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Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul

Rewriting the Rules: Raising Dogs with Heart, Science and Soul

Written by: Bethany Bell
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About this listen

 A thought-provoking podcast for dog lovers and ethical professionals who want more than obedience. Hosted by Bethany Bell, creator of the Canine Dialogue Dynamics (CDD) Method, this show explores a deeper, emotionally intelligent approach to life with dogs. Weekly episodes include real-life stories, science-based insights, and powerful reflections to help you rethink behaviour and rewrite the rules—for good.Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
Episodes
  • Diet and Nutrition: Feeding Dogs for Emotional and Behavioural Health

    Diet and Nutrition: Feeding Dogs for Emotional and Behavioural Health
    Jan 8 2026
    In this episode, we explore diet and nutrition through a much wider lens than calories, protein percentages, or trends. Food does not just affect the body. It affects the gut. The nervous system. Emotional regulation. And ultimately, behaviour. We talk about why dogs are facultative carnivores, what that actually means in real life, and why carbohydrates have been so heavily misunderstood and demonised. We explore the importance of balance, individual dogs, and the type and quality of ingredients, rather than extreme or one-size-fits-all feeding rules. This episode also looks at the gut–brain connection, why feeding the same food every day can negatively affect the microbiome, and how dietary variety supports resilience, emotional steadiness, and long-term wellbeing. We unpack common pet food marketing tactics, including misleading buzzwords, ingredient list tricks, and the reality behind claims like “no artificial additives” and long lists of added vitamins and minerals. This episode is not about doing things perfectly. It is about understanding how deeply food and behaviour are linked, and how thoughtful, pressure-free choices can make a meaningful difference to a dog’s physical and emotional health. If you enjoy these conversations and want to go deeper, there are two additional podcasts each month exclusively inside my Patreon. The Patreon episodes explore the deeper emotional, relational, and philosophical layers of living with dogs through the CDD lens. We slow things down, challenge common assumptions, and talk honestly about behaviour, pressure, and what dogs actually need to feel safe and settled. If you would like to support the podcast and access those additional episodes, you can join via the link below. If you want practical guidance alongside the theory, all of my main courses include a comprehensive canine nutrition course, which is currently being fully updated and will be complete by the 1st of February. The updated nutrition course covers: • How diet affects behaviour and emotional regulation • The gut–brain connection explained clearly and accessibly • Understanding carbohydrates, protein, and balance properly • Reading ingredient lists with confidence • Avoiding common marketing traps • Feeding variety safely and thoughtfully • Home cooking options, from partial to fully prepared diets • Supporting individual dogs rather than feeding by rule The nutrition course is included as part of all of my main courses, so there is no need to purchase it separately. It is designed to remove fear, confusion, and pressure around feeding, and replace it with clarity, confidence, and calm decision-making.

    Further resources

    Free Learning:

    What is the CDD method?

    Our Free Facebook Group

    Our YouTube Channel

    Facebook Page

    Bethany’s Facebook Page

    Our Blog

    Website

    Free Rescue Course

    Take The Next Step

    Our Programmes – Work With Bethany One To One

    Our Online Courses

    Bethany’s Books

    Rewriting the Rules: The CDD Mentorship

    Online Programmes

    Surrey & Surrounding Areas- Programmes

    Student Group

    If you’re ready to step into something different - something kinder, wiser, and more meaningful - you’re in the right place.

    Let’s raise dogs with dignity. Let’s teach through connection. Let’s begin the conversation.
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    21 mins
  • When the Years Catch Up: Navigating Ageing, Presence, and Love

    When the Years Catch Up: Navigating Ageing, Presence, and Love
    Nov 20 2025

    As our dogs grow older, so do we — not just in years, but in depth, awareness, and presence. In this reflective episode, Bethany shares the emotional landscape of ageing dogs: the quiet grief that begins long before goodbye, the slowing rhythms of daily life, and the sacred shift that happens when we stop rushing and start noticing.

    With deeply personal stories of her own dogs — Steve, Dave, and Hank — this episode holds space for the beauty and heartbreak of growing old together. You’ll also hear gentle insights into the physical changes that accompany ageing, and how to support your dog with love, patience, and practical care.

    This is an episode for anyone walking beside a grey muzzle… or bracing for the day they will.

    Further resources

    Free Learning:

    What is the CDD method?

    Our Free Facebook Group

    Our YouTube Channel

    Facebook Page

    Bethany’s Facebook Page

    Our Blog

    Website

    Free Rescue Course

    Take The Next Step

    Our Programmes – Work With Bethany One To One

    Our Online Courses

    Bethany’s Books

    Rewriting the Rules: The CDD Mentorship

    Online Programmes

    Surrey & Surrounding Areas- Programmes

    Student Group

    If you’re ready to step into something different - something kinder, wiser, and more meaningful - you’re in the right place.

    Let’s raise dogs with dignity. Let’s teach through connection. Let’s begin the conversation.
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • The Myth of the Neutral Dog

    The Myth of the Neutral Dog
    Nov 13 2025

    What if the calmest dogs aren’t truly calm — just quietly overwhelmed? In this powerful and thought-provoking episode, canine behaviourist and CDD Method creator Bethany Bell explores the widely accepted, yet deeply misleading, idea of the “neutral” dog.

    You’ll learn why neutrality is often confused with emotional maturity, how stillness can signal shutdown, and why aiming for a dog who ignores the world may do more harm than good. Bethany unpacks the hidden costs of flooding and avoidance, reframes reactivity through the lens of emotional safety, and offers gentle, relationship-based alternatives rooted in dialogue, choice, and trust.

    Whether you’re a dog guardian or a professional, this episode will challenge everything you’ve been told about calmness, socialisation, and control — and help you build a more ethical, emotionally intelligent bond with your dog.
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    42 mins
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