Driving or Just Hanging On, to help you notice whether you’re leading or reacting before the session. Jan 29th 2026 7.30pm

🎓 The LWDG Society
Expert-led courses, community support, and the kind of training that actually makes sense.
📱 Stay connected with the pack:
Website: ladiesworkingdoggroup.com
Facebook: Ladies Working Dog Group
Instagram: @ladiesworkingdogs
✨ And remember… Every session, every stumble, every breakthrough, it all counts. You’re not just training a dog. You’re building trust, confidence, and a community that’s right behind you.
Keep going. We see you. 💛

We’re often told that if a dog is full-on, intense, or hard to live with, the answer is simple: exercise them more.

In this episode, I unpack why that well-meaning advice can quietly make life harder, especially if you’re living with a high-drive gundog, and why more walks, more running, and more “doing” doesn’t automatically lead to a steadier dog.

I talk about the moment many handlers recognise: when your dog feels fast, sharp, and always one step ahead, and you start to feel like you’re reacting rather than leading. Not because you’re doing nothing, but because you’re doing everything, without the right handling system underneath it.

We explore the idea of the supercar on a shoestring, a powerful, capable dog with an engine that’s far bigger than the structure supporting it. I explain why exercise builds fitness, not self-control, and why high-drive dogs don’t come with internal brakes already fitted.

This episode also looks at what’s really draining handler confidence: guessing under pressure, repeating cues, changing your mind mid-moment, and trying to wrestle control instead of steering it. I share why effort alone can’t replace structure, and why following through matters more than piling more on.

If you’ve ever felt like your dog has suddenly changed overnight, or that what worked yesterday doesn’t work today, you’re not imagining it. Dogs don’t walk out with the same brain every day, and understanding that changes how you train and handle them.

Most of all, this episode is here to reassure you: you don’t have a problem dog.
You have a powerful one, and once the handling matches the engine, everything feels lighter.

Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring
A Free Masterclass for Owners of High-Drive Dogs on How to Finally ‘Speak Gundog’ even if You Never Plan to See a Shooting Field. When you sign up, I’ll send you a short reflection, Are You Driving or Just Hanging On, to help you notice whether you’re leading or reacting before the session. Jan 29th 2026 7.30pm

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Found It, Fetched It. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve got muddy boots and a seasoned dog by your side, we’re here to walk the journey with you. We’re all about real talk, practical tips, and celebrating every little win—because in this world, progress isn’t always perfect, but it’s always worth it.

💬 We’d love to hear from you
Got a story to share, a question to ask, or just fancy saying hi? Come chat with us on socials or pop over to the website.

📚 Want to go further with your training?

Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring
A Free Masterclass for Owners of High-Drive Dogs on How to Finally ‘Speak Gundog’ even if You Never Plan to See a Shooting Field. When you sign up, I’ll send you a short reflection, Are You Driving or Just Hanging On, to help you notice whether you’re leading or reacting before the session. Jan 29th 2026 7.30pm

🎓 The LWDG Society
Expert-led courses, community support, and the kind of training that actually makes sense.
📱 Stay connected with the pack:
Website: ladiesworkingdoggroup.com
Facebook: Ladies Working Dog Group
Instagram: @ladiesworkingdogs
✨ And remember… Every session, every stumble, every breakthrough, it all counts. You’re not just training a dog. You’re building trust, confidence, and a community that’s right behind you.
Keep going. We see you. 💛

Have you ever had that moment where everything feels calm…
Then suddenly your dog is gone?

One second you’re walking together.
The next, your gundog has clocked something, made a decision, and acted on it before you’ve even processed what changed.

In this episode, Jo explains why this happens, especially with high-drive gundogs, and why it isn’t a training failure or a reflection of your ability as a handler.

This conversation isn’t about obedience or control.
It’s about understanding speed, drive, and decision-making, so you can stop blaming yourself and start making sense of what’s really going on.

In this episode, we explore:
Why fast gundogs don’t “warm up”, they switch on instantly
How a dog’s decision-making process works differently to a human’s
Why you often feel one step behind, even when you’re experienced and committed
The mismatch between canine instinct and human consequence-based thinking
Why being told to “try harder” doesn’t help in high-drive moments
How steadiness and self-control create a vital timing gap you can work with
Why even very well-trained dogs still need management in certain environments

Jo also shares real-life examples from her own dogs, showing how age, experience, and steadiness change behaviour over time, and why comparison rarely helps when you’re in the thick of it with a young or adolescent gundog.

This episode is for you if:
Your dog reacts faster than you can think
You often replay moments afterwards, wondering what you should have done
You feel calm in theory, but flustered in real-life situations
You care deeply about doing right by your dog, but feel overloaded in the moment
You don’t need more motivation, you need understanding

This episode is part of a short series leading into Jo’s free live masterclass, Supercar on a Shoestring, where we go deeper into both the dog’s brain and the handler’s mindset, and how to bring the two into better alignment.

Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring
A Free Masterclass for Owners of High-Drive Dogs on How to Finally ‘Speak Gundog’ even if You Never Plan to See a Shooting Field. When you sign up, I’ll send you a short reflection, Are You Driving or Just Hanging On, to help you notice whether you’re leading or reacting before the session. Jan 29th 2026 7.30pm

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Found It, Fetched It. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve got muddy boots and a seasoned dog by your side, we’re here to walk the journey with you. We’re all about real talk, practical tips, and celebrating every little win—because in this world, progress isn’t always perfect, but it’s always worth it.

💬 We’d love to hear from you
Got a story to share, a question to ask, or just fancy saying hi? Come chat with us on socials or pop over to the website.

📚 Want to go further with your training?

Holding a Supercar by a Shoestring
A Free Masterclass for Owners of High-Drive Dogs on How to Finally ‘Speak Gundog’ even if You Never Plan to See a Shooting Field. When you sign up, I’ll send you a short reflection, Are You Driving or Just Hanging On, to help you notice whether you’re leading or reacting before the session. Jan 29th 2026 7.30pm

🎓 The LWDG Society
Expert-led courses, community support, and the kind of training that actually makes sense.
📱 Stay connected with the pack:
Website: ladiesworkingdoggroup.com
Facebook: Ladies Working Dog Group
Instagram: @ladiesworkingdogs
✨ And remember… Every session, every stumble, every breakthrough, it all counts. You’re not just training a dog. You’re building trust, confidence, and a community that’s right behind you.
Keep going. We see you. 💛