Knowing when to stop isn't giving up. It's one of the most important skills you can build as a handler, and this week Claire and I are getting into exactly that.
There's a real difference between pushing a dog and protecting a dog, and the line between them isn't always obvious. Claire talks about stretching a dog's ability, that productive discomfort where a dog is learning something new, might wobble a bit, might show a flash of an old behaviour you thought you'd cracked months ago. That's not regression. That's growth. It can look messy. It's supposed to.
But there's another side of that line, and that's where things go wrong.
What we cover in this episode
The difference between a stretched dog and an overwhelmed one and why the symptoms can look identical if you're not watching closely. The dog isn't being naughty. It's telling you something.
Physical fatigue vs. mental fatigue and why mental tiredness is the sneaky one. A physically tired dog slows down. A mentally tired dog starts chewing grass, showboating with the dummy, going off for a random sniff. It looks like misbehaviour. It's actually a dog running on empty upstairs.
The bored dog trap because if you never stretch your dog and just keep repeating the same comfortable routine, you'll get behaviours creeping back in too. A bored working dog will find its own entertainment. It won't be the entertainment you wanted.
External pressure and where it actually comes from the other handlers, the gamekeeper's nod, the dog two fields over who's been doing this since it was eight weeks old. Claire is straight-talking on this: comparison is not a training plan.
Why working dogs will push through pain to do the job and why that means we have to be the ones to make the call. If you're waiting for your spaniel to tap out, you'll be waiting a long time.
The warmup read Claire's practical tip for gauging your dog before you even start. Know what your dog looks like at their best, and you'll know when something's off.
Finishing on a high not just as a nice idea, but as a training habit. The challenge this week is to finish one session earlier than you think you need to. Just once. See what happens.
Claire also shares the story of Indy and Rose, two completely different dogs in terms of mental stamina, self-regulation, and what 'enough' looks like for each of them. There is no universal rulebook. There is only your dog, in front of you, today. And Claire is recording this just two and a half weeks post knee surgery. Still showing up, still delivering. She's very much one of us.
Your challenge this week
Finish one session earlier than you think you need to. Notice how your dog walks away from it. Notice how you walk away from it.
Every session, every stumble, every breakthrough, it all counts. Keep going. We see you.
Thanks for being here. If this episode gave you something, a laugh, a lightbulb, or just the feeling that someone gets it, that's exactly why we make it.
💬 Got something to say? A question, a story, a dog that's just done something unhinged? Come and find us on socials or over at the website. We genuinely want to hear from you.
📚 Not sure where to start with your training? Grab the LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map. It'll tell you exactly where you are and what to work on next. No guessing.
🎓 Ready to go further? The LWDG Society is where the real work happens. Expert-led courses, a community of women who actually get it, and training that makes sense for the dog in front of you.
📱 Come and find us:Website: ladiesworkingdoggroup.com Facebook: Ladies Working Dog Group Instagram: @ladiesworkingdogs
✨ Every session. Every stumble. Every breakthrough. It all counts. You're not just training a dog. You're building something. Keep going. We see you. 💛
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