HeartDog with Janet Finlay and Michelle Dart

13/08/2024

I’ve been reflecting lately on just how much physical wellbeing contributes to emotional health and wellness. I know it from my own experience and from observing our dogs. And of course this is now widely recognised by canine professionals - at least those who are focused on the experience of the dog.

But what we don’t always consider is that physical wellbeing is a very complex thing. It includes consideration of illness, injury, nutrition and fitness, all of which influence each other.

Getting to the bottom of a physical health issue is not easy. There may be multiple symptoms to consider - sometimes these are linked in an obvious way but sometimes not.

I have been trying to get to the bottom of my own physical symptoms for over two years. I can’t fault the NHS at all. I have had referrals to at least three different hospital departments, MRI and CT scans and a whole bank of tests and, though we have ruled out lots of things and found a cause for a subset of symptoms, the majority are still unexplained (more tests to come and dietary changes - I am hopeful!).

But if this is how difficult it can be to untangle the physical health of a human who is able to articulate what the symptoms are, when they occur and how and where it hurts, what chance does a vet have of establishing the physical health of a dog in a 10 minute check-up?

When we ask our clients to have a vet check before a behaviour consultation, getting the all clear does not mean the dog is not experiencing pain or illness. It means that there were no obvious signs in that moment.

Gut issues may not result in changes in p**p or temperature but that doesn’t mean the gut is healthy. Joint issues can be masked by raised adrenaline. And some dogs are exceptionally stoical. Being in pain does not always stop movement or play - especially when it is chronic.

This is in no way a dig at vets. They have an impossible task and can’t practically do extensive testing when they are asked for a simple health check.

But as professionals we often see dogs over a more extended period and need to always keep physical health in mind, even if a vet has declared the dog healthy.

Asking guardians to keep a diary can be really helpful, looking particularly at changes in behaviour through the day, when these occur and what might be triggering them. Does behaviour change happen after eating, for example, or before? Are things better before a walk or after?

We can look at posture, gait, coat patterns, as we do in ACE, to note anything unusual.

And as we gather this data, we can look for patterns that can help our client’s vet get a broader picture to inform their diagnosis.

Not every behaviour concern is a result of physical illness but improving physical health and wellbeing will always improve emotional wellness.

11/08/2024

You are what makes your business successful.

You're what makes your business unique. And you have a message that no one else can bring to the world.

You have a unique combination of experiences, skills and knowledge that no one else in the world has. No one else can do it, but you.

Does that make you feel empowered or uncomfortable?!

When I ran a workshop on this topic, I could see the doubt and resistance to this statement wash across a lot of faces.

But it’s true. You really are your best asset - and you’re worth looking after.

I’d love to help you see just how much of an asset you are. So I’m gifting you free access to this workshop so you can celebrate and appreciate just how awesome you really are.

And so you can treat yourself like the asset to your business that you are.

Get instant access here 👇

Reveal 5 transformative actions that’ll grow your confidence and fuel your business success. Your future self will thank you for signing up.

09/08/2024

What’s in your power up jar? 👀

Power ups are small daily actions that don’t take a lot of effort but that fill your cup on a regular basis.

You can do them while you wait for the kettle to boil. In the first few minutes when you wake up or just before you go to bed.

And they don’t cost a penny to do.

Why do them?

Well, because they deliver little shots of pleasure, strength, courage or connection. And they stack up to make you feel happier, more capable and more energised.

🎶It could be dancing to music while you wash the dishes.
🎤Singing your lungs out when nobody else is around.
📞It might be phoning a loved one for a chat
🌒Standing outside and gazing up at the moon
🌅Going for a walk alone and relaxing
🎞Look through old photos that make you happy
💬Sending a text to connect with someone you care about

Power ups are personal.

They’re the things that fill YOUR cup.

So we’d love to help each other out with ideas and inspiration. Will you share your powerups in the comments and help lift the spirits of our community?

08/08/2024

Can't quite believe that our community here at HeartDog is two years old today!

