How to Not Fu*k Up Your Dog
Do I need a dog trainer?
This eBook was created to help you answer that question.
Hello! My name is Euphame McDonald and after a decade of coaching both dogs and their humans, here's what I've learned:
Sometimes, training isn't the answer.
Sometimes, all it takes is a shift in perspective to change everything.
When stress, confusion, or frustration enter the picture, it doesn’t just affect you, it affects your dog too. And before long, you can find yourselves stuck in a cycle of tension, miscommunication, and behavioural issues that don't make sense.
This eBook shares my approach to working with dogs and their people. It’s designed to give you insight into what might really be going on and what working with me could look like.
What you’ll learn inside
This eBook was designed to support you in:
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Understanding sudden or ongoing changes in your dog’s behaviour
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Using co-regulation to create calmer, clearer communication
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Seeing how your mindset and energy shape your dog’s responses
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Building a more confident, connected relationship with your dog
This approach blends my background in professional dog training with my experience as a therapeutic coach, bringing both practical tools and emotional insight into your journey with your dog.
Chapter 01
Getting the Basics Right
A healthy dog needs the right balance of sleep, food, exercise, stimulation, and social contact. That balance will look different depending on the dog’s breed.
Chapter 03
Co-Regulation
Whether we like it or not, our dogs are constantly co-regulating with us. Co-regulation is a natural process that happens between mammals. It’s how we build healthy, cooperative social bonds.
Chapter 05
Your Beliefs
Whether conscious or unconscious, your beliefs influence your nervous system, your energy, your posture, your tone of voice and, ultimately, your outcomes.
Chapter 02
Language of Energy
Dogs don’t just bark or wag their tails to communicate, they speak with energy. This energy flows through subtle shifts in their body language, their intentions, emotions, and their very presence.
Chapter 04
Our Nervous Systems
Your dog has a nervous system that’s constantly scanning the world, trying to confirm one question, ‘Am I safe’? The thing to remember is that your nervous system is doing exactly the same.
Chapter 06
Dog Personalities
It's a dogs temperament that really tells the story and just like people, every dog has their own quirks, odd habits, and charming ways of being.
