Canine Dialogue Dynamics

24/06/2025

Would you go to a brain surgeon who didn’t understand how the brain works?
Would you hand over your child to a therapist who believed tears were manipulation? Be honest. No?

Then why do we keep handing dogs over to people who have no understanding of the canine brain?

This is the reality:

📌 Many so-called “dog trainers” use tools, techniques, and tactics that directly oppose what we know about emotional development, trauma, and learning.

📌 They claim to fix “behaviour problems” with corrections, collars, and fear. But all they’re doing is shutting dogs down and calling it obedience.

But the truth is this - You cannot use force and understand the brain at the same time.

Because if you did understand the brain, you’d know exactly what kind of long-term harm you’re causing.

You’d know that suppression isn’t healing. That fear isn’t learning. That control isn’t connection.

Even more disturbing?
Some of them do understand this.
They understand enough about neuroscience to know how to manipulate it.
They just don’t care.

They’re not teaching your dog.
They’re teaching you to misinterpret what you’re seeing.
To mistake submission for success.
To believe that quiet means calm.
To call fear “respect.”
They’ve inverted the truth-turned the language inside out, until you doubt your own gut.

Yes, some force-free trainers are still missing the mark.

Ethics isn’t a brand.

You can be kind in intention and still uninformed.
But many force-free professionals do understand the brain. And more than that, they respect it. They work with it. They honour the whole dog: body, mind, and emotion.

So ask yourself:

🧠 Would you let someone “train” your dog without understanding how their brain and nervous system actually work?

🧠 Would you hand your best friend over to someone who builds obedience through shutdown?

There’s a better way.
A way that doesn’t rely on suppression, gimmicks, or shortcuts.
A way that understands the brain, honours emotion, and teaches through connection, not control.

That’s what the CDD Method is built on.
And if that resonates with you- you’re not alone.
You’re just ahead of the curve.

23/06/2025

Oh I love this ♥️

I heard this dog trainer loudly ask “ don’t you want a dog that obeys your every command ?” He was on an advertisement on Social Media.

I felt myself becoming annoyed as he continued on with “ Imagine a dog that you can take anywhere ! “
I was pi**ed listening to this egotistical and authoritarian rant. The guy went on about getting your dog to do everything you want.

He doesn’t deserve a dog. He can’t see that each dog is an individual and they need some agency over their lives. My dog needn’t obey my commands because she isn’t commanded to do anything.

My Meadow is quirky and wired a bit tight ( genetics) She isn’t put into social situations that make her hate her day. Her life is too damn short to have to suffer through stupid nonsense. Why should she have to attend a crowded street fair ? Or heel directly next to me ? Why sit over and over ? She’s almost eight and that could be painful for her.

What does she gain from an experience she perceives as overwhelming ? Her body is being flooded with stress hormones ? I could train and train her until I’m blue in the face: counter conditioning, desensitization, one protocol after another. Do you know what this would accomplish?

Time gone ….. my time lost , her time lost …… all in the name of getting her to do something she doesn’t even want to do. How much time does she have ? How much time do I have ? The hourglass is tipped and sand is flowing.

I hate to swim. I just hate the entire experience. One could take me to the beach and try with everything to get me into the water. I might just do it out of guilt or peer pressure. I’m telling you that no matter what you do to get me in that water
I will not enjoy it.

My mind will go to that kid that almost drowned me in the pool when I was a child. My body will feel cold and look purple. I will fear everything that brushes up against me. It will be a day of my life that I didn’t enjoy.

I love the beach though. I love to be in the sun, the smell of sunscreen , occasionally running in the water (where I can see my feet. )The waves crash into my calves and I feel joy. I watch my children swim like mermaids and I laugh. I enjoy the beach in my own way and on my own terms. I feel respected when orhers respect my decision to not swim.

My precious dog can live a great life without the street fair or sitting at a Brewery. She likes to drive through town and see festivities from the car, she loves going into the woods and becoming lost in a world of scents. She naturally does parkour. It’s almost like a primal need to challenge herself physically. She balances across logs , does a belly crawl under a tree limb , hops the brook. I laugh watching her antics .

She reacts to my laughter by repeating an action or showing me a play bow. She has this great doggy grin too. Magic is what it feels like to communicate so deeply with this animal who can’t even form words and yet we are talking . I’m laughing and the work week slips away and the chore list somehow slip off of my mind. I am not doubting myself or incessantly feeding my dog treats. I’m not worried that I’m doing everything wrong. My emotional state influences hers. The more we enjoy life together the more content we are.

We play and live for this day. Meadow knows that when we get in the car after our hike I will ask her “ want to go get coffee. “

At this question her tail wags and she spins a circle. The coffee shop she has naturally learned to love. We never trained for it rather we went and she was allowed to do what she wanted. We just have always gone and she decides if she gets out or not.

