Shy Dog Diaries
Shy Dog Diaries is a podcast about living with, training, and loving dogs who experience the world with a little extra sensitivity. Created for guardians of shy, anxious, fearful, or reactive dogs, the show blends personal stories, expert insights, and practical guidance rooted in compassion and positive reinforcement.Inspired by my dog Nessie, each episode explores what it’s really like to support a dog with anxiety — from separation challenges and difficult walks to building confidence, emotional safety, and trust over time. Along the way, I share conversations with trainers, behaviorists, and other dog guardians, plus honest reflections on the slow...
Understanding Foreign Rescue Dogs with Toby Craze
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What does it take to help a foreign rescue dog feel safe in a world that may be completely unfamiliar? In this episode of Shy Dog Diaries, I’m joined by dog trainer Toby Craze of Craze Dog Training to explore the experiences and needs of dogs adopted from overseas, including former street and free-roaming dogs.
Toby shares how his work with animals took him from rescue elephants in Thailand to supporting dogs and their adopters around the world. We talk about the adjustment from free-roaming life to a home, why realistic expec...
More Than a Label: Lessons from Family Dog Mediation (A Shy Dog Diary Entry)
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🎥 This episode is also available in video format on Spotify.
The longer I live with Nessie, the more I realize how tempting it is to search for one explanation for who she is.
She’s a rescue.
She’s anxious.
She’s fearful.
She may not have been well socialized.
She’s a Pointer-Lab mix.
Some of those things may be relevant. But none of them, on their own, explain the whole dog.
In this Shy Dog Diary Entry, I’m reflecting on what completin...
Behavioral Euthanasia: Charlie’s Story of Love, Safety, and Letting Go with Sarah Endres
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🎥 This episode is also available in video format on Spotify.
****A note about this episode: This conversation reflects one guardian’s individual experience with behavioral euthanasia and the difficult, deeply personal decisions surrounding it. It is not intended as guidance for other cases.****
In this deeply personal episode of Shy Dog Diaries, I sit down with dog trainer Sarah Endres of Journey Dog Training New Zealand to talk about Charlie—the deeply sensitive dog who changed the way Sarah understands behavior, safety, and what it means to advocate for a dog...
Grief, Guilt & the Emotional Side of Loving Dogs with Jill Gray, LMFT
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🎥 This episode is also available in video format on Spotify.
What happens when loving dogs also comes with guilt, grief, worry, and the constant feeling that you should be doing more?
In this episode of Shy Dog Diaries, I sit down with Jill Gray, a licensed marriage and family therapist, certified thanatologist, and grief counselor—and someone who has been an important part of my own journey.
Jill supported me through the loss of my dogs Dublin and Wicklow, who died just three weeks apart, and then through the very...
Helping Red Feel Safe: A Story of Sacrifice and Joy with Melissa Bell
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🎥 This episode is also available in video format on Spotify.
What happens when the puppy you carefully prepared for enters the world already afraid?
In this episode, I’m joined by Melissa, guardian of Red, a Goldendoodle who showed intense sensitivity and fear almost immediately after coming home. Melissa had done everything she thought she was supposed to do: researched breeders, arranged professional training and prepared for thoughtful socialization. Still, Red struggled with ordinary sounds, changes in his environment, unfamiliar people and the constant feeling that something might go wrong.
Meli...
Improving the Lives of Shelter Dogs with Laurie Lawless
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🎥 This episode is also available in video format on Spotify.
When people meet a fearful dog, it's easy to focus on what they can't do.
But what if we're asking the wrong questions?
In this episode of Shy Dog Diaries, I sit down with certified dog behavior consultant Laurie Lawless, founder of Shelter Behavior Integrations, to talk about what really happens inside shelters and why understanding behavior is the key to helping more dogs find lasting homes.
Laurie shares the story of Charlie, the rescue dog who com...
Using Nose Work to Build Confidence with Nancy Reyes
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🎥 This episode is also available in video format on Spotify.
When I first introduced nose work to my anxious dog, Nessie, I thought it would simply be a fun enrichment activity. What I didn't realize was that it would become one of the most powerful confidence-building tools in our journey together.
In this episode of Shy Dog Diaries, I sit down with Nancy Reyes, founder of For Your K9 and certified nose work instructor, to explore how scent work can help fearful, anxious, reactive, and behaviorally sensitive dogs feel sa...
Love the Dog in Front of You (A Shy Dog Diary Entry)
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🎥 This episode is also available in video format on Spotify if you want to see some of Nessie’s recent progress.
What if the biggest breakthrough with your sensitive dog isn’t fixing them—but finally understanding them?
In this episode of Shy Dog Diaries, I’m sharing a deeply personal reflection on what changed when I stopped trying to turn Nessie into the dog I imagined… and started loving the dog right in front of me.
I walk through some recent wins—from a surprisingly smooth vet visit t...
Helping Fearful Dogs Build Confidence with Dr. Kelly Lee
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In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Kelly Lee, founder of Dogkind Training, to talk about what it truly means to support fearful, anxious, and traumatized dogs.
Dr. Lee holds degrees in Zoology, Applied Behavior Analysis, and Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and she’s an honors graduate of the Academy for Dog Trainers (CTC). But what makes this conversation so powerful isn’t just her credentials — it’s her lived experience with her own deeply fearful dog, Pancake.
We talk about:
What to do when your dog simply refuses to go on wa...Understanding Anxiety in Dogs with Veterinary Behaviorist Dr. Karen Sueda
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What if your dog isn’t “difficult” or “stubborn” — but anxious, overwhelmed, and trying their best?
In this episode of Shy Dog Diaries, I sit down with board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Karen Sueda to talk about what’s really going on behind fear-based behaviors in dogs — and how we can truly help them thrive.
Dr. Sueda explains what a veterinary behaviorist does, how anxiety can show up as fear, reactivity, or shutdown, and techniques for helping fearful dogs improve. Together, we explore desensitization and counter-conditioning, trigger stacking, rest days, latent learni...
Training with Dog Genie: From Fearful to Flourishing
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In this episode, I’m joined by certified dog trainer and behavior consultant Genie Tuttle of Dog Genie to talk about helping shy and anxious dogs build confidence.
Together, we revisit Nessie’s early training days and explore how choice and agency play a powerful role in behavior work. We also talk about how nose work and scent-based enrichment can transform fear into curiosity, giving sensitive dogs a way to engage with the world on their own terms.
This is a warm, hopeful conversation for anyone navigating life with a...
Intro to Shy Dog Diaries
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In this very first episode, I introduce you to Shy Dog Diaries — a podcast about living with, training, and celebrating dogs who see the world a little differently.
You’ll hear the story of my rescue dog Nessie, how she inspired this project, and what you can expect from future episodes:
Real stories about anxious and sensitive dogsExpert interviews and lived experiencesTraining insights and positive reinforcement tipsFunny hacks and heartwarming momentsThis podcast is for anyone who has ever loved a dog with big feelings — and wondered how to support them whil...