It has been an interesting journey so far. We have had our ups and downs but we are so proud of what we have built together so far and we are grateful to every one of you for being here and sharing our vision of wellbeing for dogs, their people and the pros who support them.

We have lots in store for the next 12 months:

❤ Our second HeartDog Winter Summit at the end of the year
❤ A new Wellbeing toolbox coming next Spring
❤ Our Reframing Reactivity Pro Course for self study opening in September
❤ More in person courses - we are currently planning for 2025 so let us know if you'd like to host us!
❤ And a new top secret project from Michelle which will bring her special brand of in person coaching to dog guardians in the North East...

We are also continuing to grow our online mentorship programme Connect, with special guest speakers, canine education, business support and personal coaching - plus an exciting ongoing case study to really help you see what is possible with your business.

🥳 🥳 But to celebrate our 2nd birthday and thank you for being here with us we would also like to give you a 20% coupon to be used on ANYTHING! That is 20% off any of our existing products for this week only. Just enter the coupon code HD2ND and your 20% will be automatically deducted. 🥳 🥳

Here's to the next year!

Janet & Michelle x

07/08/2024

You are a human being, not a human doing.

This fabulous quote is from Wayne Dyer and right now, it’s a much needed reminder that being is as important as doing.

We know many in our community are feeling stressed out, running on fumes and perhaps even on the edge of burnout. It’s been a rough few years and that takes its toll.

But there are things you can do to relieve some of the pressure and fill up your resilience tank.

Sadly, we can’t completely avoid pressure or difficult situations, but we’re not powerless to take action that’ll help us feel better.

Wellbeing for humans is as important as wellbeing for dogs. And though we’re all dedicated and passionate about improving the welfare of animals, our own welfare can’t take a back seat if we want to help others.

Before we say the two words that are oh so familiar yet so hard to prioritise… let us first say this is NOT a luxury. It’s a priority.

So tap into our latest blog, 5 reasons self care needs to be a priority and grab your free masterclass while you’re there.

Self care is critical, not just for your own wellbeing but to enable you to help others. Discover how to do it well… & why a bubble bath isn’t enough.

05/08/2024

"Self care is building a life you don't need to regularly escape from" Brianna Wiest

4 stories that lead you to ignore or underestimate self care 👇

1️⃣ Your inner critic’s running the script
2️⃣ It feels selfish
3️⃣ You don’t have the time
4️⃣ It feels pointless or impractical

Self care is anything but these 4 things. It’s very practical, very important, and very beneficial to others for you to take care of yourself first. And to tackle number 1 - you are worth it, no matter what your critic says.

Which of these stories stands between you and prioritising your wellbeing? Or is it something else entirely?

Let us know in the comments. 👇

02/08/2024

We’ve been MIA for a bit thanks to COVID but we’re slowly getting back to work and we’ve got some exciting things to share with you.

What would you say if we told you “You’re your best asset”?

Does it make you feel uncomfortable? Perhaps wonder what it even means? Or maybe you know it’s true but making time to treat yourself like an asset feels like an ungraspable luxury.

Here’s the truth 👇

Your potential to help others is wrapped up in your wellbeing first and foremost.

If you’re not taking care of you, it will be having a direct impact on your business (and everything else).

So we invite you to carve out some time for you and grab our free masterclass right now.

You will get:
✅Immediate, lifetime access to the masterclass - completely free
✅A bonus workbook so you can implement the strategies that make the difference
✅5 practical actions to take to boost your confidence and embed genuine self-care in your life.

You're worth making the time for - just hit the link in the comments to get instant access and make some space to invest in YOU!

02/04/2024

Today is and we are very happy to celebrate it here at HeartDog!

Whaaat? I hear you say. Surely ensuring our dogs get ample walks each day is part of properly caring for them and meeting their needs?

Yet increasingly, positive, qualified trainers (including Niki French who started this day) are recommending not walking dogs - especially those who are sensitive, highly aroused or fearful.

So what is it all about? Essentially it is about meeting our dog's needs in the most appropriate way rather than being tied into a particular activity.