I open the door and ask her “ Go say hi ? “ she scans and makes the choice. Normally at our favorite location she chooses to go say “hello” to people and walk up to the counter. She always gets a cookie there. On a hot day, or if she’s very tired, she will often just plop down and not want to leave the car. I say “ takeout it is “ and we do the drive through. I just get her and she gets me.

What would rigid obedience do for us ? I don’t even have the mental capacity to fill out homework sheets , discuss antecedents, rate her reactivity on a scale of 1-10 or cool to hot. I don’t want to do this to clients either. I won’t take money for a six week session when really a nice conversation over coffee could be the start of transforming their relationship with their dog.

On a rainy afternoon there will be no official training. There will be sniff games , and a walk on a nice long leash. We will both step in puddles because we always have. Sometimes I try to race my girl to the next puddle. She catches on and speeds off to be first. Just another little game that came about naturally.

That dog trainer that orders his dog around. He’s wasting so much precious time trying to impress people with a dog that looks robotic. I think we need to normalize and celebrate : doggy zooms when we get home, dogs on the furniture with us, and my favorite of all “ sudden onset dog head “ that’s when the dogs head suddenly appears when you have food 🤣 Dogs do dog things and it is why most of us adore them

Love you dog/dogs. Each dog has a unique set of needs. Prioritize relationship and happiness and watch what naturally happens to both of you. I wish you lots of joy as you unravel and revel in the wonder of your best friend.

~ Stacey

23/06/2025

Do You Want a Dog Who Can Think for Themselves - Not Just Wait for a Cue. The CDD method offers so much more than cues!

What if your dog was more than obedient?
What if they were confident, curious, capable, and calm?

Not because you trained them like a soldier…
But because you raised them like family.

Imagine a life where your dog doesn’t just respond to your words, they understand them.
Where you don’t need commands, treats, or tricks - Just trust, conversation, and connection.

This is the heart of the CDD Method.

🐾 Not training.
🐾 Not behaviourism.
🐾 Not reward charts in disguise.

This is a new way of raising dogs - a method built on relationship, not rules.
On dialogue, not domination.
On emotional intelligence, not robotic obedience.

Because your dog was never meant to be a machine.
They were meant to be a companion-
a thinking, feeling, expressive being with so much untapped potential.

And when you teach them through the CDD Method, something extraordinary happens:

🌿 They begin to bloom.
🌿 Their personality flourishes.
🌿 Their choices become thoughtful, not reactive.
🌿 And the bond between you becomes unshakable.

This isn’t a fantasy.
It’s real.
And it’s happening for people all over the world who have chosen to raise their dog differently.

📖 Start with a book. https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Bethany-Bell/author/B0D6VJJ1TM?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

🎥 Dive into a course. https://canine-dialogue-dynamics.com/courses/

📲 Follow this page and rediscover what’s possible. And subscribe to our YouTube page https://youtube.com/?si=Ydk6Nx7HzVXE_ssG

Because you don’t need a better training method.

You need a better relationship.

And that changes everything.

Welcome to Rewriting the Rules — a channel dedicated to rethinking everything we thought we knew about dogs. I’m Bethany Bell, a qualified behaviourist, ethical dog expert, and the creator of the Canine Dialogue Dynamics (CDD) Method — a gentle, intelligent, and emotionally connected way of li...

19/06/2025

A huge part of the CDD method is the way we use language. Science and studies are further solidifying what we've always known ♥️

https://www.facebook.com/share/1GR1qH892p/

A new study conducted by animal behavior and mammalian cognition experts at the Universities of Lincoln and Sussex, and Jean Monnet University, reveals that dogs may be far better at understanding human speech than previously understood.

12/06/2025

With The CDD Method We Let the Relationship Lead

There’s a common misconception that unless your dog is trained to within an inch of their life, you can’t take them everywhere with you.

Let’s unpack that.

There are countless dogs who live rich, connected lives with their humans, not because they’ve been rigorously trained, but because trust, safety, and understanding have been built organically. Through relationship, through gentle teaching and through shared experience.

Training can have its place, but it should be just one part of the picture. The rest?
It’s about guidance, emotional literacy, dialogue, mutual respect, and a deep understanding of who your dog truly is.

And if your dog doesn’t want to go somewhere, maybe the real question isn’t how to train them to comply…..but why don’t they want to go in the first place?

What are we missing? What are they trying to tell us?

The belief that a dog must be trained to go everywhere with you isn’t truth.
It’s just that- an arbitrary idea dressed up as a goal.

What if, instead, we let the relationship lead?

09/06/2025

Barking Up a New Tree 🌿

What if obedience wasn’t the goal…
And control wasn’t the answer?

What if there was a gentler way to live alongside dogs — one rooted in dialogue, connection, and understanding?

This book isn’t a training manual.
It’s a quiet rebellion.
A love letter to dogs who think for themselves.
A call to those of us who never quite fit into the world of commands and compliance.

