In this first episode of a three-part series, Kathy highlights the importance of building your dog’s social confidence. She uses a variety of scenarios to explain what it means and when it’s necessary to be an advocate for your dog.   The series takes a closer look at ways you can stay connected with your dog in awkward and somewhat unpleasant social situations.   Did you know that your puppy or young dog is at the most impressionable stage of their life?   They’re experiencing most things for the first time, which is thrilling! But it’s equally scary because unpleasant experiences can have a long-lasting impact on how they experience ordinary life events moving forward. So, we need to be intentionally mindful of our puppies and young dogs, until they’re confident and resilient enough to stand on their own paws.   In this episode:   How to be an advocate for your dog in the face of social behavior and training pressure How to address well-meaning yet unwanted opinions about how you should handle and train your dog How to support your dog when there is pressure to be social   Quotes:   “We need to be exceptionally mindful about being a strong advocate for our puppies and young dogs because they are so impressionable until they’re confident, mature and resilient adults.”   “Our most important role as savvy dog moms is to build and protect trust and confidence in our dogs.”   “As loving dog moms, we are responsible for being the voice for our dog in any social environment and intentionally create experiences that nurture feelings of safety, confidence and trust.”   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/