And a great way to do this is the . Read more here: https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/blog/deconstructeddogwalk

01/04/2024

Just want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who supported our sale in whatever way. We have smashed our target and we have been able to book Molly in for the repairs. She should be back on the road in the next few weeks!

We are so grateful for your trust in the products we have, your patience with us having another sale so soon after Black Friday and your kind thoughts and wishes for Molly!

It is is good to know we are not the only ones who get stupidly attached to a vehicle!

We'll keep you posted on progress and share some photos when she is back on the road.

And we are planning our first road trip on the new engine - so let us know if you'd be up for hosting a workshop with us or just meeting for a coffee and we can take it from there!

31/03/2024

Quick reminder: our sale ends at midnight tonight!

Don't forget to get your 40% discount off all our courses, toolboxes and Connect mentorship.

Go to https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/store and use the coupon code SAVEMOLLY at checkout before midnight UK time.

30/03/2024

As the end of our epic SaveMolly sale approaches, Janet, we wanted to look in more detail at our Trainer Toolboxes so you can take full advantage while the sale is still on.

Our trainer toolboxes contain EVERYTHING you need to up level your current puppy, adolescent and reactivity courses. Whether you work with groups or individual clients, in person or online they can instantly enhance both your client’s results and their motivation.

People learn best in a huge variety of ways and it’s hard to cater for everyone without the right resources to back up your coaching:

Visual learners may need to see things several times over before they can take action successfully themselves.
Kinesthetic learners need to practice actually doing things in order for information to sink in fully.
Auditory learners absorb information best when they can hear what is being taught without having to multitask at the same time.
And then there are the learners who thrive only when they have the chance to read information and write things down as they go.

Imagine teaching a class and trying to incorporate all of those learning styles into a single session every week!

In reality that’s what so many of us are facing and it’s not a surprise that week after week people come back asking the same questions, having practiced things that weren’t really what you were aiming for or are confused about what to do next and have halted their progress while they wait to find out.

All of these common issues can be solved by having the right resources in place to back up your teaching.

Videos that are concise and to the point, clearly demonstrating the key steps without distraction that can be watched time and time again by your clients and everyone in their family, ensuring everyone is working in the same way and understands just what to do.

Handouts and workbooks to work through and support understanding, planning and reflection.

Innovative ideas to make training more fun and motivating so clients engage more with the learning process.

Of course it can take a long time to put such resources together yourself which is where the Trainer Toolboxes come in - we have spent years creating high quality, easy to understand resources that clients love. And everything can be customised to suit your brand.

It’s an instant upgrade to your business that will not only impact your individual clients' success but also that of you as a professional and business owner.

Aside from the student resources there are also resources in each toolbox that you can use to attract the right clients to you in the first place as well as recorded coaching modules to support you with the business side of things and the tech that so often holds professionals back from achieving their goals.

We have you covered as full support will be given as you implement the content in your business.

We know you’ll be just as excited as we are when you see the HUGE amount of content in each of our iconic toolboxes. So take a sneak peak inside them and see just what you could be utilising in moments.

• Puppy Power Toolbox Contents: https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/content-list-puppy-power-toolbox

• Thriving Teen Toolbox Contents: https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/content-list-thriving-teen-toolbox

• Reframing Reactivity Toolbox Contents: https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/RRcontentlist

See you on the inside! You can still get these at 40% using the coupon code SAVEMOLLY at checkout at https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/store.

29/03/2024

We hope you are all ready for the long weekend (a holiday here in the UK).

We are taking time out for an eclectic mix of an amigurumi crochet workshop followed by a rare theatre trip all booked months ago as a birthday treat for us both.

But before we head off we’ve had a few questions so we thought we’d answer the top ones here.

1. Do you have a bundle to buy all the toolboxes together? Yes - we have these on the site on our https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/store page, which is also linked from the website menu.

You can get all three toolboxes or the three plus the Pro course as a bundle with even more discounts. We’ve also bundled the other most popular combinations but if there is anything else you want, but don’t see, let us know!

