Barking Up the Right Tree

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Barking Up the Right Tree

We’re Julia & Dr Barbara, experienced trainers behind Barking Up the Right Tree. We help you and your dog thrive—offering support for both ends of the leash.

Science-based, kind, and deeply understanding. UK & Namibia-based.

25/08/2025

🚨 Feeling like every walk is a battle?
Good news – you don’t have to keep struggling.

Our FREE Reactivity Reset Guide gives you 3 simple steps to start calming the chaos and making walks less stressful – today. 🐾✨

✅ Quick to read
✅ Easy to try
✅ Designed for real life (no gimmicks)

🎁 Grab your copy here 👉 https://barking-up-the-right-tree.newzenler.com/f/do-this-first

Because calmer walks aren’t just possible – they start with a reset. 💛

13/08/2025

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do for your dog…
…is absolutely nothing. 😴

No training plan. No epic walk. Just a sofa, a blanket, and a proper exhale.

Because here’s the truth:
When you slow down, your dog feels it. And they need that calm energy as much as you do.

💛 Your permission slip for today:
Do less. Rest more. Call it “co-regulation.”

Drop a 🛋️ in the comments if you’re taking this seriously.

12/08/2025

You can’t pour from an empty water bowl.

If you’re feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, or just “meh,” you’re not imagining it — living with a reactive dog is emotionally demanding.

Self-care isn’t selfish. It’s the foundation that helps you:
🧘‍♀️ Stay calm in the moment
🐕 Read your dog more accurately
💡 Make better decisions for both of you

Here’s one super-simple self-care shift you can try today:
The 5-4-3-2-1 Reset

5 things you can see

4 things you can touch

3 things you can hear

2 things you can smell

1 slow, deep breath

It takes less than a minute, and it works just as well in the middle of a dog walk as it does while making a cup of tea.

What’s your go-to “reset” move when life feels like too much?

10/08/2025

Ever feel like people keep saying “You’re so strong” while inside you’re just… holding it together with snacks and swearing?

Same. 😅

This week’s YouTube Live is for every reactive dog guardian who’s tired of pretending they’re fine.

Let’s talk about real resilience - the kind that grows with support.

🎙 LIVE:
“Holding It All Together – Why You Don’t Have to Be So Resilient”
Monday | 🕐 Midday BST / 7am ET
Watch live » https://youtube.com/live/5NwYPBrdJwI?feature=share

You’re not doing this wrong. You’re just doing it alone — and that’s fixable.

08/08/2025

You don’t have to be so resilient.
(We know… that might feel weird to hear.)

But here’s the truth:
👉 It’s not that you’re not strong enough.
👉 It’s that you were never meant to hold everything alone.

This week’s Live is for the dog guardians who are tired of pushing through.

Live Topic:
“Holding It All Together – Why You Don’t Have to Be So Resilient”
Monday
Midday BST / 7am ET
Join us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/5NwYPBrdJwI?feature=share

We’ll talk about:
The problem with how resilience is usually sold
What real resilience actually looks like
Why support is the secret - not strength

This one’s gentle. And important. Come as you are. 💛

03/08/2025

Let’s be honest… the dog’s not the only one who needs calming down.

This week’s live is for every dog person who:
Feels stuck in stress mode
Blames themselves way too much
Feels like their energy is on 1% (and the dog’s on 110%)

Join us for a gentle, practical, zero-judgment conversation about what real self-care looks like for you.

5 shifts. No fluff. Big impact.

🗓 Monday | ⏰ Midday BST / 7am ET
📍 Watch live on YouTube » https://youtube.com/live/LxFnTEpw98U?feature=share

Come as you are. Pyjamas totally welcome. 💛

01/08/2025

💛 You’re allowed to take care of you.

If you're navigating life with a reactive dog, you already know the emotional toll it can take.

This Monday’s YouTube Live is just for you — the human at the other end of the lead.

🧘‍♀️ We’re sharing 5 powerful self-care shifts that are:
✔️ Totally doable
✔️ Emotionally grounding
✔️ Designed for dog people like you

📅 Monday
🕐Midday BST / 7am ET (note the later time!)
🎥 Join us here

31/07/2025

🌲 I nearly spiralled. And then… pine trees, sandwiches, and surprise kindness saved the day. 🌲

It was Thursday — the last full day Barbara and I had together before she was off to see her sister in Germany.
We’d had the best time. We were bursting with ideas. My brain was doing backflips with everything we wanted to get done.

And at the same time... I didn’t want it to end.

But Barbara’s flight was early Friday morning. Heathrow is an hour and a half away. And I needed to be ready to leave at the crack of dawn.

Cue: me in a full-blown flap.
There was no way we’d get everything done, AND make time for fun, AND pack, AND sleep.

Total internal meltdown brewing. You know the type:

"I just need to do everything at once and also not forget anything and also somehow enjoy it?!" 😅

I was not my calm, capable self.
Luckily, I had my two favourite humans at my side — Barbara and my husband Matt — and they intervened like the absolute legends they are.

