What if your dog’s behaviour isn’t something to fix… but something to listen to?

In this beautifully grounding conversation, I’m joined by Miranda Wimbush, founder of The Mindful Canine, to explore what becomes possible when we slow down, soften our nervous systems, and reconnect with the wisdom that lives beneath the noise.

Miranda brings together science, intuition, and embodied awareness in a way that feels both practical and profound. We talk about dogs as mirrors, grief as an initiator, and why true change so often begins at the human end of the leash.

This is an episode for dog guardians and professionals who feel the pull toward a quieter, more connected way of being with their dogs - and with themselves.

🐾 Key Takeaways

The truth behind “fixing the dog”
Why behaviour often shifts when the human nervous system finds regulation first.

The one basic secret of intuitive connection
Slowing down enough to feel - not analyse - what’s happening between you and your dog.

Why most well-meaning dog guardians are exhausted
And how emotional release can restore capacity, clarity, and compassion.

How a simple heart-centred practice can change everything
From daily stress… to how safe and supported your dog feels with you.

The often-overlooked cost of caring deeply
Especially for pet professionals, and why boundaries and self-connection matter more than technique.

💬 Favourite Quote

“When we release some of what we’re carrying, our dogs don’t just feel it, they soften with us.”

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
00:24 Welcoming Miranda Rubush
00:54 Miranda's Background and Business
02:33 The Shift to Focusing on Dog Owners
04:26 Personal Journey and Emotional Healing
05:45 Intuitive Connection and Energy Healing
07:03 Impact of COVID on Dog Owners
08:36 Challenges Faced by Dog Professionals
11:45 Meditation and Visualization Techniques
16:08 Emotional Connection with Dogs
23:40 Conclusion and Resources

🌿 About the Guest – Miranda Wimbush

Miranda Wimbush is the founder of The Mindful Canine, where she supports dog guardians and pet professionals through holistic canine coaching and intuitive healing.

With a background as a certified professional dog trainer, veterinary technician, and HeartMath Certified Mentor, Miranda bridges practical, science-based understanding with deep inner work. Her approach helps people regulate their nervous systems, heal unconscious patterns, and reconnect with their own inner wisdom — so their dogs don’t have to carry what isn’t theirs.

Miranda’s work is especially powerful for pet professionals experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue, offering a heart-centred path toward sustainability, clarity, and trust — on both ends of the leash.

🔗 Connect with Miranda

🌐 Website: https://www.mindfulcanine.ca

🎁 Free Workshop + Call: Deepening Your Intuitive Connection Workshop & Call
(A beautiful entry point into Miranda’s work and lived experience of intuitive connection)
https://program.mindfulcanine.ca/intuitive
Use code FREEBIE

As always, to find out all about Soul Touched by Dogs, go to
👉 https://soultouchedbydogs.com

Yes… this episode should have gone out before Christmas.
And yet, there’s something quietly perfect about sharing it now, at the very beginning of January.

Because this conversation isn’t really about Christmas.
It’s about connection.
About slowing down enough to notice the magic that’s already there.
And about the kind of presence dogs offer us - especially when the world feels loud, fast, or overwhelming.

In this episode, Andy Honda invites us into life in New York City through the eyes (and paws) of her therapy dog, Koa, and into the heart behind her children’s book series Koa’s Ruff Life.

It’s gentle.
It’s grounding.
And it’s exactly the kind of story many of us need as we step into a new year.

🐾 What we explore in this episode

How a big, soulful Rhodesian Ridgeback became a certified therapy dog

What therapy dog visits actually look like - in children’s hospitals and schools for kids with special needs

Why Koa’s calm presence has such a powerful effect on children

How everyday walks through New York City turned into stories that educate, comfort, and delight

The surprising thread connecting Andy’s work as a medical executive with her storytelling for children

Why paying attention is one of the greatest gifts dogs give us

Key takeaways

The truth behind therapy dogs: It’s not about tricks or obedience - it’s about temperament, attunement, and emotional safety

Why small, ordinary moments matter: A walk, a pause, a shared smile ... this is where connection lives

How dogs help us regulate: Koa doesn’t “do” much, and that’s exactly why he helps so much

Why stories are such powerful teachers: Especially for children, learning lands best when it’s wrapped in warmth and curiosity

💬 Favorite quote from the episode

“There’s something about Koa. He has this calming presence - and an uncanny ability to sense emotion.”