2. Have the live sessions for Reframing Reactivity 2.0 Pro Course already started? Yes the course is running now but you have access to all of the recordings so far and will have another 5 live classes plus ongoing support classes going forward.

And of course you also get the whole 10-module syllabus and the Pro community group where you can get support and advice from over 200 colleagues from all over the world.

3. There is so much here - I am finding it hard to see everything available. Is there a summary anywhere? We have the Store page which gives a quick way to access all the offers. So if you want to browse what is available, compare prices etc. then head over there - linked at the top of the website. Full details of the programmes and products are still on the separate pages.

4. Love the look of your Connect mentorship. Can I join anytime? We’ve been asked this a few times so we have simplified things and opened up Connect as a monthly, join anytime membership. But until the end of March you can join and get your first three months at 40% off. So this is the perfect time to join us - we’d love to have you!

5. What do you mean when you say Connect is a mentorship rather than just a membership? In Connect we focus on giving you opportunities for awesome education. But we also know that without action, this is so much less effective. So most of our sessions are now focused on action taking - getting you to move forward with clients, self and business, helping you through when the barriers seem unsurpassable.

We will coach you and support you every step of the way - you just need to be willing to take action.

6. When does your sale end? These offers are available until Midnight on Sunday 31st March UK time. So make sure you don’t miss out!

7. How do I get the discount again? Enter the coupon code SAVEMOLLY at checkout. You will see the price reduced by 40% so you know the coupon has been applied.

Hope that helps answer your questions. Remember visit https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/store and enter the coupon code SAVEMOLLY at checkout.

28/03/2024

Our final offer in the sale is our Connect Pro Mentorship at 40% off for the first 3 months.

Connect is more than a membership. It is a month-by-month mentorship for dog professionals that is built on three pillars:

-- expanding your canine knowledge and expertise within the framework of wellbeing for all
-- developing your skills and mindset as a CEO of your business so you can get past the blocks that hold you back
-- growing your business to reflect who you are and create the success you want, whatever that looks like.

Each month we run:

-- An insightful Masterclass with a guest expert covering one of the pillars
-- A deep dive support session, including canine case studies, business hot-seats, wizardry and professional coaching supervision.
-- A community power hour, where we harness the know-how of the group to answer your most pressing questions.
-- An informal Drop In session where you can connect with like-minded colleagues who have your back and want to see you succeed.

You also get access to incredible Unbranded Resources to use with your clients - including short, high quality Video Courses, handouts, ebooks, games and more.

Plus you get a vault of past trainings and masterclasses to support you on all aspects of what you do.

And if all that wasn’t enough you get to be part of a wonderfully supportive, knowledgeable and empowering community of like-minded professionals who will encourage and celebrate you every step of the way.

You won’t feel alone again.

Join us now and create the shift you’ve been looking for. Your minimum commitment is just 1 month - and with 40% off for three months - there has never been a better time to try it out.

There is no ongoing obligation - stay as long as you like or jump in for a month or two and have a bingefest!

Visit https://www.heartdogtrainers.com/joinconnect2023 for all the details and use the coupon code SAVEMOLLY at checkout to get 3 months at 40% off.

27/03/2024

The third great offer we have in our sale is our revamped and updated Reframing Reactivity 2.0 Professional Course.

This course has been a game changer for hundreds of professionals already and restarted in 2024 with new content and a fresh look at reactivity through the wellbeing lens.

Professionals like Jodi who said "This course literally changed the way I see dogs. I have been in the industry for almost 10 years and my understanding of dogs has gone to a level I never expected. If I could have taken this course 10 years ago I would easily be my provinces’ leading expert in reactivity."

Of course our Reframing Reactivity programme was always innovative and mindful of the needs of both dogs and their people - but in this edition we take this up a level, drawing on all the new thinking and education we have taken on board over the past couple of years.

The course is running with live teaching sessions until May and ongoing monthly case study sessions.

You get immediate access to the full 10-module syllabus and the private Facebook group where you can get to know other trainers in the community.

And you have the opportunity to get your badge as a HeartDog Approved Canine Reactivity Specialist.

