Walkin’ & Talkin‘

Welcome to Walkin’ and Talkin’, where I take slow, sniff-filled walks with my dog and overthink everything out loud so you don’t have to. These videos are part walking journal, part training talk, and part "what was I saying again?" Expect unscripted thoughts, practical tips, and the occasional tangent about something only loosely related to dogs. It’s not polished, but it’s real—and hopefully helpful. So grab a tea, let’s wander and wonder together.

With four dogs—each with their own quirks, needs, and walking styles—you’ll see just how much variety there is in real-life training and enrichment. From the speedy adventurer to the slow-motion sniffer, every walk gives you a peek into different personalities and how I adjust things like cues, routines, and expectations to fit each one. Because when it comes to behaviour and body language, one-size-fits-all just doesn’t exist.

People Watching With Ella

The best training looks very boring from the outside looking in and people watching can be hard for people who are used to giving their dog cues and prompts. In this video I’m hanging out with Ella capturing her attention and working on building calm.
High Levels of Arousal and Responding to Cues
To Recall or Not To Recall with Ella May 2024

Weighing the pros and cons of calling your dog when you’re teaching good recall.
No Engagement, no problem: Letting Ella Just Be May 2024
First Park Day of 2025: Ella and Attention Around Major Distractions

A walk in the park working on building engagement around serious distractions.
Why We Practice: Reactivity

Lucy and I had an unexpected training opportunity with a dog she’s not a fan of.
Reward Placement with Hank

Talking about the importance of reward placement for clarity and consistency.
Lucy at The Vet: How I keep her engaged with me

Going to the vet is an unpleasant experience for all. Put your training to use and engage with your dog! Keep them occupied just like you would with a 3 year old waiting at the pediatrician’s office.
Leaving them to watch and want to investigate is not good for anyone.
More Capturing! Recall Off Leash with Ella

Eventually I want Ella’s recall to be as good as Hazel’s. So I am really preserving the cue “here” until we’re farther along. I don’t want to risk her ignoring the cue.
Treat tossing is a really fun way to engage and train.
- Reward Placement
Bloopers: Confusing Lucy and Myself with Bad Luring

This is why I say: practice without your dog and film yourself. It’s also why filming takes me so long.
Confusing Lucy and Myself with Bad Luring
Ella & Frogs 3 🐸 Value, Focus & Attention

Talking value, capturing and wrapping up a 20 minute walk/training around frogs.
Ella & Frogs 2 🐸 Value, Motivation, Recall

Really great frog walk with Ella!! She hadn’t eaten dinner and I had high value treats BUT that alone wouldn’t be enough 99% of the time. Frogs trump everything. That’s why we train the pattern under easier conditions.
To measure progress, we look at frequency and duration. For Ella, I want a decrease in the time she spends in the water before checking in or responding to a well known cue like “Ella”.
Ella & Frogs 🐸 Recall, Motivation, Value

Training is preparing your dog for the moment. Not putting them in the moment over and over, practicing failure.
Without that under threshold work, no amount of food will help. And without addressing Ella’s health issues, none of this pound be possible.
Part 1 of 3
Reactivity: Management, Patterns, Trigger Stacking

A typical walk for many reactive pups. Lucy and I went hit the trail on the first warm day of spring. Unfortunately we ran into a lot of people (which I expected) but all at once!!
Rewards, Placement & Some Heeling
Leash Walking Cues: What I Use & What They Mean

Breaking down some cues and behaviours I use for leash walking. Dogs pulling on leash is totally normal behaviour and we need to understand that there are a ton of different reasons why
Barking Dogs, Walking Dogs and Name Recognition with Hank

Hank and I hit the Tay Trail. We work on name recognition, engagement, deal with barking dogs and walking dogs. Oh and I almost forgot, picking up poop.
Loads of Check-Ins from Ella

Ella and I did not have a great relationship and walks were not fun no matter where we went. She ignored me, wouldn’t take food, was often stressed and reactive.
We’ve come such a long way but there’s more work to do. On the Tay Trail on the first warm day in March, I was surprised to get so much engagement. Nothing too exciting here.
Stop, Go. Check-Ins with Hazel

Some thoughts on using the stopping method for leash walking. It is useful for teaching a dog to walk nicely on leash but as with everything, it’s not so cut and dry. We also pass a dog which never happens around here!!
Bonus: Lots of moments where I forget what I was saying. Classic.
Managing Pulling On Leash by Walking in Circles

Walking in big circles is another method of managing pulling on leash and teaching a dog to walk nicely.
U-Turns with Hazel: Making Moves

In this clip, Hazel and I demo a few casual U-turns after our walk. You’ll see how Hazel responds in real time and why reward placement is vital.

Walkin’ & Talkin‘

Christine Adams