Whether you’re raising a dog now or still healing from the old ways, Barking Up a New Tree invites you to see things differently — not just for your dog’s sake, but for your own.

🌱 For those who believe there must be another way.
🖊 For those ready to rewrite the rules.
🐾 For the dogs who’ve been waiting for us to catch up.

📖 Available now on Amazon (paperback & Kindle)
https://mybook.to/9vsgca0

30/05/2025

Yes 🙌

I recently wished all the dogmums and moms out there a Happy Mother’s Day - and the internet wasn’t kind. :(

The comments came fast: “It’s just a pet.” “Try raising a child before you call yourself a parent.” “Dogs are not kids.”

But a new peer-reviewed study by Laura Gillet and Enikő Kubinyi, published in European Psychologist (2025), offers a powerful counterpoint. Backed by neuroscience, psychology, ethology, and demographic data, the paper explores how and why many people today are caring for their dogs with the structure, emotional intensity, and long-term commitment typically associated with parenting.

This isn’t about confusing dogs with children.

It’s about acknowledging the real, deeply human bonds we form with our dogs and how those bonds are changing in a changing world.

Here’s what the research concludes - and why it matters:

You’re not imagining it. This is a real, meaningful bond.
Dogs form secure attachment relationships with their humans. They seek comfort, reassurance, and safety, just like children do with caregivers. Humans, in turn, respond with the same neurochemical and brain activity patterns we see in parent-child bonds.

Key takeaway from the research: This is a mutual, biologically grounded connection. It’s not sentimental overreach. It’s real.

Dog parenting is a valid caregiving role in today’s world.
Cultural and demographic shifts—fewer children, more urban isolation, smaller family networks—have opened up new forms of caregiving. Dogs provide many people with a way to express their nurturing instincts and build meaningful daily routines of care.

Key takeaway from the research: Loving and caring for a dog is a responsive, modern form of nurturing, not a sign of avoidance or failure.

Dog parenting is real parenting—just in a different form.
From parenting styles to baby talk, from new-owner anxiety to the emotional labor of raising a well-adjusted dog, the parallels with raising children are clear. Even the concept of “puppy blues” mirrors the post-partum “baby blues.”

Key takeaway from the research: The caregiving work you do for your dog is valid, structured, and emotionally demanding. It deserves recognition.

Loving your dog like family doesn’t mean you’re confused about species.
Using phrases like “dog mom” or “fur baby” doesn’t mean people think their dog is literally a child. The paper is clear: this language helps express the depth of the relationship. It’s a metaphor - often the best one we have - for the love and responsibility that comes with caring for a dog.

Key takeaway from the research: Parenting language reflects emotional truth, not confusion.

People love their dogs for many reasons. And all of them are valid.
Whether someone has children or not, whether they see their dog as a child, a friend, or a companion, the bond is shaped by their life experience, values, and needs. There is no one story, and no wrong one.

Key takeaway from the research: However you describe your relationship with your dog, it’s yours. And it’s enough.

Finally, while the researchers didn’t cover this explicitly, other research has shown that giving you dog love and affection does not cause separation anxiety. So feel free to cuddle away. Your love is a very natural and normal response - and good for you both.

28/05/2025

This very handsome boy was struggling with his confidence going up some types of stairs. Specially, he didn't feel confident going up stairs with gaps in them.

This is his first session using the CDD method. There was no agenda to get up to go up the stairs here (which do have gaps). We started the session with a calm walk without any steps, and introduced dialogue. We showed him the concept of stepping up on small curbs and logs, but also the concept of choice. That it was his choice. If he didn't want to step up, he didn't have to.

As we approached the stairs, we didn't expect him to take any interest. But to our amazement - he did! He started by showing us what he had learnt with one step, then two, then three! We offered him plenty of breaks, and choices, that he could stop at any moment. A few times he wanted to come back down, so we did. We gave him choices. He chose to go up a few more steps, then paused and watched. Then he would go back down to the bottom. We offered him the choice to go another way, if the steps where to much for him, he chose to keep going. He was amazing!

During the second half of our session he went up and over the entire set of steps about 5 times! He also heard several trains go past, and took it his stride.

His caregiver had tried to get him to overcome the steps through training in a variety of ways that involved using treats. The difference here is that we didn't train him to do this, there was no pressure. He didn't have to earn the treats by going up the steps. He got some treats anyway, because he wanted some, but he didn't have to earn them. We didn't expect him to even show interest of trying the steps in this session, there was no expectation, no agenda. But he did. Because he felt no pressure, and he felt confident in himself, and in us.

He may find steps a little tricky to navigate in a few days, and that's ok, we will continue to go at his pace. Or he may have overcome his fear of them, now he has conquered them.

Either way, he did such an amazing thing! He worked with his emotions, and he expressed them very clearly! ♥️