If you want to uplevel your knowledge and skills and provide the best and most comprehensive support for your reactivity clients, confirm your place on the Reframing Reactivity Pro course today.

Visit our website heartdogtrainers dot com (see commentsfor direct link) for all the details and use the coupon code SAVEMOLLY at checkout.

26/03/2024

Next on the roster for our sale, Janet, are our exciting Trainer’s Toolboxes!

These have been enhanced and revamped and are offered on a new server which provides a much better user experience and epic search functionality.

Not come across our Trainer’s Toolboxes before?

These contain a huge selection of incredible, high quality resources for force free canine professionals that will instantly enhance your students’ learning experience and ensure they reach their full potential throughout their time learning with you.

From unbranded high definition video tutorials to thorough handouts, ebooks, presentations, workbooks and more, each of our toolboxes have EVERYTHING you need to make constructing fantastic, transformational coaching programs effortless.

Having ready to go epic resources available at your fingertips frees you up to be doing the things that you love the most - working with dogs and their families directly whilst knowing they are receiving excellent support behind the scenes too.

So many trainers from across the world have already had amazing results utilising the resources in both their in person and online training programmes and we’re excited to be offering them again.

Trainers like Anita who said "Exactly what I needed to take the next step and work smarter not harder. Using all these professionally created videos and handouts saves so much time which means I can focus on what I`m good at and enjoy: Teaching. Thank you!!"

Choose from the Puppy Power, Thriving Teen and Reframing Reactivity Trainers Toolboxes - or get a bundle for any two or all three! Three-month payment plans are available for all of these at the 40% discount!

Visit our website at heartdogtrainers dot com for all the details and use the coupon code SAVEMOLLY at checkout.

25/03/2024

It’s the last week of our sale and we wanted to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has already jumped in.

We are currently half way to our target which is awesome - so much closer to getting Molly back on the road.

In case you missed it, Molly is our much-loved hand-built camper van. She represents freedom and adventure and joy for us.

And she is key to our vision of being able to travel and film in different locations especially as we are putting together our new Wellbeing toolbox this year.

But she is currently off the road and needs a new engine!

So we decided to run a special sale to get her going again - our sale! Until the end of March you can get 40% off everything we have on our website, including all instalments of payment plans and the first 3 months of a Connect subscription!

Over the next few days we’ll be giving you a reminder of all the goodness we have available for you.

First off, we have an awesome collection of recorded workshops and masterclasses, taught by Janet over recent years. Structured as self study courses, you will have lifetime access and be able to watch and rewatch at any time.

These are the short courses and workshops available:

A full length recorded TTouch workshop: learn how to use TTouch to support your own dogs and client dogs (this is for personal use and use in your work but does not qualify you to teach TTouch).

Your End of the Lead Masterclass: a recorded one day Masterclass based on Janet’s best selling book, looking at the human side of reactivity.

Three ACE workshops, available individually or as a bundle that includes ACE Essentials, ACEing Reactivity and Geeking ACE.

Chaos to Connection: Janet’s flagship online program for guardians struggling with their dog’s reactive behaviour.

All of these have a massive 40% off all this week so get along to to our website heartdogtrainers dot com (link in comments) AND ENTER THE COUPON CODE SAVEMOLLY to grab yourself a huge bargain!

15/03/2024

Do you have a vision for your life and business?
Do you know what you want it to look like?
Designing your business to be aligned with your heart is a core part of what we teach our students: it is what allows us to give our best to the world without sacrificing our own wellbeing.

When we started HeartDog we knew we wanted to spend part of our time travelling, going from place to place, hanging out with friends, filming for new toolboxes, chilling with each other and the dogs, working on the road. Molly, our beautiful hand built camper van, is an important part of that vision and we have built our business so that we can run it wherever we are.

But life over the last few years had other ideas: family illnesses, bereavement, moving house (twice!), poorly dogs and a new puppy have all meant that we have spent less time in Molly than we had hoped over the past two years and 2024 was looking like finally we’d be in a position to follow the dream.