About Andy & Koa

Andy Honda is a NYC-based medical executive, speaker, and lifelong animal lover. Originally from Hawaii, she brings a spirit of warmth, curiosity, and aloha into everything she creates.

Her children’s book series, Koa’s Ruff Life, is inspired by real-life adventures with her therapy dog, Koa - from Central Park mornings to holiday traditions in New York City. Together, Andy and Koa volunteer weekly with children with special needs, offering comfort, companionship, and connection.

Her latest release, Koa’s Ruff Life: Christmas Time in New York City, captures the wonder of the season, but as you’ll hear in this episode, its heart goes far beyond Christmas.

🔗 Connect with Andy

🌐 Website: https://koasrufflife.com

🌐 Author site: https://andyhondamd.com

📚 Signed books & the full series available via her website

January often arrives with pressure: new goals, new habits, new energy.
This episode offers something different.

This is an invitation to begin the year gently.
To remember that presence matters more than momentum.
And to let dogs - as always - lead us back to what’s real.

As always, to find out all about Soul Touched by Dogs, go to
👉 https://soultouchedbydogs.com

If your “sweet-as-sugar-until-a-squirrel-appears” dog can’t resist the thrill of the chase, this one’s for you.

Force-free trainer Stephanie Rombough (Happy Hounds Dog Training, Alberta, Canada) joins me to share the reward-based process behind her new book inspired by her own high-drive herder, Nera.

We dig into why chasing is so reinforcing, how to prevent dangerous rehearsals, and exactly how to teach voluntary disengagement—from “laser-eyes on bunny” to “I see it… and I choose you.”

You’ll hear how Stephanie moved from a compulsion-based upbringing in dog training to a compassionate, science-grounded approach that works for terriers, sighthounds, herders—and the humans who love them.

Key takeaways

🐾 The one mistake even experienced guardians make: starting where the dog can’t succeed. Begin well below threshold so you can reward success and build from there.

🐾 Management is non-negotiable. While you train, prevent rehearsals: leashes instead of off-leash parks, doors closed, baby gates up. Each “got it!” chase self-rewards like a biochemical jackpot.

🐾 Use functional rewards. Sometimes a dry cookie can’t compete with a river, a breeze, or a squeaky critter. Reward with what your dog actually wants in that moment (e.g., a release to sniff/splash or a fur tug to bite).

🐾 Three-phase training path:

Prompted leave-it (you cue disengagement).

Supported watching (dog looks, you cue when needed).

Voluntary disengagement (dog chooses you without prompting—keep rewarding this every time).

🐾 Replace, don’t just remove. Offer daily “legal” predation outlets—tug, chase games, scent work—so that the “prey-drive battery” drains in healthy ways.

🐾 Safety first. Keep dogs on leash during the program to prevent a full predatory sequence (chase → grab → …). Finishing that sequence makes the habit much harder to change.

🐾 How long does it take? It varies by dog and setup. Expect meaningful progress in a few weeks; solid reliability often builds over 2–3 months—and sometimes faster once the dog “gets it.”

🐾 Why “force-free won’t work with tough cases” is a myth. With the right setup, criteria, and rewards, even high-octane chasers can learn to leave wildlife (and cats!) alone.

🐾 Exactly how and what to reward: mark the moment your dog chooses you—even when you didn’t see the squirrel first. That’s the behavior you want on repeat.

Favorite quote

“Let your dog be a little wolf for 10–20 minutes a day, and they’ll be so much happier.”

About Stephanie Rombough

Stephanie Rombough is a force-free dog trainer and the owner of Happy Hounds Dog Training in Alberta, Canada. She’s best known for clear, practical tutorials and client case studies on YouTube, helping guardians turn everyday struggles into calm, connected wins. Her new book distills a decade of hands-on work into a step-by-step, reward-based system to stop chasing—without pain or fear.

Connect with Stephanie

Website: https://happyhoundsdogtraining.ca/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@happyhoundsdogtraining

Free guide: Leash Training Made Easier — https://happyhounds.myflodesk.com/leashtraining

Book: Stop the Chase — now available in print on Amazon (rolling out internationally)

As always, to find out more about Soul Touched by Dogs, go to https://soultouchedbydogs.com