When Dogs Are Never Naughty | A Different Take on Canine Leadership | Judy Comer Calder | The Devon Dog Lady

This episode explores a completely different perspective on dog guardianship through my conversation with Judy Comer-Calder, The Devon Dog Lady, whose philosophy centres on one core belief: dogs are never naughty - they're always doing their best.Judy works primarily with humans rather than dogs directly, believing most behavioural problems stem from humans accidentally teaching unwanted behaviours. We discuss her views on hierarchical leadership, why she thinks excited greetings and play can create problems you don't want later, and how "crazy thoughts" about our dogs - like assuming they understand when we've "told them before" - create the very issues we're trying to solve.We explore her height and territory approach to leadership, including why she asks clients where their dogs sleep when addressing behavioural problems, her belief that jumping up stems from insecurity rather than dominance, and why she thinks anthropomorphising our dogs leads us astray. Judy explains how she demonstrates calm leadership through body language and positioning, and why she believes dogs naturally live in hierarchical structures.Whether this approach resonates with you or not, it shows the range of philosophies dog owners encounter when seeking help with their pets.