In this guest edition of Enlightened by Dogs, Kathy introduces Erin who tells us about her journey with her unexpectedly intense Border Collie, Jess.   Erin, a lovely member of the Brilliant Partners Academy, picked up Jess with the hope of love, joy and adventure. To start off with, things were really hard! Jess’ behaviors left Erin feeling anxious, stressed and even panicked at times.   It all started when they brought home a border collie bundle of joy they named Jess. The puppy was intense and without major 'issues', but Erin was feeling overwhelmed, anxious and often panicked. She was exhausted with worry about making mistakes and thousands of 'worse-case scenarios' played over and over in her mind. Every small behavior issue with the puppy felt BIG, and like a crisis for Erin. Buying books and enrolling in courses and looking for advice to 'fix' everything only left her feeling worried, exhausted and stressed out.   They are in a completely different place now, and Erin shared: "These days, I feel so much calmer and happier - I love life with my wee dog! We are doing great, we love each other and I know we can figure anything out together. We enjoy our walks and adventures and cuddles. I trust her so she is off lead and exploring so much more which she loves. My relationship with Jess is 90% joyful, loving and fun, rather than 90% worried, stressed, upset and frustrated like before."   There is so much to takeaway from this interview, so jump right in! In this episode: How Erin’s constant worry and confusion about doing the right thing was lifted Dealing with an intense puppy brings more than expected How Erin and Jess rebuilt their life together, and now enjoy a safe, calm and happy relationship   Quotes: “She was up every couple of hours through the night, wanting reassurance. I didn’t feel equipped to deal with that. Now I feel I know how to respond.”   “I’ve got a little way to go. But things don’t freak me out anymore. That’s the difference.”   “Trust what feels right for you. It might not be my approach. It could be something else.”   LOVE TO LEARN MORE?  Become a calm and confident Dog Mom with a cooperative, happy dog ... without obedience training, or relying on treats or arousing games, or corrections of any type.    Here are some next steps:   SUBSCRIBE to Kathy’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DancingHeartsDogAcademy/videos   LISTEN or READ Kathy’s Podcast and Blog on her Website: https://dancingheartsdogacademy.com/   GET STARTED work with Kathy: https://dancinghearts.link/foundation   LET’S CONNECT on the socials for more partnership tips and advice: -Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dancinghearts/ -Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathykawalec/   LISTEN TO PODCASTS: Subscribe to the Enlightened By Dogs podcast in your favorite app! Don’t forget to leave us a rating and review – it would make Kathy very happy!   Subscribe on  Apple Podcasts | Listen on Spotify Connect on Facebook: facebook.com/dancinghearts/