How To Decode Your Dog & Build the Bond of Your Dreams, with Jill Breitner

Today, I am joined by the wonderful, Jill Breitner! Jill is a dog trainer, an author, and the creator of the incredibly helpful and popular Dog Decoder App. The Dog Decoder App helps pet parents and pet professionals better understand canine body language, and thereby, better understand what dogs are trying to communicate to us. And ultimately, this helps us to create better bonds with our furry companions with relationships based on trust and understanding.  Although Jill has been professionally training dogs for over 40 years, her work in this field really began in her childhood when she became keenly aware of the profound relationship that exists between humans and animals. During Jill’s time working as a veterinary technician,  her natural empathy and sensitivity allowed her to support dogs who were so fearful and aggressive that they wouldn’t let anyone else handle them. When you listen to Jill speak, you’ll understand exactly why she was the perfect person to help support these dogs, and why they trusted her. She truly has a gift. In this episode, we cover a range of topics, including: * Jill’s journey into working with dogs, which started with learning about Jane Goodall’s work with chimpanzees, and then through her personal relationship with her childhood dog, Shotsy * Shifting the paradigm in dog training * Jill’s own health journey with a cancer diagnosis, and navigating her own path through it with a food as medicine approach - for her, and then for her dogs * Connecting the dots to find your own voice, your own agency, and becoming an advocate for your dog - and yourself * Behaviour is a function of an emotion, and how you can start understanding what their behaviours are showing you * Jill shares some ways to better understand your dog’s behaviour and how to truly listen to your dog To connect with Jill and learn more about her app, please visit her website: https://dogdecoder.com, or her Instagram https://instagram.com/dogdecoder This is a beautiful conversation, and I know you’re going to love Jill as much as I do. That this episode is sponsored by Aspirationery ,which in full transparency, is another project of mine where we create books, notebooks, and stationery to support you in becoming all you aspire to be. I’m really excited to announce that we have released a Spanish language version of our popular My First Period Tracker for Young Girls and Tweens in order to increase menstrual literacy and empower young people to become advocates for their menstrual health. You can learn more about our books on our Instagram https://instagram.com/aspirationery If you are enjoying the podcast, I would be so grateful if you would consider liking, following, subscribing, and leaving a comment or review! Not only does it mean the world to me to connect with you and hear what you are enjoying, it also helps the algorithm to put the podcast in front of more people so that we can continue helping other pet parents who are looking for some support, and growing this beautiful community! And if you are interested in becoming a part of a new community dedicated to helping you become your dog’s health advocate, Stacey Renphrey of Hozho Hounds and I are launching our F.E.T.C.H. membership which is designed to teach you the same holistic framework that we use in our canine nutrition and wellbeing practices, so that you, too, can confidently take control of your dog’s health journey. Comment F.E.T.C.H., or DM me on Instagram, or send me a message on my website for more information. *Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your own veterinarian or doctor.