From Burnout to Calm: Ditching Walk Pressure for Real Progress

You’re following the rules—daily walks, enrichment, training cues—and your dog is still barking, reacting, or melting down. What gives?
In this vulnerable solo episode of Straight Up Dog Talk, Em shares the moment she realized daily walks weren’t calming her reactive dog Fitz—they were overloading him. Instead of helping, those structured walks were feeding dysregulation and emotional chaos.
You’ll learn:
• How to spot dysregulation vs “high energy” in your reactive dog
• Why traditional dog walk advice can backfire for anxious or sensitive dogs
• Em’s step-by-step approach to rebuilding calm—without relying on walks
• Sustainable, walk-free enrichment and nervous system regulation alternatives
• How to release guilt and redefine success as a dog parent (on your terms)
Press play to reframe what it means to meet your dog’s needs—and discover new ways to support calm, connection, and behavioral wellness.

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This podcast explores real-life dog behavior and training, diving into reactivity, barking, dog anxiety, aggression, picky eating, gut health, and dog food—while unpacking enrichment, mental stimulation, supplements, calming aids, and holistic pet wellness. Whether you’re raising a rescue dog, supporting a senior dog, managing a velcro dog, or just navigating life with a dog who’s asking for more, you’ll find practical tools to build trust, strengthen communication, and create a safe, thriving life together.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Everyone told me to walk him more.
Longer walks, busier places, more exposure.
So I did. I walked him every day,
sometimes multiple times a day. And still Fitz didn't get
calmer. He didn't settle, he didn't
sleep, he didn't decompress. He paced, he barked, he

(00:23):
spiraled, he spun. And I remember thinking, what
else am I supposed to do? I'm doing everything they say to
do. Why is this getting worse?
That was the moment that I realized he didn't need more.
He needed less. Welcome to Straight Up Dog Talk,

(00:45):
the podcast where no topic is off limits and no pet parent is
left to feel alone. I'm M dog trainer, canine
nutritionist, and retired vet tech.
I'm here to talk about the real stuff, the guilt, the grief, the
breakthroughs, and everything inbetween.
Whether you're deep in the trenches or just starting your
journey, this is a safe space for big feeling dogs and the

(01:08):
people who love them. Let's get into it.
So many of us are told that a tired dog is a good dog.
More exercise, more walks, more exposure is the answer to
everything. And that messaging is so loud
that we stop listening to the one voice that actually matters,

(01:30):
our dogs. I want to talk about this
because I know what it feels like to be following the right
advice and still feel like you're drowning, still having a
dog who can't settle, still feeling like you must be doing
something wrong. This episode is for you if

(01:51):
you've ever thought I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do.
So why is my dog still struggling?
By the end of this episode, you'll walk away with a clearer
understanding of how overstimulation can look like
bad behavior, the signs your dogmay be dysregulated, not
defiant. What I did when walks stopped

(02:13):
helping Fitz and what worked better.
Permission to stop doing what isn't working and start doing
what feels right for you and your dog.
Let me take you back to when I was in the thick of it with
Fitz. He was still young, full of
energy, and reactive to everything.
Dogs, people, bikes, sounds, cars, squirrels, Ant farting,

(02:37):
you name it. Everyone said you've got to get
him out, socialize him, burn offthat energy.
And I believed them. I was already doing long walks,
but I doubled down. I tried different routes, added
training drills during walks, avoided known triggers.
It was exhausting for both of us.

(03:00):
And here's the kicker, even after an hour long training
walk, he'd come home more wired than when we left.
He would stare at the apartment door and Ace in front of the
door and up and down the apartment hallway, panting even
after water and downtime. And his eyes, They looked wild.

(03:20):
I don't say that lightly. I've worked with a lot of
animals over 30 years and I knowwhat panic looks like.
This wasn't a dog who needed more.
This was a dog who had no idea how to turn his off, switch on,
and rest, who never felt safe enough to stop scanning, who
didn't have the capacity to regulate on his own.

(03:44):
And the heartbreaking part is that I didn't realize it for a
long time, because no one ever told me that too much exposure,
too much stimulation, and too much activity can actually make
reactivity worse. So you're probably wondering,
what did you do? Well, first of all, we stopped

(04:07):
walking. Not forever, but for long enough
to breathe and get back on kilter.
And I want to say something really, really clearly here
because I know this part can feel scary.
It's OK to stop doing what everyone else says you should do
if it's not helping your dog. Instead of walks, we focused on

(04:30):
creating peaceful, structured, and an enriching environment at
home. Here's what that looked like for
us. First, predictable routines.
Meals at the same time. Doors closed when we needed a
break or to condense the space that we were allowed to be in.
Scent games. Tossing treats around the room.
Hiding food in boxes. Letting them sniff for 10

(04:53):
minutes in the yard. Window blocking window film
changed everything. The moment he stopped being
visually flooded, his nervous system had a chance to recover.
Trash enrichment, ripping up boxes, pawing through paper
towel tubes, stuff that gave himan outlet without requiring him

(05:15):
to go outside. Quiet Co regulation, just
sitting with him, breathing withhim, snuggling up with cuddles
and pets. No expectations.
Within two weeks I saw a totallydifferent dog.
He wasn't fixed, but he was finally resting.

(05:36):
And resting is where regulation begins.
We started to see real progress because we removed the pressure
on both of us. And later on when we did
reintroduce walks, we did it intentionally.
Not every day, not for miles, just little low pressure moments
that fit his window of tolerance.

(05:56):
And we worked up to that level of tolerance, and now Fitz
actually enjoys being outside because he knows he has a choice
and he knows he will be heard. I want you to know that you're
not alone in this. So many people are out here
chasing more, more, more becausethat's what they've been told to

(06:18):
do. That's what they've been told is
right. That's what they've been told
will help their dog. But your dog might not need more
exposure. They might need relief.
And if that's where you are right now, this isn't a failure.
It's a turning point if you're looking for ways to support your
dog without walks. I've got a free enrichment guide

(06:40):
that that's saved on my Instagram and on my website.
It's under free resources on Instagram and it's on our
nutrition and enrichment page onour website.
It's full of no walk, low pressure activities that you can
do today, ones that will actually help your dog regulate
instead of ramping up. If this episode resonated, I'd

(07:02):
love to hear from you. Send me Adm, send me an e-mail
at [e-mail] or share this episode with a
friend. Leave us a review on your
favorite platform. We're building a community of
pet parents who trust their instincts and love their dogs
enough to do things differently.I'll see you next time on
Straight Up Dog Talk.