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

What if your dog didn’t have to stay home? What if the van, the open road, and your best mate could all go together — across the UK, across Europe, all the way to Croatia? This week I had the loveliest chat with Karen Shepherd, one of our brilliant Society members, who has been taking her Springer Spaniel McCoy all over Europe in her motor home. And I mean all over... Belgium, Croatia, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia. The dog has a better travel record than most people I know. Now you might know that Ali the campervan and I are very much looking forward to taking Arthur on our own adventures — once we’ve accepted that he has grown to the size of a small Shetland pony. So this conversation was, frankly, research. And it did not disappoint.

In this episode we cover
What campervan life with a gundog is really like — not the Instagram version, but the actual chaos and the joy of it. Why crate training was the single most important thing Karen did before their first trip.
The honest truth about Brexit and what it means for anyone wanting to take their dog into Europe, including the animal health certificate versus getting a European pet passport — and why Karen got McCoy his passport in Bruges.
The countries that are brilliant for dogs, the ones where you need a muzzle, and why Germany might just be the most dog-friendly place on earth.
How to help your dog settle in a new environment every single night.
What Karen wishes she’d known from the start. And the musical road in Hungary that is now firmly on my bucket list.

The bit that stopped me in my tracks
Karen said something that I keep coming back to. She talked about how all the different environments, the new smells, the new places, the constant low-level stimulation of life on the road, it all adds up to a dog that retires happy. Not a dog that’s been physically hammered into the ground, but a dog whose brain has been properly used. A dog that has genuinely lived his day.Sound familiar? That’s the Two Minds truth right there, just lived out on a campsite in Croatia.

Useful links

Animal Health Certificate (AHC) — GOV.UK guide to getting an AHC — required every time you leave the UK for Europe. Valid for 10 days from issue. Up to five pets can travel on one certificate.
Taking your pet abroad (overview) — GOV.UK full pet travel guidance — the main hub for all UK pet travel rules, updated regularly.
European Pet Passport — EU pet passport explained (PetAbroad) — once your dog has one, you no longer need a new AHC each trip. Must be issued by a European vet. McCoy’s was issued in Bruges.
AHC explained in plain English — PassPets guide to Animal Health Certificates — a clear breakdown of the whole process, costs and what to prepare.
Channel Tunnel with your dog — Eurotunnel LeShuttle pet travel page — the easiest crossing option as you stay in your vehicle throughout. 35 minutes, Folkestone to Calais.
Tapeworm and country-specific rules — EU pet travel rules by country (Europa.eu) — muzzle laws, tapeworm requirements, and what differs country by country.
Finding dog-friendly campsites across Europe — ACSI Campsites Europe app — the app Karen and many of our members use. Filter by dog-friendly, motorhome pitches, facilities. Available on iOS and Android.

Karen’s top three things to have in place before your first trip
A dog that travels well and is comfortable in a crate.
A long line and a whistle — never leave home without them.
Your paperwork sorted well in advance — the AHC requires a vet appointment, which means you need to know your travel dates ahead of time.
If this has got you dreaming, good. That’s exactly what it’s supposed to do.

We’d love to hear where you’ve taken your dog, or where you’re planning to go. Drop us a comment, come and share it in the community, and if you’ve enjoyed this episode please do leave us a review — it genuinely helps more women find us. See you in two weeks.
Jo x

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?
Get our LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map Work Out Where You Are, And What To Train Next !

Want to know more about 🎓 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. 💛

Does your heart sink every time a bird flushes, a squirrel darts across the path, or a dog bolts past on the beach? You're not alone. And you're definitely not ruining your dog.
This week Joanne is joined by LWDG group expert Claire Denyer to tackle one of the biggest myths that keeps working dog owners stuck: that being around wildlife makes a high-drive dog harder to handle. It's actually the opposite.

What you'll hear in this episode:
Why "my dog would be amazing, he chases everything" is the wrong way around and what gundog training really asks for
How seagulls, swans, and deer can become your most powerful free training tool, even if you never go near a shoot
Why avoiding difficult environments doesn't build confidence. It shrinks your dog's world and makes the problem worse
The real reason high-drive dogs chase bikes, cars, and cats, and what to do about it
Why a solid leave is the foundation of a dog you can take anywhere
Claire's honest account of working through her own dog Genie's fear and reactivity, because even professional trainers have those walks

If you've been holding back from taking your dog somewhere because you don't trust what might happen, this episode will give you the framework to get back out there.

The one thing to take away: Country walks, bird flushes, unexpected wildlife moments are not training setbacks. They are real life opportunities to show your dog that excitement and partnership can exist at the same time.

Know someone who's convinced they're ruining their dog just by going on normal walks? Send them this one.

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?
Get our LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map Work Out Where You Are, And What To Train Next !

Want to know more about 🎓 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. 💛

Dog training advice is louder, more divided, and more confusing than ever.

In this episode of Found It, Fetched It, Jo and Claire tackle one of the biggest problems facing dog owners today, rigid training ideologies that stop people from seeing and supporting the dog in front of them. From “never say no” to “only train this way”, they explore how blanket rules and online dogma leave handlers overwhelmed, hesitant, and often stuck with behaviours that could be resolved far more simply.

Together they unpack:
• Why training isn’t one-size-fits-all
• How fear of “doing it wrong” is creating more stressed dogs and handlers
• The difference between guidance and ideology
• Why context, timing, and the individual dog always matter
• How boundaries, communication, and reward work together
• The real meaning behind training the dog in front of you

Through honest conversation, humour, and real-life examples, this episode is about helping you step away from training pressure and start making confident, balanced decisions for your own dog.
If you’ve ever felt stuck between conflicting advice, this one is for you.

By the end of this episode, listeners will understand:
Training should always adapt to the individual dog and handler
Labels and training camps often oversimplify complex behaviour
Clear communication builds confidence in dogs
Reward and interruption both have a place when used appropriately
Dogs need guidance, not confusion or hesitation
Progress often comes from understanding motivation, timing, and consistency
Every dog’s journey will look different, and that’s normal

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?
Get our LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map Work Out Where You Are, And What To Train Next !

Want to know more about 🎓 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 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?
Get our LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map Work Out Where You Are, And What To Train Next !

Want to know more about 🎓 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?
Get our LWDG Gundog Progress Gap Map Work Out Where You Are, And What To Train Next !

Want to know more about 🎓 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. 💛