Then disaster struck! About an hour into the 8-hour journey down to Devon, Molly suddenly lost power and ground to a halt on the side of the road. It took the RAC man just a couple of minutes to identify the problem - the engine was making the characteristic clattering of a big end bearing failure. We were recovered home and to cut a long story short, Molly now needs a new engine and around £7K of repairs!

We cannot abandon Molly. She is sound in body and designed inside just for us. And without her we cannot do the filming trips we need for the toolboxes or live our aligned life.

So we have decided to run a special sale to raise funds: our sale. Everything on our website is now 40% off - Toolboxes, courses, even our Connect membership (40% off for 3 months).

We have ACE and TTouch workshops, our reactivity courses for guardians and Professionals, the Puppy, Teen and Reactivity toolboxes and Connect where you can get mentoring, business support and CPD all in one place.

So if you have missed out on previous sales and you are looking for resources to support your clients or growth opportunities for yourself, take a look at our store at heartdogtrainers dot com (clickable link in the comments). Enter the coupon code SAVEMOLLY at checkout to get 40% off, whether you want a payment plan or to pay in full.

You have until the end of this month to grab yourself a bargain and help us save Molly in the process!

Thank you all so much. And don’t forget to follow your own dream!

01/02/2024

When we have a dog who struggles with something in their environment - whether it is other dogs, unknown people, vehicles or something else - it can be isolating and frustrating for us. We can't always do the things we had hoped to do and we may feel like we are the only one and think what did we do to deserve this?!

We really do need all the support we can get!

How does FREE access to an absolute treasure trove of resources designed especially for guardians of dogs who can react sound?

From nutritional advice to mindset through to expert dog training and even veterinary advice… you can access it all - completely free.

I am delighted to be taking part - my interview where we talk about ACE, supporting guardians and more - airs on 2nd March but before then there are dozens of incredible experts who Barking Up The Right Tree have brought together to help reactive dogs and their humans ALL. OVER. THE. WORLD.

It’s a virtual event that you can access from your inbox, so you can watch wherever you are and tap into a wealth of unseen sessions that I know will blow your mind.

>>> Sign up and save your free place here: https://barking-up-the-right-tree.newzenler.com/f/summit-24

Barbara Paterson and Julia Hawkins of Barking Up The Right Tree have gathered an astounding line up of expert dog geeks for you.
But perhaps most importantly, you should know this. 👇

They have done something very different with this…. It’s fun. It’s simple. It makes the hard stuff make sense.

And if that hasn’t got you frantically searching for the sign up link, just take a look at the line up…

Zak George, Susan Garrett, Ian Dunbar, Michael Shikashio, Grisha Stewart, Kim Brophey, Robyn Hood, Andrew Hale, Dr Edward Bassingthwaite, Kamal Fernandez, Linda Michaels, Dr Isla Fishburn, Julia Robertson, Anushree Thammanna, Hélène Lawler, Stephanie Zikmann, Deb Bauer, Clair Hickson, Tracey McLennan, Laura Maulbetsch, Team R+ Gundogs, Sowjanya Vijaynagnar, Tom Candy, Niki French, Victoria Shepherd, Emma Parsons, Cathy Slot, Jess Adams, Alexa Capra, Meghan Barrett, Dr Janet Finlay, and your hosts Dr Barbara Paterson and Julia Hawkins

The sign up link again for you >>> https://barking-up-the-right-tree.newzenler.com/f/summit-24

Please feel free to share with anyone you think could use some motivation and inspiration this winter. See you there.

I hope you’ll enjoy this awesome free event as much as I enjoyed being a part of it!

23/12/2023

HeartDog Holiday Countdown Day 23: Receiving support

22/12/2023

HeartDog Holiday Countdown Day 22: Support for your dog

19/12/2023

HeartDog Holiday Countdown Day 19: Connection for you

18/12/2023

HeartDog Holiday Countdown Day 18: Connection for your dog

17/12/2023

HeartDog Holiday Countdown Day 17: Reframing for you

16/12/2023

HeartDog Holiday Countdown Day 16: Reframing for your dog