Step one: A plan.
Barbara and I got our heads down and filmed a couple of videos — no nonsense, no fuss, just solid, clear, calm delivery (and they’re fab, if I do say so myself!).

Step two: A surprise.
While we were filming, Matt quietly disappeared… and came back with a fully packed picnic. 😍

Then they both lovingly insisted (okay, gently herded) me out the door — off to the National Pinetum.

“What’s a Pinetum?” I hear you ask.
Turns out… it’s a stunning collection of pine trees from all over the world.
Plus a lake. Plus open space. Plus the exact type of “green and blue” nature that calms your soul.

We ate under the trees.
We took the short walk (I know. Who even are we?).
We slowed down. We chatted. We collected pinecones and moss and leaves for dog enrichment (obviously).
And then — out of nowhere — we filmed three more videos. In single takes. Calm, clear, connected.

By the time we got home, I was packed, chilled, and actually excited for the next day. 🙌

Here’s what I learned (again 🙃):
Trying to push through panic never works.
But letting others help, getting out in nature, and slowing down... absolutely does.

Taking care of ourselves isn’t just “nice if you have time.”
It’s what makes everything else possible — including showing up as our best selves for the people and dogs we love.

So here’s your gentle reminder:
If you’re spinning out… step outside. Take the short walk.
Let someone pack the sandwiches. 💛

27/07/2025

You’re not overreacting. You’re overloaded.

If you've ever felt tense before you even pick up the lead, this one’s for you.

Join us LIVE on YouTube this Monday (an hour later than usual!) for a heart-to-heart on something that gets left out of most reactivity training:

👉 Your own emotional wellbeing.

Topic: When It’s Not Just the Dog – Caring for Your Own Nervous System
1pm BST / 8am ET
Click here to join us https://youtube.com/live/J1Wr3thQXH0?feature=share

Expect gentle truths, simple tools, and zero judgment.

25/07/2025

It’s not just your dog who’s reactive. Your nervous system is, too.

This Monday we’re going live on YouTube — and we’re talking about the other half of the reactivity equation: you.

🎙 LIVE TOPIC:
“When It’s Not Just the Dog – Caring for Your Own Nervous System"
Monday
1pm BST / 8am ET (note the later time!)
Watch on YouTube https://youtube.com/live/J1Wr3thQXH0?feature=share

We’ll explore:
How stress affects you and your dog
What co-regulation really means
Why self-care isn’t selfish — it’s essential

Whether you’re burned out, hanging by a thread, or just craving a bit of calm — we’ve got you.

Come join us. 💛

24/07/2025

Still buzzing! Our brains are full, our hearts are happy, and yes, we finally got to HUG.

What a weekend. Julia and I went to the 2025 Animal Behaviour Kent conference and yes… it was in Kent. Shocking, I know. 😄

Julia, Matt (the ever-patient husband), Hattie, and Dash scooped me up at Heathrow, we had a woodland stroll, and tucked ourselves into the most adorable cottage. The next day, off to Ashford for two days of absolute behaviour geek heaven.

Honestly, it was like being wrapped in a warm, slightly nerdy hug of science, community, and shared purpose. Every single speaker backed their training methods with actual research. And the best part?

THEY ALL CONFIRMED WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

We’re not just floating out here preaching kindness - we’re riding a tidal wave of it.

Some juicy nuggets:

🐾 Daniel Shaw reminded us we share more than emotions with our dogs – hello, skin microbiome.

🐾 Bobby Bhambree & Kathy Murphy made pain science oddly hilarious (seriously).

🐾 Andy Hale flipped resilience on its head: it’s not about toughness, it’s about access to support.

🐾 Barbara had a minor enlightenment moment watching Sarah Fisher – ACE Free Work isn’t for us… it’s for the dogs. Who knew?! (Julia. Julia knew.)

🐾 Sonya Fetherling wowed us with her game-based approach to resource guarding. And guess what? One of the games she uses... is already in our freebie! 😄Who knew our little game was so versatile? (Okay, we kinda did. But it’s always lovely to be validated by a conference speaker!)

🐾 Victoria Stilwell basically described our entire reactivity programme and called it “new.” We’ll take it 😎

🐾Suzanne Clothier - absolute legend, hilariously brilliant - shared her Enriched Puppy Programme. Barbara may or may not have sat there, nodding wildly, and thinking: “Oof. I had no idea how lucky I got with my breeder…” 😅Because honestly? This stuff should be the norm — and it isn’t (yet).

And yes… we will absolutely be unpacking all of this over the coming weeks. We’ve got so much goodness we want to share with you — let us know what you’re most curious about!

23/07/2025

Behaviour is communication.

That barking, lunging, freezing, or spinning? It might not be disobedience. It might be:
– Pain
– Fear
– Overload
– Sensory overwhelm
– Learned panic

The more we understand what’s really going on, the more we can help our dogs feel better — not just behave better.

Address

30 Linley Grove

ST72PS

Telephone

+447913757304

Website

http://www.barking-up-the-right-tree.com/, https://barking-up-the-right-tree.newzenler.com/f/do-this-first

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