The Dog Who Asked for More: Understanding Life With Your Dog Beyond Dog Training and Behavior · Episode 117 · November 3, 2025 · 6 min

What Your Rescue Dog Is Quietly Healing in You | Life With Dogs

Did you think you were the one doing the rescuing? Rescue stories usually focus on what we give the dog: a home, safety, a second chance. But a lot of rescue dogs give something back that’s harder to put into words, especially when they show up during a hard season of your life. This Gotcha Day episode looks at what twelve years with a guarded, opinionated, reactive little dog can teach you about trust, boundaries, and letting yourself rest. You’ll hear: The shelter visit that started with growling from the back of a kennel and ended with Toby asleep in Em’s lap The hard season Toby helped carry Em through, including losing Cajun less than a year later What a bite-first, ask-questions-later dog teaches you about saying no and not needing everyone’s approval A short reflection exercise for anyone who has ever rescued a dog Press play if your rescue dog has given you more than you ever expected to get back. Want More Support? The free resource mentioned in this episode is now part of a full course inside The Dog Who Asked for More community. Current free courses include: What's Really in Your Dog's Bowl Why Your Dog Won't Settle Caring for Your Aging Dog Pet Travel Preparedness Join the community to access the free courses. 👉 https://www.skool.com/the-dog-who-asked-for-more-6959/about Shop What Em Uses with Fitz & Toby Enrichment tools, nutrition support, and daily essentials — all in one place. 👉 thedogwhoaskedformore.myshopdot.com This podcast explores dog training, dog behavior, dog behavior problems, dog obedience, dog training advice, dog training tips, dog training methods, dog training at home, service dog training, dog anxiety, dog separation anxiety, reactive dogs, dog reactivity, and dog body language. Episodes also cover canine nutrition, dog food, dog enrichment, mental stimulation for dogs, senior dogs, pet loss, and life with dogs. It’s a dog community for people who want to better understand the dog in front of them, make sense of conflicting advice, improve the relationship with their dog, and figure out what actually works for their dog. Some links may be affiliate links. If you choose to purchase, it helps support the podcast and the RV tour.